I Was Interviewed by the Mormon Channel Radio Station

I was interviewed by the folks on the Mormon Channel about writing for the Church magazines. It's an amazing experience interviewing people around the world about their most personal feelings, their trials, challenges, and faith. Hope you enjoy!

Mormon Identities: Writing about Saints around the World

Here's me in the studio.

Here's one of my favorite interviews: A blue-footed booby from the Galapagos Islands.

Achieving Balance in Your Life and Writing

Hi Folks,

This is going to be a short post today. That fits quite nicely with the topic on achieving balance in your life and writing.

As writers, we tend to work in a fairly solitary environment. I've seen countless posts about this--regarding the strengths of going to writing workshops, seminars, signings, etc., so that you get out there and meet fans and friends and network. It's all true--and fantastically so.

I've also read scads of pieces on how to make sure you actually produce--methods for writing, setting goals, making sure you make your writing time sacrosanct so that you can produce and feel good about it, and so on. Great advice, too.

And then there are the questions about, "How do I do it all? How do I find time to write while still doing all the things I have to do?" Also a great question.

But I want to talk for just a moment about the opposite: How do I find time for my life when I'm writing/editing/networking?

Sometimes you have to really cram in the work. There is just no way around it. I spent 8 hours editing on Saturday--a day I had planned on spending with my kids. I had spent almost all my time off the day job busy with some duty or on writing. But there was a request, and a need to get it out, and so the sacrifice was made.

But now I'm finding there's a need for just a bit of a break. My family needs me. My yard needs me. My brain needs a break. I have some books I need to read. Etc., etc.

The reality is, I'm still fortunate right now in that I can take some time off. This week, I'm going to see Thor with a friend, I'm going to take my son to see Kung Fu Panda 2, and I'm going to just relax.

Yes, I'll probably also read some on plot structure and map out some of book 2. But only if the itch sends me there.

Sometimes you just have to take a break. And that's ok, too.

[Look forward to Fantastic Author Friday: This week I'm interviewing Lisa Mangum, author of the Hourglass Door Trilogy]

New Post by Konrath and Eisler on E-Publishing

Time for another quick e-book post, folks. Times are a changing.

Here's another post by Konrath and Eisler talking about publishing with Amazon, the shifting world of e-publishing, legacy publishers, and change. As in, be open to change. It's gonna happen.

No matter what your current philosophy on publishing, go read it. Right away. This is excellent material.

I'm querying agents right now, but that's in part because I believe the right agent and I can form a relationship that will transcend the changes of the industry. Whether that agent becomes an estributor or takes another form is yet to be seen. But one thing I know: the old models are no longer the best or only models. We need to adapt and watch for new and exciting ways to share our stories. And I think if we are smart, we'll all win.