The Ugly Side of Me

I'm a writer, so I obviously live a glamorous life. I spend my days curled up on a chaise next to my infinity pool. My state-of-the-art Mac rests on my lap while I happily type in my latest novel (no need for editing, naturally). My butler keeps me hydrated with endless iced tea, with lemon and a dash of sugar, and my pool boy...well, you know what pool boys do best. ;)

Or....maybe I hog every spare second I can find between shuttling my kids back and forth to school (three times a day because the youngest is in preschool) to write. My hair is always in a ponytail and makeup applied in less than one minute. And a pool? Yeah, that's the pee on the floor from my schnauzer.

It only gets worse - when I write I need to be alone. I can't be bothered every three seconds with requests for, well, anything, or I completely lose my train of thought. I can't write at the library because I sing, loudly and off-key, with my writing music while I type. Oh, and I don't just type - I pound on the keyboard. The more tense the scene, the harder I type. I prefer to work in long blocks of time, five to six hours, and I do not want anyone to call me. Twitter, however, is a needed and necessary distraction.

Oubliette is out for edits. I'm trying not to think about it being torn to shreds by some of my dearest writer friends. In the meantime I'm gearing up to write the third book in the Cloud Prophet trilogy. I need to finish the first draft before the kids are out for summer or I'll be totally screwed. My kids don't go to sleep away camp. I'm blessed to have them at my heels 24/7 during the summer.

So if you see me, avert your eyes. I'm the ugly troll stomping through town, hair askew, snarling at everyone who passes - until I finish that damn first draft. Then I'll turn back into the smiling, sarcastic princess everyone loves so much.