Fairy Gardens and the Art of Distraction by Anna J Stewart

Greetings, Sweet Romance Readers!  Great to be back with you again.  :)

As I claw my way to my latest deadline (and trust me, that's how this book is feeling at this point, LOL), I find myself gazing out the window a lot. I'm in Northern CA, where I'm sure you've heard we're in the middle of a serious drought (as is all of CA). It's pretty bad. Like putting a bucket in the shower to save water to water the plants kind of bad.  But as I've been letting myself get distracted, I'm reminded that my back yard has gone from seriously neglected to completely desolate.

I am NOT a gardener. I can turn fake plants black, I swear. But I've recently discovered a new kind of gardening that I am dying to try (and yes, this could easily be a new form of procrastination).  I have a serious magical leaning...I love nature (despite that pesky black thumb) and the peace it gives me. Show  me tumbling waterfalls and lush green trees, let me take a walk in the woods with no one around and I'm a serious happy girl. Add in a wisp of fairies, and the idea of creating a fairy garden has got my creative juices flowing. Trying my hand at this might just get me over that gardening challenged hump while incorporating my (long lost) hobby of dollhouse miniatures.  How did I not know this was a thing?!

I can't decide if I want to live there or if I need to put up a sign for tenants. How cute is this?! Okay, surely I can find some hard to kill herbs, succulents,  and maybe throw some fake greenery in there...I can do this! I can see it now...lots of pots of different sizes, with different themes for different fairies...can you see me veering even further off the deadline course? Here I go....whee!

Tinkerbell will come calling (and maybe bring some magical inspiration with her) if something like this is in my yard, surely.  Or how about this? Every fairy needs a swimming hole, right?

Come on, book, don't fail me now, cause I've got something new to work on! I'll let you know if and how this progresses. It has to happen, because seriously, that back yard of mine is depressing. And nothing brings cheer like a little magic and some fairies.

How about you? What's your favorite distraction? I'd love to know.  :) Let me know in the comments and I'll choose one of you at random to receive a free e-copy of my first Lantano Valley novella, READING BETWEEN THE LINES.

Happy reading!
~Anna J

National bestselling author Anna J. Stewart can't remember a time she didn't have a book in her hands or a story in her head. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family centric romances with happily ever afters for the independent heroines she writes for both Harlequin Heartwarming (Butterfly Harbor series) and Berkley (The Tremayne Family Romances). Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Sherlock addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates an overly affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps it's Snickers who tolerates her). Visit Anna online at www.authorannastewart.com.

Last Minute Gal by Aileen Fish

I love a deadline.

I wouldn't believe it if it weren't for the fact that I'm always putting things off until the last minute. Or is it simply over-scheduling beyond the number of hours in any given time?

Either way, I tend just squeak under the wire on projects, having stayed up the night before to finish. Except lately. Now I get so distracted I can be up late and start working on tomorrow's deadline, get completely distracted and never go back to it. Like this blog. I'm in charge of making sure everyone remembers to post on time, and I missed my deadline!

So with Christmas gift-making and three book deadlines looming, I will press on and hope I can get enough sleep while hitting my marks.

How about you? Are you the type to cross things off your list in plenty of time, or are you a queen of the adrenaline rush like me who needs that scary moment of missing the deadline to get things done?

Don’t forget to join us for Santa’s Sweet Romance Reads Bash on Facebook on December 17th from noon to 8pm. There will be tons of games, prizes & so much fun to be had. Don’t miss it! Christmas Bash

~*~

USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Fish is an avid quilter and auto racing fan who finds there aren't enough hours in a day/week/lifetime to stay up with her "to do" list. There is always another quilt or story begging to steal away attention from the others. When she has a spare moment she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their families, and her fairy princess granddaughter. Her books include The Bridgethorpe Brides series and the Small Town Sweethearts series.

Stay up to date with book releases at her website http://aileenfish.com or on Facebook .

Thinking about the future...

I'm writing this on Tuesday, as my husband and I drive home from a funeral in another state.  Rosie was fun-loving woman who dearly loved to dance and loved to be with people.  She was in her eighties, though, and her health had irrevocably declined over the past few months. We like to think that she is now happy and whole, freed of her pain and infirmities, and dancing up a storm with her husband in heaven.  

The events of the past few days have set me to thinking about my own priorities--the ones that remain important, and the ones I need to change.  Here are just a few:

1.  You never know what the future will hold.  I want to spend all the time I can with our young grandkids and build happy memories with them for decades to come.

2.  I think about all of the dawdling and procrastinating that can so easily take over a day, wasting precious hours and days that can never be reclaimed.  No more!  I've got a long list of both traditionally published and indie books I want to write, and I need to buckle down.

3.  Dealing with an estate four years ago took our family many months. It's time to start weeding out my own "treasures" and stop accumulating more, so I don't leave such a big task to others someday. I'm  starting with my disaster of an office!  Is anyone here a "saver" like me?

4.   Years ago, I regularly set up monthly, yearly and long-term writing goals, and it's interesting to look back now and see how many of them--with hard work and perseverance--actually came true.  I need to start setting specific goals again.

What are your goals?  Do you have a bucket list?  What are some of things you want to do (or change) in the coming years?

Wishing you all the best,
Roxanne Rustand
www.roxannerustand.com

A Few Words on Procrastination by Donna Fasano

Dawdling, postponing, stalling, dabbling, delaying, dilly-dallying, loitering, frittering, playing, frivoling, idling, loafing. They all mean the same thing: to put off. I am good at it. Too good, I fear.

And when I am questioned about my progress (the project matters not—it could be anything from making a grocery list to editing my next novel), I have perfected the hemming and hawing answer that is sure to baffle the interrogator into a frustrated fit (90% of the time the interrogator is my husband who has learned over the years that it's safer not to do too much questioning unless he wants to end up walking away, scratching his head, and muttering, "What the heck did she just say?"). 

Just this week, I was interviewed by an editor of a popular romance novel review magazine and I told the woman, "There's nothing better than being your own boss." And here I sit this morning, blogging, reading e-mail and tweets, checking Facebook, pacing from window to window, nibbling on a granola bar, doing anything and everything besides what I should be doing: starting the next chapter of my book. One negative about being your own boss is that there's no one to light a fire under you when there's work to be done.

Here's my best advice regarding procrastination:

·        Just do it!

·        Break larger tasks into smaller ones.

·        Complete the most difficult task first.

·        Reward yourself when the job is complete.

Now THERE'S advice everyone should follow, right? Are you a procrastinator? What do you find is your biggest distraction? And what's your best piece of advice for me…er, ah, people who procrastinate?

~~~

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Donna Fasano has written over 30 romance and women's fiction novels. You can learn more about her on her blog, or visit her on Facebook and Twitter. Donna loves to hear from her readers.

Her sweet romance novel, TAKE ME I'M YOURS, is on sale this week for just $0.99. Find it in the Kindle Store.