Getting Lost in the Words…

Sometimes life comes in and takes over. There’s so much going on that sometimes I have to step back and breathe. How can putting words on paper help? For me, it’s like the best anxiety medicine, but you can’t find it in a bottle. I find it every time my fingers touch the keys.

I have so much happening at the moment. It’s tax season, and being an accountant means that I’m working long hours and getting only moments to write. Which means my anxiety is high? Me, Anxiety, yes. I have anxiety, but not many know it. But, I have to get a release somehow, and my writing is that release.

This morning as I’m taking time for myself, I sat in front of my laptop, running my fingers over the keys. It was like a balm to my world. The anxiety slowly floated away. It’s amazing the power of words. And I’ve always had a more than normal amount of them filling my head. In order to get my head cleared, I have to get them out of my head.

So, if you have anxiety, get lost in the words. There’s no expensive doctor or pharmacy bill, just the words that fill your head. It doesn’t have to be a novel or novella, it could be as simple as a journal. Just write. Be honest with your words and you’ll see a big difference.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Deadlines and caffeine…

At this time of year I’m burning the candle at both ends. It’s something accountants prepare all year for. We know that for at least four months everything will be turned upside down and deadlines will be looming everywhere. But it’s why I love it so much.

Maybe that’s why I love a writing deadline. It’s the adrenaline. And it’s the excuse to drink more coffee, not that I needed one.

Can we say, it’s almost the weekend…

It’s Friday afternoon and the weekend is staring at me. With tax season, I don’t take much time off. I’ve been trying to take at least Sunday afternoons to refresh, write, and nap. So, here’s to the hope of a little time on Sunday to recharge. Sending good vibes to all of you for a great weekend.

Thursday Coffee and Taxes…

As most of you know, I’m an accountant. So, tax season is a big part of my time right now. This means I’m spending a lot of time in my office. At least I have a coffee maker sitting beside my desk. There may be long hours and late nights, but with coffee and tea by my side, I’m good to go.

So, how is your Thursday going?

Deadlines or Procrastination!

Deadlines… A writers nemesis, but necessary. As an Accountant I have many deadlines to meet, and as a writer, I also have them. They surround me and some days I feel overwhelmed. But I love what I do on both fronts, so I push toward the next deadline with zeal.

But, procrastination also plays a part. As I’m procrastinating now by writing this blog. Sometimes I work best with a looming deadline. Then other times, a chill runs up my spine as the anxiety fills me.

As writers, we set release dates for our work, then work toward them. It’s like a means to an end. If we don’t set a deadline, then where will our work go? I do a schedule every year that sets deadlines for the draft, the editing, and the release. This is setup by evaluating the work itself. Is it to be a full length novel or a short novella? I calculate the words per day, but I manage to add some empty days that allow for procrastination, but still have me meeting my deadline.

What about you? How do you handle deadlines?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You!

Lots to say, too little time to say it…

Good morning! It’s been a little while since my last post. I’ve been crazy busy with deadlines, accounting, and starting a new venture with my assistant. So, what’s been up with me?

I’ve released a couple of books since my last post. As I said, it’s been a busy time. During this time I’ve set up my 2020 schedule for book releases and have been working on covers for those releases. It looks to be an exciting year.

With accounting, this is the start of tax season, not to mention closing out the previous year. So, things in the accounting office have been crazy busy, which has given me precious little time to write. But, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to budget my time and stay on a schedule. We will see how that goes.

As for the new business venture, well, it’s not a surprise that I love to create things. And book covers are one of my favorite things to create. So, I started Dragonfly Designs to help authors put their best cover forward. If you have a great looking cover, it will draw a readers eye. Many writers tell me that they just want to write, not sit and figure out the cover details. Drop by my website page for the new business at https://www.stephaniehurtauthor.com/dragonfly-designs

So, with that being said, I’ll say goodbye for now, but I’ll be back soon to announce new releases, writing advice and more…

Wishing you good writing and May God Bless You…

Here’s a look at some of my newest releases and a couple that are coming up!

https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Wish-Stephanie-Hurt-ebook/dp/B0827C44MH

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0836QVCPZ

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081DK2YJN

It’s Friday!

Good Friday morning! Wow, what a busy week. I’m so ready for the weekend, even though I’ll be in my accounting office most of it, but sleeping late in the morning is on my schedule.

The weather here in Georgia is fabulous at the moment and totally out of season, but I’m not complaining. It does make it hard to stay inside the office when the sun is shining and the days are warm. I keep telling myself that I live in Georgia and that means winter is not over yet. Hoping winter doesn’t come back in like a lion…

So, what are your plans this weekend? Any writing in those plans? If you’re like me, there’s always writing in your plans 😉

So, good writing and May God Bless You…

Easter Sale!

For a limited time, my bestselling Christian Historical Romance, A Light Upon My Heart is on sale for only .99!

A Light Upon My HeartFront Cover https://www.amazon.com/Light-Upon-My-Heart-ebook/dp/B01DIEH8GI

Naomi Harris is only 18 when she’s sent from Georgia to Montana to marry a stranger. Joseph Walsh is a wealthy, 30-year-old, ranch owner, but he’s lonely and in need of a Christian bride. Naomi’s poor home life doesn’t prepare her for life on a large ranch and Joseph’s not sure how to react to the innocent young woman that he brought across the country to be his bride. Many obstacles stand in their way as they strive to make their marriage work, but can they get past them? The worst one is the secret that Naomi keeps, it could destroy what they’ve worked to gain. She can’t go back home, ever…

Tax season will be over on the 18th and then you’ll get an overload of me 😉 See all of you when I find my way out of the pile of returns… In four days!

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Contests,Blitz’s and so much more

Wow, it’s Monday. Where did the weekend go? Time flies when you’re working all weekend and get only a little bit of down time. Oh, but I can see the end of the tunnel and I’m running as fast as I can toward the light 😉

As far as my writing, I’m trying desperately to keep up with my word count, but I can see that next week while my office is closed for some much-needed r & r, I’ll be writing, writing, and writing some more. “A Light Upon My Heart” is now in my editor’s hands for the last and final edit before publication, yeah!

In among the tax returns and accounting, I’ve somehow managed to enter a couple of pitch contests. I received some good advice from an editor that helped me with one of my pitches. I’m working on another Blitz entry, but that will save until next week.

Do you get into the pitch wars or blitz’s that publishers do? Have you ever thought about it? I can say it’s a definite rush and so much fun. I suggest looking into the pitch contests on Twitter, even if you don’t get a request, some of the editors will come in and give you pointers. It helps!

Hope everyone has a great Monday~ I have one more week of tax season, then I’ll overload this site with posts, so get ready. I’m almost back to normal…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Time Flies…

Good morning! I know I’ve been AWOL for several days. With tax season coming to a head and book deadlines, I’ve been covered up. Sometimes I wonder where my brain is when I make my writing schedule. I should’ve thought about the lack of writing time I have in the last six weeks of tax season, but I didn’t.

Can you believe the first week of April is almost in the books? Time is flying by so quick this year. Lily has already been released and coming up soon on the A Light Upon My Heart release on April 30th. I’m now working on The First Mate’s Lady, the continuation of Safe in the Pirate’s Arms. It seems like just yesterday, I was setting up the release schedules and now I’m deep into them.

So, how is everyone on this beautiful day? For those that were so awesome to share my cover reveal for A Light Upon My Heart, I’ll be announcing the winner in the morning. So be watching and if you haven’t had a chance to share, you have less than 24 hours to get in the hat for the drawing. Thanks again for all the support!

Now back to my busy schedule, already in progress…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…