Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!!
I am so happy to Welcome Erika Chase back to Escape With Dollycas today!
The Dreaded Deadline
By Erika Chase, author of the Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries
I was trying to come up with a blog topic and not doing so well. What was really going on in my head was the fact that the deadline for my new manuscript, Roux the Day, the second in the Dinner Club Mysteries
Now, back to deadlines. This may not be a very exciting topic to you dear reader, but think about it. We all have them, whether it’s a writing deadline, a cooking dinner deadline, a deadline for sending in money for your child’s school outing. Even the ultimate deadline, the dreaded income tax!
What fascinates me is how we all handle them. I admit, I’m kind of reckless, preferring to live life on the deadline edge. I blame it on my training as a journalist – you know, breaking story, short deadline, just do it! I’m afraid this has transferred over to my fiction writing as well. If I have a long deadline, say nine months or a year, I whittle away at the piece until it comes closer to the crunch. And then, I’m bum-to-the-chair, long hours of writing, feeling revved up and full of ideas.
What a way to live! It usually works just fine though, except when life chooses to interfere. An unexpected appointment; a sick friend; a sick pet; or, too many deadlines at the same time.
I’ve tried to re-train myself, setting early artificial deadlines but that’s exactly what they are – artificial and I find it hard to fool myself.
I have several friends who operate in a different style. They make sure they’re finished well in advance of that deadline. And I mean, well in advance. Their lives are structured, well-balanced, and healthy, without being constricted. I’m certain their stress levels are negligible or at least at what is considered acceptable. Health professionals do say a certain amount of stress in our lives is healthy.
I so admire those friends but know I have as much chance of joining their ranks as I do of winning the Nobel Prize for anything.
What I need to do is carry on in my own somewhat self-destructive way, ensure I have other interests to add balance to my life, and some wonderful, understanding friends…even if most of them are more adept at handling deadlines.
What about you? How do you approach those deadlines in your life?
Let me know in the comment section below and your name will be entered in a draw for a copy of any one of my Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries
About The Author
Erika Chase
The fifth book in the Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The Ashton Corners Book Club Mysteries
is the most recent. And during that time, we’ve grown into family. Maybe it’s the camaraderie of sharing the books and of course, the cheese straws and other tasty treats. It also could be the, let’s see, I think it’s six bodies we’ve found and of course, gotten involved in tracking down the killers. You know, you just can’t let a murderer get away, especially when one of your friends is being unjustly accused.
, it’s not one of us though, who makes it to the top of the suspect list. It’s Bob Miller’s granddaughter. Bob’s the retired Police Chief and sweet on Molly Mathews, but I digress. His wife left him, taking their young daughter, many years ago. Seems his salary wasn’t enough to keep her in the manner she desired. They divorced, she married a banker with a fatter bank account, and never let Bob see his daughter again. Really mean spirited, I think.
. And remember to bring your appetite and a sunhat.
comes out September 1.
