My Writing Life

My life has been a little stressful lately, mostly related to my writing life, although not entirely.

Last week, I received the final cover for The Beginning of Wisdom: Bilqis’s Story. This novel from Guidepost is the 90th release of my career (I believe it ships to subscribers in December, but I’m not sure when it will be listed on the website for sale). I loved writing this novel about the queen of Sheba and the faith in the one true God that she took back with her to Sheba after spending time with King Solomon.

Coming in December 2023

About noon on Tuesday of this week, I emailed To Marry an English Lord to my (sainted) editor. This novel is book #2 in the British Are Coming series. I have been reading a number of suspense books lately, and as I was finishing the final proof of To Marry before sending the manuscript off for edits (and by the time I am proofing, I’m pretty sick of every novel), I thought to myself, The next book in the series is going to have a bad guy or even two, so I can shoot somebody whenever I feel like it. 

Coming in February 2024

That takes me back to when I was writing my very first novel (by hand on yellow pads). That was many, many, many years ago. I was out in the garden pulling weeds (I am not a gardener and I hate weeding). My neighbor came over to the fence and asked what I’d been up to lately. I looked up at her and I said with a smile, “Today I burned down a mansion, and I killed a man. And I never had so much fun in my life.”

I don’t know if killing a bad guy in a novel is always fun, but it is a great way to let off steam and/or release tension.

Christmas present from my oldest; she knows me well

I surprised myself on Tuesday when, instead of just becoming a couch potato after sending the book to my editor, I decided to get thoughts in order for my next novel, a contemporary Christmas story that is part of a series with six other authors. These books will release next fall. More info will follow after the first of the year.

Anyway, I started getting my Scrivener document in order and then I decided to do some outlining/brainstorming/note taking and then I did a bit of research. The next thing I knew, I was writing the first chapter of the book. By the next day, I’d already written 6% of the story. There’s just something about a Christmas romance. Gotta love them.

Inspiration for my Christmas romance

I’m hoping, hoping, hoping I can keep this momentum going all the way to the end of the Christmas novel, because I have another Guidepost deadline staring me in the face plus I’m eager to return to Eden’s Gate ranch for the next book in the British Are Coming series (the one with bad guys I can kill).

Ah … The writing life. So full of glamor … Not!

SO HOW DO YOU RELIEVE STRESS? (you can only do what I do on paper!)

~robin

PS I had the opportunity to read Shadia Hrichi’s new Bible study, Rahab: Rediscovering the God Who Saves Me. It’s wonderful. And Shadia is currently running a giveaway of signed copies of the study. It’s easy to enter. Here’s the link: https://kingsumo.com/g/mbmw1n/exclusive-rahab-media-tour-giveaway