THE YIN-YANG OF SUMMER

School's out for my teen and already, I'm wishing he were enrolled in year-round school. Summers are tough on this single mom writer. He and I constantly battle over whose turn it is to use the internet because of our crappy internet service. Writing love scenes are attempted while listening to him yell at the video game "Fortnite" (the latest rage). Every other hour I hear, "I'm hungry" and all I can think is "Calgon, take me away."

But ah, the smell of blooming jasmine in the air, and the taste of juicy summer fruits, and balmy evenings wearing nothing but shorts and a tank top. These are what I look forward to every year. Not having to wake up early every day or enforce reminders of homework each night.  

However, the boy just got his driving permit yesterday and the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm going to be driving you everywhere, Mom. EVERYWHERE. Every every where. Whenever I'm not in school, I'll drive you." I have an eye doctor appointment today. It's within spitting distance, literally a block away. He insists on driving me. Oy!

Oh, but those lazy days by the pool with friends, sipping cold sangria and barbecuing. Or gorgeous days at the beach that balance the mind and soul. Getting lost in what we specifically call a "beach read" because of its breezy, light-hearted nature.

Yes, as you can see I have a love/hate relationship with summer, but in the end, it's still my favorite season...until Halloween, that is! Mwahaha!

What's everyone else doing this summer? Please comment so I can live vicariously through you.



Tiffany N. York lives in SoCal where the gas prices are as high as the summer temperatures. Sometimes she's diligent about wearing sunscreen and other times, meh. You can visit her website at tiffanynyorkauthor.com 

Never write while sleep deprived

**Yawns** forgive me if I ramble a bit today. I’m going on day three of having very little sleep. No, I have not been up all night writing. That would be nice.  I’ve had a few rough days and nights dealing with some personal issues. Enough said. Anywho…back to what I was talking about. Writing with very little sleep. Have you ever done it? Did you actually accomplish anything? Were you able to read it?

The reason I ask is that I have written while on little sleep. And trust me, it was not readable. But at the time, I had a great idea and it couldn’t wait. I had to write it now. Since I couldn’t sleep, I sat in my living room, laptop ready and began to type like a mad woman. The ideas rolled out of me in a flow I’ve never felt before. I couldn’t type fast enough, my fingers flew across the keyboard like lightning.  As I wrote I told myself this was the one that was going to take me to the top. Three hours later I had several chapters done and sleep was calling. I saved the document, then staggered off to bed. Despite being dog tired, I was hyped up about the epic novel I had just started. For the first time in days, I slept like a baby.

I should have stayed asleep.

Excited, I woke, ran to my laptop even before having breakfast and opened the document. I stared at the screen, blinking as if that would change what I saw before me. Nope, nothing changed. It was still crap.  There wasn’t a single sentence in the five chapters that made sense. I kid you not. Picture yourself, eyes closed, typing away. Now open your eyes. How well did you do? Probably better than I did while sleep deprived. My sentences looked similar to this.

Asdjoiefn gruhlasd ueoihas sa[ksdnkcfpos

Seriously! Yet in my mind, and in my sleep deprived vision I saw sentences of great writing. Paragraphs that were off the charts.

And do you think I could remember any of the idea when I woke? Nope, not a trickle came to me. How is that possible? People do strange things while sleep deprived. I wrote the greatest crap story ever written. I’ve learned my lesson. If I’m too tired to think, or I’ve gone days with little sleep, I don’t write.

When a Writer Stops Writing

I've been writing for a very long time. I believe it started in middle school with short stories and poems. Then I got married, popped out a couple babies, moved out, got divorced, graduated college, then decided to write again.

I've spent the last six years writing off and on. I've even published a few books, then unpublished a few books, then finally left my two favorite novels published on Amazon. It's true what they say, "No one is more critical of you than you."

People ask me why I unpublished some stories and frankly it's because I didn't feel as they were up to par. My heart wasn't in those stories, not really. To really pour my heart and soul into a story it needs my undivided attention. Sure I've written before while having a day job but my day job then was a lot less demanding than it is now. I used to eat, sleep, and breathe my stories but now it's become harder and harder to dive back into that world.

So what's a writer to do when there's nothing to write? Study? Figure out the answers to life's biggest questions? Learn how to paint? Become a conspiracy theorist? Cook? Who knows?

What I do though is blog. Blogging has saved me a few times. Every time I feel that spark begin to light back up again but I don't have the time to dedicate to writing a full blown story I'll blog or write a little and move on. Life has wrapped it's hands around my throat and has taken control between the day job, the family, the house, and studying for my real estate license I'm spread completely thin. So blogging gives me that outlet I so desperately need.

Do I always know what to blog about? Hell no! As I'm typing right now every single word is finding it's way to the screen without much thought put behind it. What you see is what you get. But that's what I like about blogging. It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be edited, it just has to be real. (Some editing may not be a bad idea but nevertheless you get the point.)

I also read. Again, when I can. I try to focus more on the shorter stories or novellas because as bad as it sounds I just don't have the time to dedicate to a full blown novel. Maybe one day I will or maybe during the holidays I'll cram in some reading time but right now I just don't have it unfortunately. I've been desperately wanting to read Colleen Hoover's new book 'Without Merit' but I haven't had a chance to crack open the first page. I've downloaded it though. ;-)

I've fallen in love with the Misadventure series. If you haven't heard of it please go here and look it up --->   Misadventures FB Page

The latest book in this series is Misadventures of a Valedictorian. I haven't read this one yet but the others are fantastic! They have a new book released every week and these stories are full of hotness!!

Misadventures of a Valedictorian

This is what I believe most writers do who find themselves unable to write. We blog, we read, we spend time on Facebook jealous of those who can still write, we find ourselves at book signings and events soaking in the sweet air of creativity, and we promote the authors that we love. Because that's what this community does for each other. 

Thanks for reading! If you are looking for me I'll be over here eating cake, drinking wine, and attempting to study for this damn real estate exam.

Hugs,

Amber

FACEBOOK: Facebook Link

Instagram: Instagram Link

Blog: Amber Leigh Blog

THE END OF SUMMER

The end of summer is always bittersweet for me. I love the lazy days of the season, with no schedules, homework, or rushing around in the mornings to make sure my son gets to school on time. Spontaneous pool parties happen at a moment's notice, barbecues with a bit too much wine and beer, forgotten sunscreen. Summer makes me feel like a kid again.

This summer was eventful for a number of reasons. I released my very first erotic romance, The Submissive Muse, which is getting great reviews.

I fell in love for the first time in 15 years with an old boyfriend I dated 35 years before. (I know!) And I actively started going through menopause, instead of simply flirting with it. (Always hugely exciting for a woman. Ahem.)

But alas, I haven't done any writing on a new book and it's time for ASS IN CHAIR. So I bid the sweet summer adieu and vow to not take 3 months to get back into the swing of things.

Here's hoping you all had a deliciously sexy summer!

Tiffany

Tiffany N. York lives in Southern California with her spirited son, diva Chihuahua, an ever-changing number of cats, and one tone-deaf parakeet. She writes fiction to escape reality. Her two romantic comedies, The Accidental Cougar, and The Meatball Mistress, as well as her BDSM erotic romance, The Submissive Muse are all available on Amazon. Visit her website at www.tiffanynyorkauthor.com

My Glamorous Writing Life

I used to have this vision in my mind of authors who wrote erotica, clicking away at the keys while wearing silky lingerie and sipping a rich Cabernet. Sultry music playing, maybe some decadent chocolate-covered strawberries as a snack. Frequent breaks for self-pleasuring due to all those, ahem, steamy sex scenes.

After writing two romantic comedies, I decided to try my hand at erotic romance. However, because I’m a single mother to a teen boy, my writing reality is somewhat different than my idyllic vision.

I try to pen my words during his school day, but it often doesn’t happen. So, sometimes when I’m in the middle of a hot scene…She motioned for him to take off his pants which he quickly did, and when she wrapped her hand around his…

The door slams open. “Mom, where are you? I’m hungry.”

After padding to the kitchen in my flannel PJs (Yes, the ones I’ve worn now for two days straight) and throwing a Hot Pocket in the microwave, I try to get back into my sexy headspace.

“How was your day?” The boy stands behind me, munching on his Hot Pocket.

“It was good, now go away.”

Reads over my shoulder. “Is that the word cock?”

“What? No! Go away!” (I scramble to close the window.)

“It is!”

“I’m writing about a rooster.”

“Uh huh, sure. Oops.” (Some contents of the Hot Pocket leak onto the table, next to my laptop.)

“Really, dude?!”

He leaves the uneaten piece of his Pocket by the kitchen sink and plops down on the couch, blasting rap music from his phone. I remember I haven’t eaten in hours, so I wolf down his now-cold piece of Pocket and chase it down with my fourth cup of coffee, then return to finish my sex scene. But the foul rap lyrics coupled with SpongeBob SquarePants on the TV as background noise make for a very unsexy environment.

Sigh. There’s always tomorrow. Unless it’s summer vacation, in which case, I may have to start on a Captain Underpants-type of book instead.

Tiffany N. York lives in southern California with her spirited son, a diva Chihuahua, an ever-changing number of cats, and two screeching parakeets. She writes fiction to escape reality. Visit her website at www.tiffanynyorkauthor.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tiffanynyorkauthor