Welcome Guest Blogger Lynette Eason!

Missy, here. I'm thrilled to welcome my good friend and fellow Love Inspired author Lynette Eason! Lynette and I made our first sales about a week apart to the same editor, and we've been traveling the journey together ever since. Lynette has two books releasing this month! Threat of Exposure from Love Inspired Suspense and A Killer Among Us from Revell. She's an amazing writer, and since I've brainstormed with her (and helped by calling my Orthopedist father-in-law to confirm horrible ways to break bones!), I can tell you her stories are suspenseful and...well, sometimes downright frightening. :)

Lynette, welcome! We promise not to hold your scary mind against you. :)


I’m so honored to be here on Seekerville!

Missy asked me to talk a little bit about writing for two publishers and juggling schedules. Yes, this it’s definitely a juggling act. I’m a wife and a mother. I homeschool my son and have a husband who travels for a living.

Writing for Revell and Love Inspired Suspense requires a lot of organization. Which is really hard for me because I’m not an organized person by nature. But for the past four years, I’ve had to be. I sold my first book in February 2007 to Love Inspired Suspense and things have just snowballed since then. In June 2008, I sold three book series to Revell. Writing and selling is just one aspect of being a successful author. When you add in the need for marketing, it can quickly get overwhelming.

So…ways I stay organized.
1. I keep an updated calendar on my phone at all times. I also have one in the kitchen posted on the wall so that my family can see it. I have my deadlines written in red. The closer I get to the red inked deadline, the crazier life gets. We eat a lot of takeout. I start setting my phone to remind me if I have an appointment that day. I even set it for something I shouldn’t forget like my son’s drum lesson or piano lesson or karate class. Because I will get so involved in meeting this deadline, it’s like my brain can’t process anything else without a reminder.

2. I keep a running To-Do list in a word document with a blog schedule – who I’m hosting and whose blog I’m on. There are addresses for book winners and people I need to send thank you notes too. Then there’s a section at the bottom with the list of errands I need to do that day. A marketing section, contact information for radio stations and newspapers, a list of bookstores for potential booksignings.

3. Then I have the kids’ calendar filled with their activities and another calendar with my husband’s schedule. And then a whole separate calendar with all of my deadlines because writing for two publishers means never getting behind. I have a daily word count I MUST meet on EACH project. And if it’s my turn to blog that week or host someone on my blog, I must add that to the word count to be met. The minute I get a new deadline, I mark it on the calendar and calculate approximately how long I will actually have to spend on the project then I make sure I factor in some sick days, family emergencies (which I pray never happens, but life DOES happen, so…] and then I try to give myself “make up” time. For when I just don’t feel like writing, I can take the day off without worrying it’s going to throw me into a tizzy as the deadline gets closer.

Do I mess up sometimes? Of course. Does something slip through the cracks? Absolutely. But for the most part, adhering to these practices is the only way I get things done on time. There’s never any time to be bored. Honestly, I think I’m sometimes TOO driven. I need to learn to relax again and realize it’s okay to have a little fun and it’s not necessary to feel guilty because I don’t feel like writing that day.

I know I’m living the dream many writers aspire to. I try not to complain or whine or moan about deadlines. Each time I sell a book and write the deadline on my calendar, I get on my knees and thank God for allowing me the privilege to write for Him.

So, now, I’ve shared with you a little about how I stay organized and on schedule with the chaos of writing for two publishers.

What’s your secret? How do you stay organized and make the time to write? Leave a comment to be entered in a drawing for a copy of A Killer Among Us.

God Bless!

And thank you again, Missy, for this opportunity! I appreciate it!

Lynette

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, SC. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits dedicated Sunday School teachers and Christian parents for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus Christ.

After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a Business Degree she used for a very short time (sorry Mom and Dad), she moved to Spartanburg, SC to attend Converse College where she obtained her Masters degree in Education. During this time, she met the man she would marry—the boy next door!

She is married to Jack Eason, who speaks, leads worship, and consults ministries around the country.. In December of 2010, they celebrated their fourteenth wedding anniversary. Lynette and Jack have two precious children, Lauryn, twelve years and Will, who is ten.

Visit Lynette at www.lynetteeason.com