Editing, Reading, & Eating

Woohoo! Vacation day from the day job! Hmm, didn't I write a similar post a few days ago? I think so but oh well. I must need the time off. I'm certainly enjoying it.

Sharing in the cooking duties (when I get so lucky), I cooked biscuits, eggs, and sausage for breakfast and my husband fixed seafood sandwiches for lunch. Yummy! Double my pleasure, a mini marathon of Diagnosis Murder was on a newly added channel to our cable package. I enjoyed an all-day one over the weekend.

As my husband napped after lunch, I relaxed in a therapeutic foam bubble bath while finishing reading my book for this month.

My spirit has been thoroughly fed by this woman's story of overcoming a difficult time in her young marriage through Gods grace and faithfulness. I identified with several areas and am even more encouraged in my own pursuit to be a better wife and Christian woman. Check out my YouTube video about this book.

Before the day is out I'll work on the second round of edits on my manuscript.

As anxious as I am to publish my long awaited (for my readers and myself), it's more important for me to put out a quality product. My new and current readers will appreciate it. Read an excerpt at http://lajefferson.com

I'm also working on a story outline for a novella for based on another character from my first book, Unfinished Business. It's pretty cool being able to take characters from previous stories and give them a story of their own. 

I'll keep you posted every step of the way! Subscribe up top for regular updates.

Writing, Shopping, & Dog Walking

A day off from my day job was just was the doctor ordered. Well...not from my doctor. In fact there wasn't really an order. But I did have to take a day off work to attend a doctor's appointment with my husband. The appointment was in the morning and was over in time for me to actually go to work but I wasn't feeling it. The truth...I've taken on many extra tasks at work and the boatload of meetings over the past couple of weeks have been draining me. So much so that I haven't been able to concentrate on my current writing project for the month and it's almost over! This year is about productivity. If I keep adding distractions to my plate it's going to be the end of the year and the only thing I'll be able to say is that I published my second book. Hmm, that's not such a terrible thing, but it's not my only goal.


And boy was God on my side. After the appointment, my husband and I stopped at a Coney Island near home for a brief breakfast date. He was avoiding carbs, I wasn't. My pancakes were scrumptious! The goodness of God, however, wasn't the pancakes but when my husband dropped me off at the door of our home and drove away! Yeah  baby...that's meant ME time.

Before I could get started writing, though, I had to wash the stack of dishes that had been patiently awaiting for the last couple of days. Then I had to take Pepper, my little black Terrier outside for a walk. She's my son's responsibility during the week so she doesn't get lengthy walks until the weekend. She appreciated the surprise treat. Lastly, I cleared the computer desk off all clutter (a receipt, a broken lead pencil, a medical pamphlet) so I wouldn't have anything to distract me from writing. It doesn't take much.


Once all distractions were cleared, I searched for the latest version of the story I'd been writing. Since I can no longer use my USB drive at work, I have to go through the tedious process of  emailing Word documents back and forth between my work email and personal email. And, no, before you suggest them--I can't access Google docs, OneDrive, or any of the other online document creators at work either! Until another method presents itself, this is it....


In the end, I got a good draft of my story nearly complete. I'm writing a story about a challenging time in my marriage--is that ever not the case??? Seriously, though, there's an insurmountable amount of material when you're writing your life and 100 times more writing about your marriage! I've easily noticed how, even in nonfiction writing, the story you start with isn't always the story you end with. Not only that, while writing one story, material for future stories are unleashed. I'm excited for those and for the shoes I ordered online while writing...distractions are never too far away :)

The day off was well spent so instead of going to a rigorous Zumba class, I treated myself to the movies--the real treat was the popcorn!

8a.m. Late start to my morning. Usually I'm up by 7 on a Saturday. But as long as my husband and son remained asleep, my morning stood a chance of continuing business as usual. Crossing my fingers.

Writing or, more specifically, the marketing of my work weighed heavily on my mind before I even peeled the covers off of me. One reason was a boost of encouragement I received from a fellow author/editor who I greatly admire. She doesn't let anything hold her back from accomplishing her goals. She pushes forward and inspires others to do the same. Yesterday, I was inspired. Not just my usual inspiration to write, but inspiration for ACTION!

So my first stop was the computer--after the bathroom, of course. I brought my bitly account to access some shortened links that I created eons ago, and then Hootsuite to schedule some post for the remainder of March. It's National Reading Month so it was perfect timing to market both of my books--the one already published and the upcoming one.

Not including the eventual hour or so disruption from my husband (grooming his locs! and online shopping),  marketing for the month took me about an hour thanks to copy & paste!

With the business of my writing complete (for today, that is), now I have the rest of the day ahead of me,

Hmph, perfect time for my husband and I to do something together but he's made plans with my dad. Seriously, dude?

"You can come?" He says as though I want to spend a portion of my day listening to him and my dad do their "guy" talk, trying unsuccessfully to find a place in the conversation like a novice trying to jump into a double dutch twirling rope. Not so easy.

"That's cool, baby. I'm sure I'll find something to do with my time." I say, hiding the grin spreading on my lips.

I start every weekend with a list of stuff going on. This weekend is no different.

Exercise. I'm always trying to make time for that. Until my husband woke up I was trying to connect with a friend for our weekly mall walking together. Nevertheless, the gym just over a mile away from me is always an option.

Then there's a writers critique meeting at 3pm that I'd love to go. Any other time that would be perfect timing but not today. Near the same time I'm dropping off food for a sorority sister's family repast.

Maybe a movie while enjoying some buttery popcorn. Opps! That'll throw off my weight watchers points off for the day so that's off the table.

Guess I'll do something with this sewing machine I got for Christmas and still haven't done anything with besides threading it. Or read a book. Again it is National Reading Month. 
Til Next Tim...L.A.

Snowy Reflections of Author L.A.

I had such a productive day that I wasn't even mad when I came out to my car covered in--not easy to brush off snow, but a thick sheet of ice that took several minutes of window defrosting and aggressive before I could leave. The snowy ride home--45 minutes longer-- gave me ample time to reflect on the moves that I made and what's next.

For the last 7 years that I've been working on my upcoming novel, Reconciliation to Hell, I've been struggling choosing one career field over the other--being an author of novels or exceling within my corporate job. I thought I had to choose. But even when I got discouraged over how long it was taking me to write my second book (just a few years shy of the 10 yrs for the first), I could never, comfortably, choose the corporate life.

That's just my day job." I told myself countless times over the years.  "The steady paycheck to pay the bills until I write the breakthrough novel that's going catapult me to literary stardom."

And that may very well be true. I certainly haven't given up on that dream. However, what I've come to realize as I've been spending a considerable amount of time blogging about fitness, spirituality, relationships--I simply love writing! And as my mentor told me last year, I can incorporate my love for writing within my day job. At first I thought she just meant using my skills in an extracurricular fashion like creating and managing a newsletter for an employee resource group. Well, she did but she also meant for the purpose of developing myself further and connecting with different people in the company. I'm planning to write and network my way into a day job that can bring me the same satisfaction of finishing my novel! How cool is that?

Last week I put the wheels in motion by stepping up into a lead and support position in my office, working more closely with management. Today, I committed some time connecting with people in positions that I'm interested in--corporate communications and employee relations. I read their work histories and educational backgrounds. Many of them had undergraduate degrees in journalism or communications but a couple of them had degrees in business, like me.

Does this mean that I'm any less focused on my literary plans? Not at all. I think I'll always have a book budding inside of me. Though I'm burnt out from novel writing (after only 2 books?), there's been a 3rd novel brewing in my head since last year sometime. I have every intention of writing it, too. Just hopefully after I'm published in a couple of magazines and/or book anthologies.

Plus, I'm still moving fast forward with publishing my novel in the spring. The manuscript is in the final editing stage and I couldn't be more excited. I also read an email the other day that reignited my interest in obtaining an literary agent. Delving into this world of self-publishing, as though it's the only way to be an author, I almost forget that traditional publishing is not only possible but it was my preferred method of being an author.

I'm pursuing greatness in my home life as a wife and mother, in my writing life, and, unapologetically, in my corporate life!

All of this while working to lose 25 lbs this year, caring for my chronically sick husband, and staying on top of my 11 yr old son (he's a Boy Scout and he'll be playing soccer this spring). Whew! I'm tired already.

I didn't even touch on the other productiveness of my day, which started at 4:30 a.m. Check out my lifestyle blog, where I talk regularly about fitness, spirituality, natural hair, and anything in between.

Yours in Writing (and Everything Else),

L.A.