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I am thrilled that I am a mother now. My husband and I have been dating/married for over ten years and we got out all the "crazies" that we wanted before starting a family and we were SO ready. We found out on Christmas Eve of 2018 that we were pregnant, while visiting my parents across the country, and it was the best holiday gift we ever could've asked for. The thought of having a kid always seemed so far away but it happened fast and we almost burst with excitement. But... Nothing could prepare me on how to be a mom. It is hard. The hardest thing I've ever done. I've lived most of my life worrying about myself, my doggos, and my husband. I would go to my day job (that I love) and come home to write every night. At the prime of my writing time, I could write the first draft of a book within a month--and continue having a social life and keeping our place clean. My husband and I are fortunate enough that we have our own hobbies that keep us sane outside of work. His is baseball everything (he does work for an MLB team for his day job, too) and mine is writing. We would spend weekends visiting breweries where I could plot a new story and he would share interesting and facts about baseball that I never needed to know. Like, did you know a "dying quail" is a baseball term? Defined as: a batted ball that drops in front of the outfielders for a hit, often unexpectedly. Also known as a blooper, a li'l looper, a chinker, a bleeder, or a gork. I know what that means and can use it correctly in a sentence. Again, it's interesting, but I never really needed to know that. To spare you, I won't provide anymore interesting facts.😀 But those days are long gone sipping IPAs and cold brew all day. Now, my day goes by in cyclical blur of changing diapers, feeding my adorable baby, cleaning bottles, cuddling, rocking, singing, and somehow finding time to shower and eat. I lost a lot of my creative thoughts once I reached about 30 weeks pregnant and that means in almost five months, I think I've written maybe 4,000 words. This is hard for me to accept because on those beer-drinking weekends, I was writing 10K. Before having my son, I was a dedicated worker to my day job, a good wife, and a writer. Now, my identity is "mom" and mom alone. There are hard moments where my kid won't stop crying and I've been home alone for 10 hours with him and I have food in my hair and the dogs are barking, but the good moments outweigh the bad by a million. I mean, look at these pictures of my kid?
He's so happy and wonderful, but during those middle of the night feedings where he won't go back to sleep and I'm left with my thoughts, I can't help by wonder if I'll ever be able to write again. Will I get an hour once a week to dive into some old WIP? The stories I started months ago... will I ever finish them? It's difficult to accept my routine from before no longer works. It's taken six weeks for me to accept that and by no means am I complaining, more just curious how my "new" routine will look. Maybe, I finish one draft a year. Maybe not. For those out there who are mommas, writers, workers, wives, etc. Any advice on how to balance it all? What worked well for you? What didn't? I'm still trying to figure it all out but for now, I'm enjoying my unlimited cuddles with my lil guy because I know my maternity leave is going to fly by.
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With the latest release of the third book, Best Player, and the upcoming release in January 2020 of the final book in the Cleat Chasers Series, I wanted to do a mood board for each story. First--I LOVE creating photo collages for stories. It is such a fun and easy way to showcase the mood of the story with a few key plots. Secondly-- showing how I envision the characters in my mind is always a challenge and I spend way too much time searching for the perfect photos. But here we are. Photo board for each story. Book 1 | Challenge Accepted  -Cinnamon roll hero who adores his mom and sister -Sassy, tomboy heroine who fights for what she wants -Found family on college campus -Lots of baseball lingo -Slow burn friends-to-lovers romance Fun Fact: The recipes all used in this story are ones my father taught me and are my go-to's! Book 2 | The Game Changer  -BFFs who fake date to save reputation -Constant nickname battles -Angsty & dramatic with LOUD characters -Steamy and lots of chemistry Fun Fact: There is a scene where Greta, our heroine, almost misses an observation for one of her classes which is based off a real event from my college life. I did miss the observation and had to sprint across campus... I didn't have a "hunky" bff-fake boyfriend to bring me coffee and drive me. *my now husband did attend a different college than I did, so no shade at him. : ) Book 3 | Best Player  -Roommates for the summer -Falling for brother's best friend trope -Secret fling with lots of kissing -To do lists and coffee dates -A feel good, low angst sports romance Fun Fact: The film class that both Kenzie and Tanner have to take is based off a VERY real film class that I took during summer classes. The films we watched were featured in this story and if you haven't heard or seen Delicatessen... that movie scared me for my life. Book 4 | No Easy Catch  -Party girl and jock teaming up -Investigators with benefits -Steamy as hell -Uncovering a campus scandal and totally "not" dating -Second chances are a real thing Fun Fact: My Alma Mater, The University of Illinois, is where the entire series takes place in my mind. I envisioned real places when writing this but created fictional names and changed just enough details for it to not be recognizable. Releasing January 2020!
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