Keeping Calm. Kind of.

Yesterday I received a message asking when the third adventure in the Clockwork Siren Series would be out. I blinked at the words a few times before answering because I was so touched that someone out there was actually waiting for the book!  I often have the feeling that what I write goes out into a black hole or some soul-sucking void. How awesome to have the confirmation that there are real people reading (and even liking) my stories!

So in case there was one (or two) more of you wondering about the next release, I thought I’d let you know what the heck is going on here.

I’m feeling like I need to carry around a paper bag to breathe in these days. In typical me fashion, I am trying to do way too many things at once. My desktop looks like a hurricane blew through. The laundry is literally piled up to shoulder height. My kids have been complaining about how much I am on the computer and my cats giving me the stink-eye because I haven’t gone out to get them their special treats.  I can’t catch my breath.  I keep sucking in, feeling my lungs fill.  But I can’t seem to exhale.

And yet I am not ready to give up on getting it all done.  I will make it happen.

I had said I would get Surfaced, the third adventure in the Clockwork Siren Series, out by mid-January.  Ummmm.  Yeah.  Well, it will be coming out February 16th instead. I am going to have to go underground for the next week or so to get all the details and editing taken care of before February 1st, when I am offering ARCs to those who are willing to review by release day.

I’m ticked at myself for being a month behind, but I do have to say it is with good reason.  I have been busting my butt to set up the 10th Geneva Writers’ Conference. This conference is probably one of the warmest, most supportive that writers can find in Europe. Like everyone on the conference committee, I have been volunteering my time (and questioning my sanity) to make this happen. As co-director, I am in charge of the program, and that includes setting it up for registration.  This is the first time we have decided to put it all online and it has been a huge transition. With lots of swearing. And whining.  And maybe even a few tears. Okay. Maybe a lot of tears. You can see the conference program HERE.

Add in that the kids were off of school for more than two weeks.  That I was sick with some throat/head/stomach thing.  That I am seriously unorganized and waste a lot of time writing scenes that will never actually get on the page…add all that and you have one off-kilter schedule.

But I will make it to the finish line having done everything that needs doing.  Because I know at least one person is waiting for my book to be released…and a couple hundred are waiting to attend a conference I’m in charge of.  I may gasp and wheeze to get there, but I have no doubt I will make it in the end.

And then I’ll go back to spending more time with the kids, spoiling my cats and (maybe) doing some housework… that is, until I decide to take on too much once again.