A warm welcome to Evelyn Shepherd joining us today here at Love Bytes!
Welcome Evelyn 🙂
Title: I Am Hope
Series: The Meteora Trilogy
Author: Evelyn Shepherd
Publisher: Loose Id Publication
Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs
Length: 70,000 words
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Blurb: The undead were only the beginning.
Topher, Jesse, and Sawyer thought their greatest threat were the Infected and Mutated that roam the world. As they struggle to reach the camp in Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina, they soon discover that the monstrous mutations of the undead are the least of their problems. Something else, something far more intelligent and lethal, is hunting them.
Topher knows that the only way humanity will survive is to find a cure for the strange infection that’s ravaged the world. He’s on the brink of discovering it; but the further his research goes, the more he realizes that curing the world of the infection may mean losing Sawyer.
The three will fight to stay together, and Topher will have to make the ultimate choice: cure the world or save his lover?
Finding the Time
Sometimes the hardest part about writing isn’t working out plot points or understanding your characters, but rather actually finding the time do said writing. Life tends to happen, and whether its work, school, or some other obligation, it can be hard to work out a schedule to write. A lot of people will tell you to set a specific time to write and not deviate from it, and while I agree that this is a good way to establish healthy writing habits, it isn’t always realistic; overtime happens, heavy school work loads, sick children, or an event comes up that you can’t pass up. So what do you do? I’ve broken down some tips for finding the time to write, even in the busiest of schedules
- Know when you have the most inspiration. We all know when we feel most inspired. For some it’s in the morning, right after they’ve woken up and their brains are reenergized. For others it’s in the evening, when you’re winding down, and your mind has time to process everything. A study was done that showed for morning people the best productivity times with being creative were in the evening and vice versa for night owls. When our minds are sluggish, they have a tendency to be more open. While this may not be true for everyone, it’s good to sort out when you feel most inspired to write.
- Understand that you can’t control life and time. Accept it now that no matter what time you try to work out for writing, it won’t always work. You can’t control what happens. All you can do is make do with what you have. Getting stressed or upset about not getting in your daily writing session isn’t going to make your life any easier, so why bother? Just take a deep breath and tell yourself that you’ll do it tomorrow.
- Write when you can. That sounds like a crazy tip, but sometimes people don’t realize that the simplest options are the best ones. You don’t have to have a schedule. A schedule is great, and I try to stick to one, but if I can’t write in the morning, I don’t freak out about it. I’ll try to make it up in the evening after everything has winded down. If I can’t do it in the evening, I’ll write tomorrow. Sometimes I’ll only write for ten minutes because that’s all the time I’m allotted for the day. But no matter what, I write. I write when I can, because what’s important is the actual writing, not the amount or when.
- Organize your time and set up a schedule. I know, I said you don’t have to have a schedule, but that doesn’t mean I’m against them. Organize your day, put high priorities on top and low priorities on the bottom. You may see that there are some things more important than writing. Maybe you have a school project due Tuesday and it’s Sunday night. Maybe you have some work that you need to finish for a meeting. Maybe you have to take your kids to soccer or you have to clean the house because you haven’t done it in a week. Once you’ve organized your time, you’ll find that it’s easier to work out when to sit down and write.
- Learn to say no and tell others to respect your time. If you notice that you keep pushing writing off to do this thing or that. Eventually you have to take responsibility for yourself. You can’t keep whining that you didn’t get any writing done because you were out partying all weekend. While socializing and having a life beyond your writing is important, it’s also important to do writing. Learn to tell people no and also ask them to respect your time. Let your friends know not to contact you between these hours, which this is when you’re writing. Let your spouse know that from eight to nine, after the kids have gone to bed, is your writing time. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to respect your wishes.
- Don’t give up. Whatever you do, don’t give up on writing. It may be a week before you sit down and do some writing, and that’s okay. Ann Rice once stated that she can go six months between writing. If you aren’t inspired, don’t force it. Work on small projects. Write something new. Take a break from writing and come back in a few days. Just don’t give up. Do what you need to in order to feel inspired.
- Take care of yourself. I know that doesn’t seem important to scheduling writing, but it is. Sometimes we try to cram in so much into a day, including writing, that we forget the basic necessities. Change out of your pajamas. Take a shower. Eat some food. Drink plenty of water. Take breaks between activities. Remember that the most important thing in all of this is you.
Hopefully with these tips you can work out a writing regiment. Good luck and keep writing!
A scream broke through my dream. I groggily rolled over and burrowed into Sawyer’s chest. He mumbled something against the top of my head. Sleep lapped at my mind, holding me down. I dreamed of pleasant emptiness; I was in a void, where my brain could shut down. Warmth surrounded me, lulling me into a deeper slumber.
Another scream, louder. I opened my eyes, staring at Sawyer’s chest. Why was there screaming? Something was wrong. Something was horribly wrong.
“Jesse!” Chloe banged on the bifold bedroom door. “Get out here!”
Jesse jolted out of bed. He grabbed his pants and hastily pulled them on. As he jammed his feet into his boots, he ordered, “Get dressed.”
“What’s going on?” Sawyer asked. He climbed over the bed and found his own clothes.
I knuckled the sleep from my eyes and hurriedly dressed. Jesse was out the door by the time I pulled my shirt on. I followed him into the main compartment, Sawyer behind me. Rio sat on the couch next to Jaden, who was curled up with his blanket. On the table was a camping lamp, which filled the RV with yellow light.
“What’s going on?” I asked, straightening my shirt.
“Something is going down with Jane,” Rio said. “I heard it out in the truck.”
Evelyn Shepherd lives in Columbus, Ohio with two fat cats. Her time is split between writing and running a book/writing blog. She’s the author of the Theo Bourne Series, the best-selling Last Canticle, and the award-winning Meteora Trilogy.
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Winner’s Prize: Complete Set of The Meteora Trilogy books
September 14: Queer Sci-Fi
September 15: Sue Brown
September 16: Because Two Men Are Better Than One
September 17: Hearts on Fire
September 18: Diverse Reader
September 21: Joyfully Jay
September 22: Love Bytes Reviews
September 23: Divine Magazine
September 24: Cia’s Stories
September 25: Tempeste O’Riley
September 28: Sid Love Writes
September 29: Prism Book Alliance
September 30: Bayou Book Junkie
New author for me, can’t wait to read these stories.