To be honest with you, I have enough trouble writing when I'm at home all day. But, in order to meet my January deadline for Sex and the Single Braddock, I have to write five pages a day. And starting tomorrow, my husband and I are going on a mini vacation. We're not going far, just to a cute little cottage hotel a couple of hours away to enjoy a break. My husband has been working insane hours and is looking forward to relaxing. That means, not only do I have to try and maintain my new workout schedule, I also have to continue writing five pages a day.

I'm taking my laptop and my notes. I've done it before. I'm sure I can do it again. But, my motivation has been low these last two weeks. I've been really tired from my vigorous workout schedule (but I'm getting fat, so it must be done) and I've had little energy. Hopefully some fresh air and a change of surroundings will put me back on track.

Not only am I a huge procrastinator, I only want to do things when it's time to do something else. I've had at least three strong plot ideas that I spent the summer kicking around to no avail. But, now that my editor has offered me a pre-plotted story to write (Sex and the Single Braddock, September '08) I suddenly have all these ideas for other stories.

But, since my deadline is January, and I'm hoping not to write during the Christmas holiday, I can't afford to spend time on any book besides the one I'm being paid for. I wish I could say I was a disciplined as other writers. Some of them write multiple books at a time. I did that once, and never again. I think that process is what brought about the bought of writer fatigue that I experienced afterward.

But, I guess this kind of thing makes sense in my life. I only want to do laundry when I'm supposed to be sitting at my computer writing.

Yesterday I created a profile on MySpace. While I've always been fully aware of the site, I never understood the need for someone my age to get involved with it. But, it's only been twenty-four hours and I may just be addicted. They sucker you in with this concept of "friends." You tell yourself initially, I'm comfortable with Tom (your first friend by default) and maybe one other person I actually know (in my case, my husband--who will never visit). But then random people say they want to be your friend and suddenly you're hooked.

In any case, come visit me on MySpace and be my friend.

I started writing my first book almost fourteen years ago. It's strange to think about the thrill and enthusiasm I had for writing then. It was my whole life, and if I could just get published, all would be right with the world. I sold my first book two years later, and it was published nearly two years after that.

Back then, I was so involved with my budding, almost non-existent, writing career that I did everything possible to promote myself—despite there being almost nothing to promote. I had press kits for a book that wasn't coming out for a year and a half, business cards, letterhead, writing groups out the wazoo and as many books and resources as I could find.

Although I continued to sell, my enthusiasm slowly waned over the years. Life always gets in the way, and writing couldn't continue to be my whole life. But, it never left me either. I know I'm a true writer because my soul isn't at peace without a new idea for a story or character. And sometimes, when I allow myself to let go, magic happens and I'm able to do the story justice.

Now that I've published several books and have gotten married, my priorities are different, and I miss the untainted enthusiasm I once had. But, after several years of my love/hate relationship with writing, I'm starting to get my second wind. I've started to participate in my writing community, to buy business cards and letterhead and to collect resources again. I have never been short on ideas, but I'm regaining my interest in the business of writing, which can be so important in planning a long-term career.

Doing research is my least favorite part of writing fiction. Maybe that dread is a throwback to my days in college where research was an integral part of my psychology major. My favorite part of writing is the freedom to blatantly make things up. But, I realize that a book isn't believable unless you have a grounding in reality. Hence, the need for research.

Whenever possible it's great to do research first hand. For my book, Lilah's List, coming out in January, I got to go to New York City, tour the sites as though I'd never seen them before, and dine in very nice restaurants.

Unfortunately, I won't have the benefit of first hand experience while writing my work-in-progress, Sex and the Single Braddock. My heroine will be flying around on a private jet (I don't know anyone to lend me one) staying in a luxury suite in Monte Carlo (I haven't been able to sell my husband on the expense for a trip like that) and driving around in a Bugatti Veyron worth over a million dollars (I'd never even heard of this car before).

So, unfortunately, this book will be largely constructed on information from the Internet and my imagination. But, now I've added Monte Carlo to one of the places I'd like to visit one day.

I'm excited to announce that I'll be participating in a new continuity series from Harlequin's Kimani Press. This four book series will begin in August 2008, and my book Sex and the Single Braddock will be released in September 2008.

The first book in the series will be written by Adrianne Byrd, new author AC Arthur will right the third book, and Harlequin veteran Brenda Jackson will write the final book in the series.

My novel Lilah's List will be out in January. It's the story of a woman who finds a life list she made as a teenager two weeks before she turns thirty. She decides she's going to get as much of the list done as she can before her birthday.

Thanks to Lilah I started thinking of some of the things I wanted to get done. Although thirty left me six years ago, there are still so many places I've wanted to go. So, this spring I made my very first trip to Europe. I saw London, Scotland, Paris, Rome, Florence and Venice. It was more amazing than I could have imagined.

Now I have a list of all the places I'd like to travel to, and each year, I hope to knock some place off the list. I'm not as adventurous as Lilah, I don't want to get a tattoo or ride a motorcycle. But, in the near future, I hope to ride a mechanical bull, continue to work on my French and learn to knit.

Sometimes art can inspire life.