Looking In The Rear View Mirror of 2017

by Michelle Monkou

The schedule planner business is in full swing with the academic calendars on sale from July 2017 to June 2018. To dive down that road of planning, it will mean that I need to make the necessary adjustments to my current plan for 2017 and then turn a proactive eye to the first half of 2018.

Sounds proactive and the right thing to do, but I'm still in baby steps mode. I do have a general timeline for 2018, but let's not go hog-wild and hold me hostage for the details. Anyway, I have a (pricey) January-December calendar, so I'm reluctant to leave half of it blank and then switch over to a brand new book. But with the marketing buzz of calendar shopping in my email inbox and Facebook planning groups in full glee, the hypnotic cloud has reached me to at least look at my progress.

And wow, what an arc 2017 has been and I think that I'm still at the midpoint, which is a good thing. It means that I'm still hopeful and going along with a plan.

So looking in that rear view mirror:

• At the beginning of the year, I knew that I wanted to diminish my writing direction with one genre and pick up the pace in another direction.

• I knew that I would take on a variation of my name or a complete name change for the new works.

• I knew that I was on the verge of burn out after 15 years in the business with three publishers, a boatload of editors, 20+ titles, and stress-related symptoms.

• I knew that I had to weigh my options and decide if I was going to continue with just dipping the edge of my toe in indie publishing, hit the manuscript proposal submission circuit for an agent, or quietly turn off the light to my career.

• I knew that I was sick of social media. Like blood-pressure-raising sick of social media.

• I knew that I wasn't at rock bottom, but I could see the rocks.

And then a friend sent me a snazzy calendar, along with daily phone texts of encouragement. Every morning my phone buzzed with her good cheer and tips. I figured that I had nothing to lose, so I took the time to write in the calendar, make priority lists, set deadlines, put goals down on paper.

Occasionally she'd send me podcasts of non-writing encouragement. It was about fine-tuning the mindset, getting ego out of the way, rebuilding confidence to go after what I wanted. It wasn't a quick process and there were many missteps or no forward steps at all, but I can say that by end of July, and by my birthday yesterday that puts me on the other side of 50 yo, I'm pushing upstream from rock bottom.

Ryan Holiday's Ego Is The Enemy

I'm more settled and quieter about my plan in motion. I don't share with too many people what I'm doing. Don't need their validation or opinion.

I have logged off social media platforms (Instagram and Tumblr still get a little love). And since I can't be bothered to log on, I truly don't miss it.  For right now, mental health is more important than any marketing plan that forces me to endure FB and Twitter.

And I'm writing again with passion.

Wish me luck and I'll let you know by year-end if I'm still smiling.

Michelle

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Nicole Locke - Are we having fun yet?

As you know, my family moved to Seattle from London at the end of December. Things have been crazy, an adjustment, perplexing, and chaotic ever since.

First, there’s the culture shock which I didn’t expect. I was born in this country; how could I be flummoxed by drive-thru menus? But it’s been a while since I lived here. Time’s change.

Second, add in work, kids, renovations, and trying to unpack. Yep. There’s chaos here. And as a family, we’ve been chained to the house, to school, to our desks. We’ve been trying to navigate school announcements and shopping. The myriad of government forms is astounding, and I still second guess myself when crossing the road.

So why are we here?

Ah, because we’ve reached that time in our life when we realize…Time. We want our kids to know their extended family. Also, they’re missing the culture we grew up with. We knew that if we didn’t seize this moment, our son may never know how to kayak, ski, or ride a bike. Our daughter will only know city life, and not the blisters of hiking in the woods for miles because she’s lost.

This gets to the crux of the matter. My fear is that we may have returned too late. The way we’re going, it’ll be a year before any fun happens. We bought ski clothes…and then missed the ski season. The drastic change in daily living has been one hurdle after another. Our kids are young, but habits have already been created.

It took weeks for my daughter to learn she can approach a car differently than her brother. You see, she only knows taxis. And in taxis you all pile into the vehicle from one side. She kept piling in after her brother until he pointed out she could use the other door. My son still shows no interest in driving, and as for that kayak? His nose continues to be buried in books or on his phone.

But this must stop; otherwise, what’s the point of moving? I may have lived here before, but it’s all new to them. They need to see the world with their young eyes, and with all the possibilities of youth. So when they grow up they can embrace what culture they want, and where they want to live. 

When I can, I force myself to stop with all the work needing done. My house is a wreck, and I’ll have boxes to unpack in December. Renovations? I need to pick out paint samples still. The kids should see the open water, and not just the house in shambles.

Thus far, I may have managed only a handful of these moments, but they do exist. Like glimmers of light at the end of a very long, crazy, perplexing, and chaotic tunnel.

How do you stop the hectic schedule of everyday life to have fun?

Nicole :-)

To celebrate the upcoming release of The Knight's Scarred Maiden, I'm attempting to bake Medieval food! Come join me all month at the Unlaced Book Club and guess what food I'm making for a chance to win a signed copy. https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheUnlacedBookClub  Or join me at the Harlequin Blog May 25th, June 2nd, June 13th and chat with me about my failures! http://harlequinblog.com/



Nicole Locke is the author of Harlequin Lovers and Legends series. For more information about her and her writing, check out her website and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.

Living in The Moment by Michelle Monkou

Living in the moment sounds easy. It's a mantra that's repeated so much on social media that you think who doesn't live in the moment. Or what's so hard about living in the moment?

Really I don't have the answers. But I find myself doling out that advice to my kids. Maybe it's knowing that I've walked some of their paths in life, or I've faced some of the indecision and questions in life that suddenly makes me the quasi-expert to say live in the moment.

My daughter headed for a year in South Korea as a study abroad student. It was a big decision--financially, culturally, and geographically. Changing the mind was an option, but couldn't be blindly indulged, either.

As the day of her departure grew closer, I could see the nervous spike of indecision close to the surface. So I did a preemptive strike to have my daughter focus on the wonderful adventure that she was about to embark.

She's a history major. She enjoys Asian studies. What a great way to see what so many can only read in text books or see in movies.

She's learning the language, too. She will have the opportunity to learn not only the language, but the culture and etiquette that go hand-in-hand with attention to hierarchy.

She loves to travel. While I have introduced her to several countries through our travels, there is wide breath of places still to see, visit and even revisit. Our world is vast and yet, in the whole scheme of things, it is small.

She writes fan fiction. Already as a creative and highly imaginative endeavor, now she can actually see places and sites that will further enhance her creative outlet.

She's shy, but not painfully so--otherwise, a trip around the world would have been a massive undertaking. Here she is meeting students from all over the world. Her confidence is boosted as she communicates and learns from her fellow student-friends. They have a chance to bond and share in a relaxed environment where their differences aren't a wedged between them.

I don't know what the future holds for her. But she is in this wonderful space of time and location to enjoy it for what it is. Treat it as an adventure. Treasure the memories. Be bold and live fearlessly.  The rest of life awaits her (knock on wood).

As we video chat, I take away what I've learned from her. The feeling of optimism and hope. The wonderment of what's out there, but also the realization that we have more similarities than differences. And time doesn't sit still or wait on anyone. Soon she will hit the midpoint of her stay and then the roller coaster ride will feel like it raced to the end, when she'll return home.

So my continued advice to her and all of you out there: Be curious about life. Treasure its miracle. Live in the moment.

Michelle Monkou
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