It’s been six years since my books came out and unfortunately, the publisher I used didn’t offer contracts for more that the individual book they were buying at the time.

Also, both of the books I published in 2004 had been written several years before. Attack of the Queen, written as Honor Cummings, had been finished probably sometime in 1996 or even earlier.

Attack was the “book of my heart.” It was based on a fantasy RPG that my husband and I played with our friends. The last game we played with these characters included a romance because two of the players were engaged. Since I consider myself first a romance writer, I thought that scenario lent itself handily to a book.

At the time, no one was really publishing fantasy romance. Luckily, that’s not the case now.

However, that book sat on various hard drives for years until Luna was launched by Harlequin. I read their guidelines in excitement as they seemed to describe Attack to a T. However, it was too short for them.

I had already sold Fabric of Faith to Wings Press and I knew they took fantasy, so I sent it to them.

Fabric had also been written years before I submitted it to Wings after trying every inspirational publisher I could think of.

However, I had written a few other books in the meantime, two of which are finished on my hard drive, just waiting for me to have the time or energy to rewrite them.

And that brings us to the meat of the act, as it were.

Without a contract for the next book, I tend to flail around writing when I feel like it. Even as I tell people to treat writing like your job and do it every day like a job, I don’t always do that. I’m a stay-at-home mom, so you’d think I’d have all kinds of time to write, but it isn’t that way.

My family seems to think I should do laundry and dishes and clean and cook meals and run erands and that cuts into writing time like you don’t expect.

Even now, as I’m updating this blog (because this weekend a web expert told our writers’ group you should update your blog a minimum of once a week), I’m think about the grocery list my husband just IMed me and my Weight Watchers meeting coming up in a couple of hours and how I have to pick up my mother-in-law and take her there, too. Also, I don’t know what we’re having for dinner so that needs to be figured out and I have an overdue library book that needs to be taken back. Etc. Etc.

Without a firm deadline, I tend to drift which is why I haven’t had a book out in six years.

Sword & Illusion is supposed to be DONE DONE DONE by 19 Feb (my birthday). That’s the firmest deadline I have, so we’ll see if it happens.

Schools are closed this morning due to a hard freeze after rain yesterday.

However, just heard on the radio that none of the roads are frozen. I think people in Baton Rouge are afraid of cold weather. It’s 26 deg F here. In PA, the kids would still go to school!

Oh, well, I don’t really mind. Beloved said he’s probably staying home today and I already postponed the NFP class we were supposed to teach tonight. I do hope I hear from one of the couples today.

Anyway, I spoke at the Jones Creek Library Wednesday night. What a great turnout.

I spoke about writing – getting started, staying motivated and what happens when you finish your book. The audience asked a lot of good questions, and I think HeartLA may end up with a few more members.

I also sold five books with the library branch manager emailing me yesterday to ask for another copy of Attack of the Queen. So, this was a nice experience for me. I hope they invite me back.