So little time

This year has been a virtual whirlwind for me. I've had a futuristic crime thriller trilogy (Future Imperfect) published as well as a scifi romance novella (Inamorata Crossing)both by the same publisher; I've had a cozy mystery co-authored with my sister published in print and a new short story (The Cougar's Tale) is about to be published in Suspense Magazine's April Issue. And that's just the writing and editing part! Book launches, interviews, workshops and writing conventions as well as non-stop promotion kept me literally running from place to place! Now in case you think I'm bragging, I'm not. What I'm trying to show you is that writing can be the easiest part of being an author no matter what you may think now! Oh, sure, writing can be as the saying goes "opening a vein" at times, but everything in the aftermath of those final edits can be frighteningly swift and intense not to mention competitive in many instances!
You're probably thinking right about now, "What's her problem? I'd give my index finger to have those problems!" but it isn't all wine and dine and roses (rarely roses). If you've never experienced "professional jealousy" or the awful "I have no idea what I'm doing" hand wringing moments, you're one of those rare lucky authors. Professional jealousy is just what it says: you're jealous that other authors have accomplished more whether it's promotionally, reviews, or getting contracted in the first place and it's a real bitch to deal with and control. One author (I apologize for forgetting her name again) spoke at a convention upon this exact subject. She ended with a great piece of advice: don't think of it as other authors doing better than you; think of it as they are in a different place than you. That way it removes the competitive element and makes you both more generous and confident. Believe me, that is what we all want, even you. When you arrive at where you want and ought to be, the shock and thrill become real and you should enjoy every exhausting, exciting second. After that? Well that's another subject for another SimplyBlue post!

--SimplyBlue