I think I'll take a bath. Yes, definitely. After a ten hour work day in the hair salon I'm ready to sit, relax, and soak. Maybe I'll add some candles and soft music, too. That's what us romance writers do you know. We have husbands who massage our feet. Children who listen and reply to us with a courteous 'thank you' or 'please'. Our homes are kept spotless by maids and we have cooks who whip up delicious healthy foods we rave about at our weekly women's group. Then, of course, we all have pool boys. Hee heee heee. Pool boys! Can I get anymore cliche'? Well, I could add that we all have a cabana, too.

Yes, I'd love to take a bath tonight but its just not going to happen. Writing duty calls and when that happens I better listen or I'll be up all night troubled by the fact my characters are in limbo. This is a sure fire sign I need to get typing. Many authors say they need to purge themselves everyday but I sometimes don't have it in me. When this happens I simply write in my head until a complete story has formed. It could take days to liberate myself from the saga that has been building in my mind. I once wrote and edited a complete novel in five weeks. Sleep was an option and there was no clean clothes in the house, but everyone seemed to manage while Mom became a hermit living in 'The Cave'. ('The Cave' is what we call my office because there isn't any windows in it.) The hard part for me isn't thinking up stories to tell. Oh no! I'm much too simple of a person for that; or am I complex? You be the judge.
The hardest part for me is sitting my butt down and writing. The fear of failure is what kept me away and why I didn't start telling tales until I was in my thirties. Now I can't stop!

My debut novel, Divine Turmoil, took me about ten months to write. I enjoyed the seclusion of weaving lives into stories of love. Through the process I often wondered: Who were these people living in my imagination? What do they want out of their lives? Where are they going and how will they get there? All valid questions and important when it comes to making sure a plot is intriguing enough for a reader to need to finish the story. 

From that first word I've ever typed to the ending of Divine Turmoil, I always knew how very lucky I am to be able to verbalize my daydreams into playful words and entertaining stories. I never doubted I would see my novel up for sale. Insecurity isn't an option when a goal is set and your dreams are hinging on you to make them a reality. If I learned anything from this journey it is that even in our busy everyday lives we need to remember who we are. I am a wife, mother, laundry mat, taxi, maid, cook, thank goodness I don't have a pool! But most of all, I am a writer and I love what I do.

Rebecca Rose