Category: The Blog

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Committed or Interested?

Since I’m signing up for the Romance Biggest Winner competition, I’m going to be blogging a lot more about dieting and my weight loss journey (and unavoidably, those struggles). 

I’ve hesitated to say too much here, because I’ve failed so many times in the past.  I even had a weight loss blog at one time, that slowly slipped away and I’m pretty sure I deleted it.  If I start blogging about it HERE, the place I’ll never delete because it’s about Dreaming in Rhyme, my need to write, then it’ll be permanent.  I’ll have to stare those failures in the face the rest of my life.  But maybe that’s exactly what I need to do.

As I was reading 100 Days of Weight Loss by Linda Spangle, one thing that really struck a chord with me is her chapter on “Interested or Committed?”  She says if you typically start and stop over and over, unable to stick with the plan, then you should look at the difference between being interested and being committed.

Immediately, I thought about my determination to write.  In 2003 I committed (yes, I used that exact word) to My Beloved Sister that I would finish Shannari’s first book.  I’d been writing on it off and on for years, at least five, if not ten years, off and on, dreaming, letting it fade away.  But once I told her, “YES, I will finish this book by Christmas” it lit a fire under me.

I finished not just the first book but also the second.  (Let’s not get into the quality of those first drafts, shall we?  :oops:)

I told her I’d do it, and I did.  It was like a switch went off in my head.  This isn’t playing anymore.  This is serious.  I’m going to do this.  No matter what.

How come I’ve never looked at dieting that way?

I guess I was interested in losing weight…but not committed.  As long as I saw results on the scale, I could stick to the plan, whatever that was.  I’ve done several incarnations of Weight Watchers, both online and at work (not to mention the first time I informally did WW with my mom as a young teenager).  I’ve tried both Atkins and the Rice Diet, two drastically opposite philosophies!  I’ve lost 40-50 pounds on both of those diets, but inevitably, I fell off the wagon and unfortunately gained it back.  And then some after having three kids.

If only I had more time to exercise…

If only I had a personal chef!

If only I had the money for a personal trainer…

If only I could find the right combination…

While all along, the problem has been me.  I wasn’t committed.

I’m busy with a full-time Evil Day Job (that I actually love but when I’m in the middle of a really good scene, it really is evil when I have to stop and go to work!) and three kids.  I have a house to keep up.  I have to cook dinner, do laundry.  All the things a mom and wife has to do.  It’s hard to find time to write, but I always manage, even if I have to get up at 5 AM to do it.  It’s that important to me.  It’s never going to get any easier, so I have to find a way.  Period.

Why should my health be any less important?

A committed person isn’t going to let a little thing like a bag of potato chips or pepperoni pizza stop her.  A committed person isn’t going to quit with the first wobbling slip up or “unfair” gain.  She isn’t going to sit on the couch all weekend watching football when the weather is nice outside and there are two dogs and three kids perfectly eager to go on a walk. 

A committed person is going to stick to her guns in any situation, no matter how stressful.  She knows what healthy is and she’s going to fix her own food if she has to.  She’s going to put on the tennis shoes and do something, anything, even if it’s only walking the stairs a few times, because nothing and nobody is going to get in her way.

The way I was committed to finishing that first book.  No matter what.

That’s the key for me, I’ve realized.  I have to do it.  Nobody’s going to help me.  Nobody’s going to prepare my food or say, “Hey, let’s go for a walk!”  Or even more amusing, “Let me cook you dinner!  What’s the healthiest thing in the kitchen to fix?”  Instead of “Why don’t we have anything sweet to eat?  Fruit?  Yuck.”

Oh, the kids might nag me to play Wii with them, but I can’t count on that to be my motivation.  It has to come from within me and I have to nurture that flame, the same way I nurture my determination to write.

Nothing and nobody is going to keep me from fulfulling my dream.  Now it’s time to dream about being at a healthy weight.

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Giveaway: Handcrafted Journal

How better to celebrate Return to Shanhasson’s release than giving away a gorgeous journal handcrafted by my new editor, Lisa?  She kindly stepped in during Deena’s illness and put the final polish on Shannari’s grand adventure.  Without her, Mykal would still be lurking in Keldar and you’d never learn about Shannari’s greatest test of all, and yes, her greatest sacrifice.

I adore paper products, all sorts.  From colored index cards, sticky notes, journals, notebooks, reams of stock paper…  It’s physically impossible for me to go into an office supply store like Staples or Office Max and walk out without picking up some new paper product.  I’d probably be up for Hoarders if the monsters didn’t so kindly assist me in using up my paper goods.  *sobs – I’ve actually considered putting my notebooks and ink pens under lock and key!* 

Most especially, I love journals, especially unique, handmade ones.  My only problem:  I “save” them for something really good…  Which means they don’t always get used.  I keep them on a shelf and admire them.  I may not fight the blank page syndrome too much when writing a book, but when it comes to my own thoughts, I do often hesitate to put such “trival” matters down, especially on “nice” paper.  But you know what?  Those thoughts are just as important.

So I’m ordering one for myself and one to give away here on the blog.

There are two ways to enter.

  1. Comment here and tell me about your own journaling habits or simply throw your name in the hat.
  2. For extra entries, rate or review any Shanhasson book (Rose, Road, or Return) on any review site (Goodreads, personal blog, formal review site, even facebook) or online retailer (Amazon, B&N, etc.) and send the link(s) via email to joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com.  I’ll put your name in the magic hat again for each link you send me. Pre-existing reviews are okay and eligible, but please do send me the links if you’d like an extra entry.  I don’t have time to hunt them all down and I don’t want to enter someone who may not be aware of the giveaway going on (and I won’t be able to track them down if they win).

*cough* Notice that poor Road has NO Amazon ratings?  *sobs*

This giveaway is open to anyone on the planet, even if you’ve won something from me before.  I do not retain your name or email addresses after the giveaway is over. 

Comments and links will be accepted through midnight July 8th CST and the winner will be announced on the blog July 9th.

Reviewers who’d like a copy of any Shanhasson book, please drop me a note to the same email above with your desired format.

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Good News Monday

All kinds of good news this week!

  • I finally started Phantom!  My goal:  finish the first draft by the end of August, hopefully giving me plenty of time to work on The Bloodgate Warrior first round of revisions in July.
  • The wait for Return to Shanhasson is finally over!
  • I’m planning an awesome giveaway to celebrate Return’s release – details later this week.
  • I received word last week that Lady Doctor Wyre’s Lord Regret is going to have the opportunity to participate in Summer’s Hottest Hero sponsored by All Romance E-Books!  Details about voting, etc. will be coming.
  • I’m *this close* to losing 40 pounds since Jan 5th!  (39.6)
  • I’ve walked 11.25 miles of my 12 mile June goal.
  • My July exercise goal will be 15 miles and restarting the strength training portion of Tony Horton’s Power 90. 
  • To keep my momentum going, I’m joining Ashley March in the Romance Biggest Winner competition.  I’ll blog more about it as we get closer to the start date (7/5/2011).
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The Perils of a Writer’s Imagination

Last night I was cooking dinner when Middle Monster casually stepped into the kitchen and said, “Hey, Mom.”  (Drawing out the Mom part.)

I finished shaping the hamburger patty and immediately washed my hands.  Something was up.  Definitely.  “What?”

“Did you know there’s a suitcase in the middle of the street?”

Ugh, still washing my hands — I hate raw meat.  More soap, but I’m hurrying, because I have a very bad feeling about this.  “You didn’t get close to it.  Did you?”

“Uhhhhh…..”

Crap.  “You didn’t touch it, did you?”

“Uhhhhh….  There’s only gloves and stuff inside.”

Taking deep breaths, I tried to remain cool and collected.  “You know there could have been a bomb in there or something.”

Cheerfully, Middle Monster replies, “Nope.  I didn’t hear any ticking.”

While I lectured her on all the horrible nasty things that could have been in that mysterious bag (yeah, we live in “safe” suburbia in a relatively small town, but you just never know), I headed out to investigate.  From a safe, boring distance.  It wasn’t a suitcase, but a duffel bag.  Now I’m imagining drug money, dirty needles, weapons….

In the end, the bag belonged to the neighbor across the street.  They have a truck, and I suspect it might have fallen out the back when he pulled into their slightly sloped driveway.  Anyway, I was just starting to recover from the “bomb” scare when we watched the news last night.

Evidently there was an attempted abduction of two girls on the street that is THREE HOUSES AWAY from us.  *dies*  My girls play outside with the neighbors all the time.  They walk down that street each day to come home from summer school.  Needless to say…

I’m having a very hard time letting them out of their locked rooms right now.  I know they have to live and not be afraid, but that’s just too close to home.  Literally.

P.S. As far as the attempted abduction, the man never got out of the van, but when he tried to get the girls to come over to him, they smartly ran to a neighboring house.  I have no idea how old the girls were but it’s very scary with three little girl monsters in this house. 

P.S.S. And no, the suspect has not been apprehended.  *deep breaths*

But at least the mysterious duffel bag wasn’t ticking.

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News Roundup

It’s free book week at Carina Press. A new free book each day! Details here.

I’m also over at The Romance Reviews today talking about The Bloodgate Guardian. Comment on any of my posts over there to be entered to win a $10 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice.

Of course, I’m still giddy that Mykal has finally arrived! Return to Shanhasson should start filtering through book retailers over the next few days. I’m still looking for reviewers, so if you’re interested, drop me a note. (This is book 3 of a trilogy, not a standalone.)

I’ll be planning a giveaway shortly — any requests?!?

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Return to Shanhasson is Live!

Blessed Lady above, thank you for your bountiful blessings of love.

The final book in the Shanhasson trilogy, Return to Shanhasson, is now available at Drollerie Press here.  In the next few days it should also pop up on Amazon, B&N, etc.  I’ll add buy links as they’re available.

Reviewers:  please contact me (joelysueburkhart AT gmail DOT com) for a review copy!

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Beating the Dog Days of Summer

If you go back over the years and look at my history, I never tend to do well over the summer.  The kids are up late, which means I can’t concentrate at night.  We’re up later, because the kids are up later, so I can’t get up early.  If I can’t get up early, I obviously can’t do Dark & Early writing!  So when do I write?  Lunch?  Not with my project load at the Evil Day Job right now.  (Twice in the past three days of work I’ve forgotten to even EAT lunch, let alone take time to write.)

So I have to get a plan of action done NOW.  Some kind of strategy to help me get my projects done instead of waiting (praying) for September.

The first thing I did today was print out June, July, and Aug calendars.  I penciled in all the projects I need to work on.  My releases and planned promo.  I organized my idea file (and yes, I got a new idea germinating.  Sigh.)  I prepared my wishlist of projects too — things I’d really like to work on but haven’t committed anywhere or to anyone yet.  All the various lists are recorded instead of cluttering up my head and distracting me.

I also joined a book club discussing 100 Days of Weight Loss to keep my diet progressing.  35.8 pounds lost since Jan and I don’t want to lose momentum!

I also committed to walking 12 miles in June.  Not a lot by any means, but I figured a challenge would help me get active again.  I seem to do EITHER eating or exercising…I can’t do both at the same time.

Let me rephrase that using Day 1 of the 100 day challenge.  In the past, I used to be unable to exercise and diet at the same time consistently, but today, I’m going to find a way to do both.  I’ve been dieting consistently since January, so I just need to set a small exercise goal that I know I can achieve.  Done!

My number one priority in June will be to finish the first draft of The Bloodgate Warrior.  Then I have two proposals I want to finish plotting, including synopses, and then choose one to begin drafting.  I’ll also have Vicki revisions this month (details will be announced as soon as I have dets in hand).  I’m preparing promo plans for Golden this August, including some FANTASTIC artwork that Soleil is creating.  I can’t wait to share it with you!

So, I’ll continue to eat right.  I’ll begin a modest exercise program.  And probably the most important thing, I need to get enough sleep so I can get up as many times D&E as possible.  (I totally overslept today and wasted a pot of coffee.)  I have to be in bed by 10 pm each night, if not earlier.  Sigh.  That’ll be the toughest thing on my list!

Do you lose momentum in the summer, and if so, how do you plan to combat it?

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Good Riddance to May

Not only did I turn another year older, but my sister’s town was devastated by a tornado and my laptop was busted.  Plus I’ve had a major project in progress at the Evil Day Job, which was running late, stressing me out.  My husband is unemployed for the second time this year, and the kids got out of school.

SHOOT ME NOW.

MayNoWriMo is a bust.

Yet, there’s several rays of sunshine in this May of gloom.  I finally finished the pyramid sacrifice scene in The Bloodgate Warrior!  It only too me all stinking month to finish the scene…Sigh.  However, it’s a killer scene, one I’m very pleased to finish.  Now I have the big showdown ahead.  I plan to continue getting up D&E as much as possible, because with summer activities driving me nuts, I won’t have time at night to write.

I also finished a major component of the EDJ project today.  Woot!  Still have a lot to do, but the part that was like an albatross around my neck is finally DONE.  I collapsed in a huge heap Friday after working late, spent the weekend like a slug watching movies and cross-stitching, and finished up the last of my tasks today as I promised.  Whew.