The Five Book Collision

I had a strange experience in May. I had what I think of as a Five Book Pile-up. Or maybe better to call it a Five Book Collision. I came up with Five Steps to Survival.

It was a crazy, hectic time that I don't expect to see repeated. I hope.

A five book pile up that included…

1. Revisions for Ten Plagues, a romantic suspense I'm writing under a pseudonym, coming in October. I got it with a note that it was due asap.

2. Revisions for In Too Deep, book #2 of my Kincaid Brides Series. Coming in January, revisions due June 1.

3. Galley edits for Out of Control. These are the last edits. Nothing substantial gets changed. I just get one last chance to read through the book and catch small mistakes, typos, other small errors.

4. Release of my May book, Deep Trouble and all the attending blog interviews and marketing that goes with the launch of every book.

5. And of course, my wip, which is Over the Edge, which isn't due for a while. You know I have a rule that I write 1000 words a day seven days a week on my wip, right?

So, how to handle a five book pile up.
I prioritize.
I figure out what is most urgent.
I put in longer hours.
I work smarter and faster and give up every distraction.

First, there is no let-up in the book launching. I try so hard to be a good guest on other people's blogs just because I appreciate it so, so much when we get great guests who stop in and respond to comments here on Seekerville. So that bounces along through the day, almost every day. Add in that many of those blog interviews include give always and I'm trying really hard to keep up and get the books in the mail. Mainly because I'm so disorganized I'm terrified to let any time lapse between the notice I get of who the winner is, and getting the book out into the mail.

Beyond the interviews, I had to figure out how much time I had and how to get everything done in that time. I had to fix my attention on Ten Plagues. I put in long days and as my first romantic suspense ever, I really want it to be a good book. I want to deliver something that is well done and I can take pride in. So I listened hard to the editors because their suggestions, all sixteen pages of them, were right on. It's a much better book for their hard work.

I got it done first. I sent it in, got a few notes back for further changes, to credit my editor, she was working just as fast as I was, responding quickly to me with any questions she had.

As soon as that was out into cyber space I turned my attention to the galley for Out of Control, that came in with a date that was before the revisions for In Too Deep. To give credit here, the galley was wonderfully clean. I had minimal changes. I still had to read it though, and read it carefully. So there was no chance to skim through that job. And as the first book in a new series, as well as the first book for a new publisher, I want so much for the book to do well. I'm giving it my very best effort, although I'd like to think I give all of my books my best effort.

As soon as the Out of Control galley was handed in, I turned to the revisions for In Too Deep. I had until the end of June for them. I wanted more life in the book, more action. I had action scenes but it takes a lot of revision to get them to come to life as well as I want. So even with the clock ticking, I went over it and over it and over it. I also had a couple character arc issues and those take a fair amount of finessing, to find the places where my heroine is close to solving all her problems, then to find a scene a bit later where the heroine is backsliding to her old self. Now that's okay to do, but there needs to be a reason, not just me being inconsistent.

That book when out a week early because I was determined to turn it in early and I managed, though not AS EARLY as I'd hoped when the collision began.

At that point I turned back to my WIP, which I'd ignored totally, breaking my 1000 word a day rule.

So there's my advice. I suppose I should add in another step in this process. Don't panic. There isn't time for panic.

So, five steps to surviving a five book pile up.

1. Don't Panic

2. Prioritize

3. Work longer

4. Cut distractions (I define this as being nice to people, who has time for THAT?)

5. Dig deep and focus…do NOT let shiny objects distract you.

And here is an bonus sixth step.

6. Take occasional moments to whine to my Seeker buddies, so that they can all mock me and tell me to count my blessings and get the heck back to work.

So anyone got hints for when life gets to be too much? It's not a condition exclusive to published authors. There are all kinds of demands. And no, I don't take a split second to relax and let Calgon Take Me Away…..I barely have time for the all too rare five minute shower. And I've found that minimizing showers helps with that dratted need to be nice to people mentioned in step three.

http://www.maryconnealy.com/

And just for fun here are some pictures from RWA in NYC.

There are many more on my facebook page. But I thought it would be fun to add a few here.

At the Algonquin Hotel.
Famous as a gathering place for literary types.

The Algonquin Round Table was a celebrated group of New York City writers, critics, actors and wits.

I feel like we Seekers only added to the legend.

Left to right, the very young and beautiful Mary Guisti (Debby's daughter), Janet Dean (also young and beautiful of course, as are we all) Tina Radcliffe, Me, Cara Lynn James and Debby Guisti.

This is my cowboy husband with me in the big city.

And that is our limo right behind us.

(okay, I lied, I'm lucky the driver didn't run over us for getting too close)

This, left to right

The young, beautiful and slender Keli Gwynn...a Seekervillager

Another friend of Seekerville, the young, beautiful and slender Anne Barton, moments before she is awarded the Golden Heart

And me, in a freak photography snafu, somehow photographed as an enlargement.

I'd say that's running about 1.5 normal size.

Or maybe it's like one of those fish pictures,

where they hold the fish closer to the camera while standing at arm's length behind it.

Something happened here to make me tower over this young women!!!!!

This is me, Debby and Janet standing in front of a restaurant named ... ahem ... Heck's Kitchen

And this is the night of the Golden Heart-Rita Awards.

I'm on the right.

Super Agent Natasha Kern is next.

To the left is Missy Tippens ready to accept the award for Pam Hillman.

I didn't get a photograph of the moment but...

when Pam didn't win, the always gracious Southern lady, Missy stood up and yelled,

"Oh, yeah!!!???

Well, Pam Hillman SOLD,

so NEENER NEENER NEENER.

It was a beautiful moment and I tear up every time I think of it.