TUESDAY BRINGS TROUBLE

Another deadline...egads!

Where does nine months go? It seems that time really does fly when there's a deadline involved. Or perhaps that's just a sign of aging. Or both.

I don't remember time moving so quickly when I was pregnant. Those nine months seemed to drag on, especially through a hot Ottawa summer. I was taking a summer class at the Journalism School at Carleton University during that particular summer

and what I remember most was the combination of intense air conditioning in the lecture theatre squeezed in between the humid heat. Not surprisingly, I got a dandy of a cold and cough. The other thing I remember most is feeling like an elephant...a hot one. But of course, there were the moments when someone would stand on the bus and give me a seat. And grey haired elderly ladies would all smile sweetly at me. As I awaited the birth of my baby boy with much anticipation, it truly was the endless summer.

Not so with this one. It might as well have evaporated. Book #2 in the Ashton Corners Book Club mysteries is due this Friday, just before I leave on vacation. How did that happen? It seems not too long ago, I was delighted to have finished draft #1. Now, after weeks, actually months of re-writes and polishing, my manuscript is about to leave home. I'll give birth and become an empty-nester all at once.

This is quite the writing life. For all the pressures and uncertainty, it's really

quite wonderful. And with each deadline, I am more truly amazed at my writing friends who have been at this so much longer, and especially those with multiple series. That's STAMINA. And determination. And inspiration. And talent.

So, just four more days with the polishing cloth and then, a vacation. During which time, I'll need to start plotting book #3. It's due in 9 months!

How do you handle deadlines -- energized or stressed?


Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime</b>