Prioritizing or Procrastinating?

My work schedule has shifted over the past few weeks, for a variety of reasons. And just as with anything that you develop a routine for–exercising, dieting, writing, etc.–when your routine gets interrupted, it's hard to get back on track. As most of you know, I have a side-hustle job, which at times pays more than my royalties from all my books. When the stove in my house hid the skids, I needed to find money to buy a new one, or stop cooking. Trust me when I say the "stop cooking" option held some appeal. But since that wasn't feasible, I went shopping over Labor Day for a new stove.

I got a good Labor Day sale price, but I still had to find the money to pay for it. Which meant doubling up on my efforts with my side-hustle for at least a month. So I switched the order in which I put together my day. Instead of working on the WIP first thing, I've been writing my articles first, and then, if I have any creative energy left, I work on my WIP. But a couple things are hanging me up. First, when I had to put down the WIP, I was at a sticky part where I needed to spend time doing some research and then write a fight scene. Second, I started using the book Save The Cat Writes a Novel, so I'm rereading the chapters I've already written to make them better, and make them adhere more closely to the suggestions in this book. And third, I find my brain is only capable of coming up with 1,200 words a day, regardless of whether they are used in the formation of articles or as part of my novel.

So am I prioritizing or procrastinating? Once I accumulate the funds needed to pay for the stove, I'll let you know.

The Quiet House

I have a line in my upcoming book, The Forgotten Debutante, where Saffron tells Zeke he must be quiet as a church mouse on Sunday. Well, it's Sunday and my house is quiet. I am once again flying solo for the winter. My sister, who has taken such good care of me these past months, is taking a well-deserved reprieve. For three months, while I'm slogging through the snow and cold of an Ohio winter, she will be frolicking in the sun.

It's going to take me a while to settle in to my new routine. Because of my health issues, I haven't been able to sit at my desk for over a month. But, I've got projects galore lined up to work on and, with any luck, can limit the amount of time I have to be out of the house, dealing with the elements.

First on my agenda is to finish up the edits on the final book in my Cotillion series, which shouldn't take more than a week longer. Then, I'm going to query several places about my contemporary, and then dive back into the new historical I'm working on, which I left at the flash first draft stage. If I can accomplish all that in the month of February, I'll maybe not notice how quiet the house is, or how cold it is outside. There will be contests to judge, RITA books to read, cell phone to buy, and blogs to write. Before I know it, spring will be here. Fingers crossed that we don't get hit too hard with the icy grip of winter this year.

And maybe, if I can position things right, I can join Sis next year so I can avoid the worst of Ohio's weather. But for now, it's hunker down time. My dog, Mary, will keep me company while I work and get my career back on track. The final book in the series is nearly ready to be released, for which I'll mount a marketing campaign, starting with a cover reveal here as soon as I can show it to folks. And hopefully, my contemporary side will find a home.

How will you make it through the winter? Let me in on your secrets.