I’m not sure how it happened, but this year marks my twentieth anniversary as a published author. Sometimes it feels as if I got ‘the call’ yesterday, and other times I feel very, very old. Not because my enthusiasm for writing has dimmed. There is nothing that will ever mar my joy in creating stories and sharing them with others. It’s pure magic. But as I age (not always gracefully) I’ve suddenly realized just how quickly the days pass us by. It’s amazing. One moment I was getting married and having children, and the next my sons had moved out and my husband is discussing the R word…retirement. Yikes.
So this year I’ve promised myself that I would stop and smell the roses. Not slow down, I have way too many stories rattling around my head to do that, but I’m giving myself permission to enjoy the moment.
As wives, mothers, workers, and care-givers to our families, we are constantly pulled in a hundred directions. It’s far too easy to let our own needs slide, and to push ourselves until we have nothing left to give. Now I’m make a conscious effort to take off an afternoon and bake bread, or work in my garden, or just snuggle on the couch with my dog. I read books and take long walks. And the one thing I’ve discovered, is that my self-care has improved everything about my life, including my writing. When I’m sitting in front of a computer too long, I start to feel as if I’m grinding out the words. It’s much easier to work through plot problems or sharpen a witty exchange between characters when I’m pulling weeds or soaking in a bubble bath. And if I don’t get as many words written in a day as I wanted, I no longer beat myself up. Instead, I remind myself of all the wonderful things I accomplished and pour a glass of wine.
It’s been a journey, and I don’t always get it right. But I urge each and every one of you to make yourself a priority. I love you and want you to be around a very, very long time.
Below is a list that’s helped to change my life!
- Say no to someone or something.
- Say yes to yourself.
- Practice self-care in intervals.
- Adjust your expectations.
- Exercise
- Let go of one thing on your list.
The enemy may have changed, but the battle between good and evil burns hotter than ever in this scintillating new installment in Alexandra Ivy’s Guardians of Eternity series.
There is only one thing more precious to vampire Tarak than his newfound freedom after five centuries of captivity, and that’s the promise of revenge. At last, he can destroy Riven, the merman who has drained his power in order to make himself king. But at the very moment when justice is a fang’s breadth away, Tarak’s quest is complicated by the beautiful mermaid princess who kept him sane and fed during his ordeal.
Waverly hoped that once Tarak escaped, he’d return to his own kind and enjoy the rest of his immortal life. She also hoped she might one day stop dreaming about the darkly handsome vampire. Instead, Tarak’s return draws Waverly into an unlikely alliance—and a passion that eclipses all her fantasies.
Hatred for Riven has sustained Tarak this long. But only Waverly’s love can give him the strength to claim eternity with her . . .
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