Are you good at time management? I struggle with it, but somehow I managed to write a book while caring for a newborn baby. I am quite proud of my achievement!

Read my blog post to see how I launched my writing career as a new mother with parental responsibilities.

Writing a Book while Watching the Baby

I have a growing fan base after receiving several rave reviews for my debut paranormal romance novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) I started work on the sequel, but got distracted with a separate novel entitled The Darkness of Love. This novel follows the origins of my secondary Redcliffe character, the vampire Marcus Scott. It took more work than I originally anticipated, although I can be forgiven since I started writing it when I was pregnant, and then of course, had to deal with childbirth and being a new mother.

I did not want to miss precious time with my baby as she grew, especially after all of the advice I had been given from other mums. But at some point, I had to accept that the writing career is my job. Yes, I do it for pleasure. I need to tell my stories, otherwise my head would explode. But I do want to earn a living from it and contribute financially to the household income. I dream about being a famous author, and I am still writing alongside all of my other distractions.

Time management for work and home

Another complication is the age-old task of housework. I do not understand how people manage it! That in itself is a full-time job, when you factor in all the grocery shopping, preparing food, cooking food, washing dishes, doing the laundry, and the actual cleaning. It’s just too much! I am no Stepford Wife. I will never have a spotless house. This is compounded by the presence of my children, my ‘filth wizard’ husband (reference to television comedy Black Books), and our crazy dog who likes to destroy soft toys.

I finally decided it was time to be strict. My elder daughter was a well-behaved baby and slept through the night from a young age. During that time, I would go to bed earlier and get up earlier, even as the mornings grew colder with the onslaught of winter. I decided to stop complaining about my jobs, stop mucking about daydreaming, and actually get down to the business of work. It is still a work in progress. I did write my second novel, and my third, fourth and fifth, with a few extras on the side. I am now working on my sixth Redcliffe novel while developing a professional lifestyle blog and a Reiki practitioner business. I have no time for any more babies!

Download your FREE copy of LGBT fantasy short story It’s Complicated (The Redcliffe Novels) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here.