Z IS FOR APRIL JUST ZIPPED BY

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!

Today is the last day of the A to Z challenge and I made it to the end without missing a day. In fact, the month just ZIPPED by...hehehhheheee! 

I loved sharing with my wonderful blog buddies my thoughts on life, my favorite recipes, and of course, my new debut novel, In the Shadow of Greed. Someone yesterday called me a new book mamma. That's exactly what it felt like on release day. 

I really enjoyed all the different blogs and the wonderful, creative people I have met through A to Z challenge. One central theme was very obvious to me during this month of blog hopping. We all, in one way or other, are seeking that one thing that is just beyond our reach. All I can say is please keep reaching for your dream. Don't let anyone talk you into giving up.

Most of the bloggers I met were writers, all at different stages of their writing career. This month, I hopped over on huge hurdle in my own writing career. I finally found a publisher who was willing to take a chance on me and publish my first book. Of course, this is only a baby step, but it's an amazing step in the right direction.

One thing that took me by surprise was the overwhelming work that went into posting a different topic every day. Like I have said before, I don't write very fast. That includes writing post. I fuss over every sentence, ever word. Sometimes, an idea just came to me and I would run with it, not really knowing where it would take me. Other times, I  would write an entire post and end up deleting it because I just didn't like it. And then there were those days when I had nothing, zip, zero.I don't know where the idea finally came from, but I got something down.

This may be a little vain--so please bare with me--but  I really loved watching my pageviews grow this month. A couple day ago, I hit, in my mind, the magic number--5000 pageviews. I wish I knew who was stopping by for a visit each day. I would love to know who you are and where you are from. 

What's next on my blog now that the A to Z challenge has come to an end? Well, I decided that as much as I enjoyed the daily contact, I really don't have the time to post every day---especially if I plan to get my third book done before the beginning of the summer. My WIP--work in progress--has really been ignored the last few weeks. AND...my characters don't like to being ignored. In fact, they hate it. Since I'm not writing their story down fast enough, they have decided to gang up at me at three in morning. Not kidding here. I'm serious. They  have been yakking up a storm while I should be sleeping. 

The one thing became very clear during this challenge. I need to learn how to manage my writing world with my other world. I have a wonderful life completely separate from my writing. But I've not been very good at dividing myself between the two worlds. They are both so important to me. But I can't keep up this schedule without it taking it's toll. I need down time where neither world needs me for just a little while. Maybe a few of my writing buddies have a little advice they could share about how they manage their time. 

This challenge was a lot of work for everyone. But I'm very proud of all of us who kept going to the end. We can all pat ourselves on the back for stepping over the finish line. I hope all of you continue to come by here and visit. Until then, it has been a blast. 

((HUGS TO ALL))

Nancy C. Weeks

Author of In the Shadow of Greed

Available at: Crimson Romance ebooks | Amazon | B&N | iTunes