There's Always Something

There’s always something. Even as I write this, my two year old is hitting his sister and my four year old is trying to show me all the unusual things Mary Poppins can do. Finding time to write is both a science and an art.

A science? Well, yeah. I have to make sure the kids are on a regular sleep schedule. Otherwise they sleep at different times (or not at all) and I have no time to write. And no sanity.

And of course it’s an art. All the planning in the world can fizzle into nothingness if the toddler is stubborn enough. Or, like this week, I find out moments after going grocery shopping that we have no paper towels and I forgot to buy diaper rash cream. So it takes some creativity, if I want my book to grow.

Maybe the kids will watch a movie in the other room for an hour and a half? Unlikely. Maybe one of my sisters is just dying to take care of them for me? They have busy lives, too. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a holiday that I forgot about and my husband will be home to watch the kids for me. It could happen.

Sometimes I only get a short amount of time to write. Actually, it’s usually only a short amount of time. You know what I’ve learned to do?

Take breaks. It seems counter-intuitive. If I only have two hours or an hour and a half, it makes sense to dive into my work and get as much done as I possibly can. But taking five-minute breaks (before I get tired!) goes a long way.

So, yeah. Some weeks the kids are really good at keeping me from my writing. I do what I can.

I try to be smart (and creative and methodical and thoughtful) and I keep making progress when I can. Every drop in the bucket counts. Eventually, I produce a story I can be proud of. Even if it takes a little longer than I’d like to admit.

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Congratulations to all our winners. You should get an email from our Boost a Book authors soon, if you haven't already.

The widget in the previous post has a list of the winners. Some people won more than one book. Those extra entries really paid off!

Thanks again for supporting the books you love. :)

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You, the reader

When you read a good book, you want to tell people about it! But aside from trying to convince your friend that they’re really going to like this random book you just found, what can you, as a reader, do to help an author?

How To Help

Word of mouth is of course really helpful, but did you know that just by leaving a review, you can make a book more visible to other readers? The review can be on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your blog, Goodreads, Shelfari, it doesn’t matter. If it’s where readers can find it, you’re helping. The more times a book shows up on the internet, the more people hear about it.

You can click the “like” button at the top of the book’s Amazon page

or use the “Tags People Associate with This Product” at the bottom of the page. These help the book come up in search results and the “Readers Who Bought...” section.

You can also tweet about the book, mention it on facebook or Google+, or request the book at your local library or bookstore (if it’s in paperback).

The Good Stuff

The Boost a Book authors have some great fans and we know you all do some of these things already. So as a thank you, we’d like to offer some free ebooks. And, as an added bonus, we think it’d be fun to offer more books and more contest entries for each book you boost.

Books You Can Win

So grab your free entry below (starting June 1) for a chance to win a free ebook from one of our Boost a Book authors. And if you want to discover even more new authors (by winning free ebooks) you can let us know how you've boosted a book and get extra entries.

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Mother's Day is a Mockery

My mom always said Mother's Day was a mockery. (Okay, she said to be funny, but it's become a regular saynig with my family.) She said Mother's Day is the day when everyone is really nice to their moms, and then they give them grief the other 364 days of the year.

I kind of see her point, now. Everybody says such nice things that they wouldn't normally say. It's like when people say, "Let's try to have the Christmas spirit all year round." but they only say that at Christmastime.

Still, this is a very cool holiday. We stop and think about our mothers in a positive light, and think about all the good things they've done. Actually, it feels a lot like the Christmas spirit.

The world unites, with nothing in common except love and gratitude for the women who raised us. It's amazing what our mothers do, everything parents give up in order to fulfil that urge to nurture.

But we're driven to sacrifice for our wee ones. We wouldn't have it any other way.

So yes, it's only once a year, but I think the reminder is important. Without mother's day, we wouldn't take the time to really think about the long-term sacrifices made by the wonderful women in our lives.

Thanks to everyone who did something to show mothers that they're appreciated! And thank you to all mothers in the world that gave unconditional, pure love to their babies.

Here's to mockery!