Jax's Artistic Journey...

Well, not exactly. I just finished my latest deadline at 1:00AM last night! Two more to go. Woohoo! It's always a struggle to get through a project when so much of your life revolves around personal drama. I'm surprised how well the end product is considering this was one of the projects that has taken me the longest to produce. I think that everyone's entitled to step back without letting the guilt eat us up inside. Sometimes we need the time to find an inner balance before we can proceed on our journey. I know, I know. I hear it all the time. However, I don't believe in writer's block. I personally believe that we have moments when we fall off track but when push comes to shove, our muses will be right there to get us back in the game. For a while I thought my writing days were over. The inspiration well felt like it ran dry, but these days I've discovered that sometimes you just have to keep writing even when you don't want to. The momentum and effort will keep things real and when you get to the final pages, it's a feeling you can't ever forget. It's a feeling you want to remember when you need to meet other deadlines.

I'm exhausted. Is that the central theme in my life? Yes. Now, what will I do to change this? Sleep. Good one. So, what if I have deadlines. Suck it up and just do it. What if I get distracted? Perhaps you should tape your butt to the chair? Hummm. Sounds logical.

I was at the first local chapter meeting today and it started out with a bang. We had author Harley Jane Kozak as our guest speaker and she was the sweetest person! It's funny, but I use to admire her when she did soaps. Yep. My mother was a big fan, so perhaps that's why I got into romance. Harley talked about her journey as a writer and about her insecurities and her career choices. It's very fascinating to hear these things and it's inspiring knowing that we aren't alone in our quest to publication.

I say, we'll never get over our fears and insecurities, but isn't it great that we have the ability to create? Some people may never know how this feels...talents at our fingertips and an ability to use the imagination that the Powers That Be have given us!

You all need to vote for the Preditors & Editors Poll!

Romance Divas
Cassidy Kent
What Lies in Winter
Raleigh in Rio

Hope to see us move up in the rankings! :)

I was depressed.

For Christmas my friend bought me an inspirational desk calendar that you rip off a page every day and it tells gives you a motivational quote by many famous or influential women. I haven't torn off a page since Tuesday and tonight I decided to have it reflect the right quote for Thursday.

This is what it said:

Happiness is spiritual, born of truth and love.
It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone,
but requires all mankind to share it.
~Mary Baker Eddy, writer and spiritual leader

Hummmm...maybe I should have read this first thing in the morning and maybe it would have had another impact on my day.

On another note...vote for ROMANCE DIVAS in the Preditors & Editors Poll!

You feel icky, tired, sleepy and just want to crawl under the covers and sleep for days. I think I've slept 30+ hours in 2 1/2 days and I still feel like crap. Well, a little bit better than a few days ago, but I miss my old self! Thankfully it's not one of those hacking cough colds or the runny nose one. It's the head congestion, body ache, chills, and sneezing one. Then when you think you are feeling like your old self, by the the end of the day you feel like you've been run over by a steam roller. It could also be that my fibromyalgia and arthritis is kicking in and my body is going to crap...but that's another story. Anyhow, enough about my ailments. It's Saturday. I should be out doing fun things but I don't have the energy. I'm going to try to write a bit and maybe go out for some lattes later but for now I'm going to keep popping those meds and drinking my EmergenC and hope that come Monday I'll be in tip-top shape to deal with my demanding boss who has just spent two weeks skiing and getting 2 hour massages every day. What a hard life!

Sigh...I did by $7 in super lotto tickets!

The highlight of my day will be trying to stay awake to enjoy my weekend.

I have stories that haunt me. Stories that push me to tell the tale yet I have been struggling to sweep it under the rug until I'm ready. Maybe it's time for me to just give in and do it. This year I plan on making many changes and I'm thankful that I'm at a midpoint in my life for better things to come. I'm extremely grateful that I have my friends around me for the much needed support from last years hardships. I can't complain as this year I'll have three books in print and possiblly many more publications for my very own stories. It's an exciting time and I feel the surge of a new awakening. Already, we're two days into 2007 and I'm already pysched about where my journey will take me...