Happy New Year! Now how ’bout that weather?

Wow, it’s hard to believe that 2013 is behind us and we’re already well into the new year. I do hope that all my followers had a wonderful holiday season filled with warmth and love shared with family and friends.

I was blessed to spend time with the people I hold dearest in my life over this special season, though certainly the weather for those of us living on the prairies proved to be a bit of a challenge when it comes to enjoying the outdoors. For those of you reading from sunnier climates, we’ve had quite the deep freeze out here in Alberta with windchills making it pretty impossible to be outside for more than 20 minutes or so at a time. Living on a farm, myself, it certainly made things challenging.

That being said, at least at Christmas time it can be quite lovely to be a bit snowbound—warming yourself around a fire, sipping hot chocolate, and watching the swirling of the snow outside your window. The only problem is that come January it turns from being picturesque to feeling a bit trapped. After the fifth day in a row where just picking up the mail means risking frostbite it doesn’t feel quaint anymore—it just feels cold!

But I refuse to be beaten down by the weather. And besides, we all know how annoying it is just to talk about the weather! So I’ve been taking the lack of opportunities to venture outside as a welcome opportunity to get myself back into full writing mode. I’ve got a new book in the works and I’m really excited about my progress.

In the next couple of weeks I’m going to share some details about it with you, so stay tuned! In the meantime, if you happen to be one of those unlucky people trapped in a polar vortex or what we in the prairies like to call, “winter,” stay warm! Stoke the fire, put on the kettle, and curl up with a good book!

“Edge of your seat”

Well those are the words a thriller writer always wants to hear! And thankfully, more of today’s blog tour stops have elicited that praise–I hope that Saving for 6 enjoys my other books as well!

More kind words from Niki’s Book Corner, I just had to share with you:

“OMGosh this is a sit on the end of your chair and keep on reading kinda book, you just can’t stop. You find yourself in a small town where the peace is over when things start to happen.  Those brothers are so evil. Love the way it is written and look forwards to more books of Beverly.”

Thanks so much for taking the time to read Evil on the Peace River, and for sharing your thoughts. Make sure you stop by to read her other reviews!

So many stories to tell, so little time…

I’ve said before, I have a pretty amazing location in which to pursue my craft. I feel like I’ve got the ultimate ‘room of one’s own‘ for writing. But of course, that’s only one piece of the puzzle. For writers, probably the most important part is finding the time to actually write.

As I mentioned, I tend to write very late at night into the wee hours of the morning—not out of choice, but out of necessity. Just like everyone out there, everyday life just seems to get in the way. I’m a mom, a grandmother, and up until a short time ago, I was also taking care of my ailing mother. Not to mention the fact that I work full-time on our farm, which involves tending to seven acres. I have a garden to look after, and a couple of houses to clean and run. And then of course are those annoying tasks like laundry and cleaning that, much as we’d like to skip, have to be done.

Oh yes, and then there’s that whole ‘sleep’ thing that apparently we humans have to do.

So at the end of the day, it really doesn’t leave a tremendous amount of time to write. And sometimes it’s easy to get overwhelmed and feel like there’s no way forward. But at the end of the day, writers write. So if you’re truly driven to be a story-teller, then you’re going to have to make it work. Have a read of this blog entry by another female author with some really helpful tips on how to make that happen.

Instead of getting frustrated about not being able to find time to write, remember that you might have to make the time to write.