#StayAtHome

My first reaction was a shrug. I mean, I love to stay home. I enjoy not going to work outside the home. Being able to stumble from bed to my desk (a.k.a dining table) via a quick stop in the kitchen for coffee, is bliss. I know many other authors share this thought as I’ve heard variations of “I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.” As an author, I sit myself in front of my laptop, and lose myself in my story. I don’t need human interaction, I have my own world and my wonderful characters to visit with. And if I do need to pop back to the ‘real world’ then I have my fabulous online community who provide me with support, encouragement and entertainment.

So here’s the thing. Stay at home means I’m largely doing what I do every day.

But it turns out everything is different.

Our instruction here in Sydney is not to leave home except for 4 specific reasons: essential work, medical appointments, shopping for essential items, giving care to others. I live with my husband and my two young-adult daughters (and Scarlett my Cairn Terrier) and this has impacted all of us – both in what we do, how we live our daily lives, and our emotional state. Our rhythm of life has changed.

Instead of writing in my little undisturbed bubble, my experience is changed. I now share my work space with 3 other adults.

My ‘desk’ has reduced to a small area. A half-done jigsaw puzzle takes up space, and one end is where my girls sit to do their study. One is a university student and her classes have converted to online. My other daughter is a retail store manager so isn’t working at the moment. She is studying one of the free online courses that have been made available during this crisis. It’s great that she’s taking advantage of the opportunity to improve her skills, but the constant interruptions with questions means my own train of thought is continually broken – not ideal for creativity.

My quiet space is no longer quiet. Hubby is blessed to be able to work from home instead of in the city. But this means he is on conference calls from early in the workday through until late afternoon. And he is LOUD. I think I need to steal his noise-cancelling headphones so I can tune him out! And noise? My girls love their music so the sounds of their playlists echo from their bedrooms when they don’t have the music playing in the living areas.

The interruptions are never-ending. My family seem to think they can talk to me anytime they want and don’t grasp the concept of ‘writing time’ equals work-time. There are requests for help with their study, or annoying questions about what they can eat (just open the fridge, girls!), and hubby talking to me between phone calls, no matter if I’m in the middle of something or not. By the time I get back to my manuscript, I’ve often lost my idea or even my motivation.

Some interruptions drive me crazy, but others, although they annoy me, are things I need to set my writing aside for. I need to remember that the girl’s requests to chat, or to do the jigsaw puzzle, or to bake, or to watch a Netflix series, are activities we all need to stay sane during this difficult time of being stuck at home. Our mental and emotional health requires these activities, even if they impact negatively on my productivity.

For a while I felt guilty about my lost productivity but I’ve come to accept that it’s just part and parcel of these terrible times we are all going through. Our family unit, our health, our happiness, is the most important thing.

I am in a privileged position. Not only are we in the relative safety of Australia, we are hanging in financially. There are so many people suffering, whether it be the loss of loved ones, dealing with illness, or financial stress. My lack of productivity is a small price to pay.

So what am I working on?

I have two main projects on the go. The first is a refresh of one of my first books that hasn’t been available for over a year. It is a New Adult novella that is being expanded, updated and given a new title and cover. I’m aiming to get Always Been You out in June. The second project is turning out to be such a fun story to write. Accidently In Love brings together a city nurse and a rural guy who works in the area of natural resource management. It’s a bit fake-date, a little opposites attract, and there’s a child. Here’s an inspiration pic of Ned and his daughter. I can’t wait for you to meet them!

If you’re looking for a story to escape into, perhaps you’d like to check out my most recent release.

More Than A Friend

Everyone knows you shouldn’t date your best friend’s brother.

Tim Walker is a free man. He’s broken up with his girlfriend and is ready to move on to a new relationship. But the relationship he wants to pursue is fraught with challenges. Firstly, Scott Richardson is a man, and only Tim’s closest friends know that Tim’s bisexual. Secondly, everyone knows Scott relishes the single life. And then there’s the big one: Scott is the younger brother of Tim’s best friend, Paul.

Scott can’t deny an attraction to his brother’s friend Tim. Lean, dark blond, and blue-eyed, Tim is hot and hard not to notice–especially since Scott and Tim work together. Too bad he is straight, and too bad Scott worries how his brother Paul would react if Scott hooked up with his best friend.

Tim and Scott want to see if there’s a chance for more than friendship between them, but neither of them wants to lose Paul. Together, they must find the courage to follow their hearts and find a way to have it all.

Buy Link

www.books2read.com/morethanafriend

Nic Starr

Nic Starr lives in Australia where she tries to squeeze as much into her busy life as possible. Balancing the demands of a corporate career with raising a family and writing can be challenging but she wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Always a reader, the lure of m/m romance was strong and she devoured hundreds of wonderful m/m romance books before realising she had some stories of her own that needed to be told.

Nic loves to spend time with her family—an understanding husband, two beautiful daughters, and a cherished Cairn terrier. Nic is a foodie and wine lover who lives in the city but is a country girl at heart. When not writing or reading, she is often found indulging in her love of cooking and planning her dream home in the country.

You can find Nic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her blog. She’d love it if you stopped by to say hi.

Click here for a quick link to all Nic’s social media, her website, or to subscribe to her newsletter (and get a free book).