I groaned and collapsed on the bed. Torn between going to bed—which I really, really wanted to do—and fulfilling my obligation, I next began bargaining with myself.
Here's how it went.
I can get up early in the morning and write it. I need a good night's sleep. I'm too tired. I'm all written out. I don't know what to write. My brain is empty of words.
The counter argument went this way.
No, you're no longer a morning person. You won't get up early. It takes you a while to get going what with the eye drops, vibration plate, IR and NIR treatment, eating something so you can take ibuprofen for your wrist joint.
Finally, I told the slacker me to just get up and do it. Thus, I find myself at the computer, pecking away, and I'm happy to be doing it. Getting over that initial inertia hump is difficult but always worthwhile.
I find the one sure way I'll do something, even if it's something I don't want to do, is to commit to it. I made a commitment to blog here on the 16th, and, come Hell or high water, I'll always do it.
I'm that way about everything. If I say I'll do it, I will. I've missed blogging 2 or 3 times in the past, and I've always felt terrible about it.
I finally decided to use that "reluctance to break my word" to my own writing.
I promised myself I would write 2K-3K words every day, Monday through Friday. That's about the length of a chapter for me. I did this because I haven't published a new book since 2022. Shock! Right? Time just kind of slipped away in the presence of loss and grief.
(Note. I did write 3 books, but I just didn't publish them. Yet. Even getting them ready to publish seemed like a monumental task.)
I made that writing promise. I put it on a graphic and use it as the image on my monitor display, I told it to my husband, and my daughter, and now I'm telling it to you.
Of course, it took me the first 3 months of this year to actually make that promise to myself. I spent those 3 months getting my ducks in a row.
I'm happy to report that I am actually keeping that promise to myself. My new book is Old Enough To Be Bold and is set for pre-order now. It will publish on or before May 30.
PROMISE KEEPER
The surest way to unhappiness in any part of life is to be a breaker of promises. In the past, people proudly proclaimed, "My word is my bond." It meant something. It meant that they could be trusted to do as they said. There's tremendous power and integrity in that.
In today's world, it's increasingly rare to find people who can be that person. If you want to succeed and have the respect and friendship of others, be that kind of person.
MY SALE BOOK THIS WEEK
David is a stranger, but when he touches her, desire flashes between them like heat lightning on a summer night. He wants her, but he doesn't say he loves her. Has Fate offered her a second chance at life and love?
Secrets. Lies. Danger. Why does David seem to hate her even as he pulls her into his arms? What is he hiding? How can she trust him when her gut says, Trust no one?
Secrets. Lies. Danger. Why does David seem to hate her even as he pulls her into his arms? What is he hiding? How can she trust him when her gut says, Trust no one?
She can't help falling in love with David, but her feeling of foreboding grows, as if something awful is about to happen. Will Tessa's lost memories be the death of her?
Wishing you a great second half of April. I'll see you in May!
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