Shannon here: Caryl McAdoo shares a day in the life of a busy author and her co-author husband. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for an e-book copy of Historical Romance, Texas Times. Deadline: Sept 23rd, 11:59 central time. Here’s Caryl:
Oh, Happy Day!
In the last year or so, my life changed drastically just as my heroine, Alexandria’s life changes completely in my newest release TEXAS TIMES. She inherits part-interest in a newspaper and moves to the big city (Dallas) from a tiny country town.
I thought I’d share with you how God’s changed me from a life-long-as-I-can-remember, dyed-in-the-wool night owl to an early morning lady who rises hours before the sun—usually between 3 and 4 a.m.—to pray and start my new day.
After an hour or so of visiting with my awesome Maker, I get on the computer to respond to comments, messages, and emails. There are always writing related things I need to do, so I try to address the most pressing.
I love posting Scripture memes I’ve made, or personal photographs of a recent visit by friends or family—
especially the grandsugars! Those wonderful times are rare, so every single one is special.
While I’m busy in my office, Ron, my dear husband of fifty-five years checks our sales numbers and new book reviews. We write together, and he usually hits the story first before breakfast—most days, an Eckrich jalapeno cheddar cheese sausage dog on a slice of multi-grain, mustarded bread with a tall glass of cold, raw goat milk, and we eat around five.
We play Quirkle while we eat. It’s a fast, fun game, and we love beating each other! Competition runs high at The Peaceable—our name for our home on twenty acres in the woods about five miles south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in the far Northeast 
corner of Texas!
A little before seven, I pack my insulated bag with half-gallon, quart, and pint jars I’ve had in the freezer, and we head out to the barn. He open the chickens’ gates so they can free-range, and I milk our six goats which takes thirty-five to forty minutes.
The girls give me about a gallon-plus in the mornings and another half-gallon-plus in the evening. So blessed to have plenty to share with friends and neighbors! A Christian can measure their wealth by how much they have to give away.
Soon as I come in, I sit at Ron’s computer. He tells me, “You’re behind” so I “catch up,” going over what he’s written, making changes, and adding my part of the story: female scenes and dialogue, scenery and sensory detail, and the like.
We go back and forth with him going over what I wrote and me going over his. We hopscotch from beginning to the end. If either of us doesn’t care for a way the other has steered the story, we back up and rewrite. That doesn’t usually happen, but we fix it until we’re both happy.
Only God writes in stone. The rest of us rewrite!
Back on my computer again, I get ready for an upcoming cover reveal or launch party, make memes, schedule posts, plan book covers, and format stories. I organize three multi-author projects each year, so there are always authors to get in touch with or details to take care of. I also try to keep up with the several Facebook groups I’ve created.
Besides my personal Caryl Lawrence McAdoo and author Caryl McAdoo pages, I have the Carylers’ Choir (my readers’ group), Christian Book Launches (a promo group for safe reading), Faith-filled Fellowship (a private group for Christian ladies to get together to encourage one another, visit, pray for, and support each other.
I don’t really do a lot of Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, or any of the rest, though I visit them occasionally.
Sometime around 10:30, Ron and I take a break and play Quirkle!
Then it’s back to the computer until lunch at noon—our big meal of the day with another game of Quirkle. High score wins, but we also keep score on most games won and most Quirkles—for the month, so we know who wins that and then who wins the year!
Laaaaa, I won in 2022! 😊
From lunch until around 3:00, we’ll watch something on TV, work outside, or get back on the computers. Ron’s always building something—peeper palaces, barn babies’ bungalows, fences around new pastures for the goats, milking parlor and such. I help whenever he needs me. I can save him trips up and down the ladder being his gopher!
At 3:30ish we go sit outside, letting the goats out to browse for an hour or two because they keep their
pen eaten up! Soon as we come in, we put rice on to steam for dogs and chickens and play “rice Quirkle” before our busiest time of day—feeding time!
I load the cold jars into the insulated bag again for the yum-yum, raw milk. By the time we get through feeding all the dogs (5) and cats (20+) and goats (4), and chickens (35-40), then ourselves, we are tired and crawl into bed between 6:30 to 7:30. We watch a TV show, but I often fall asleep before 8:30 or 9.
And that, dear readers is my average “Oh Happy Day!”
I love my life! I’m so very blessed!
Question for Readers: What is your favorite part of the day?
Mine is when I get prone! I love to lay the old lady down! 😊
Thank you again, Shannon for inviting me to come visit!
BIO: Award-winning author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and her best-selling stories—over sixty published—delight Christian readers around the world. The prolific writer also enjoys singing the new songs the Lord gives her; you may listen to a few on YouTube. Sharing four children and twenty-seven grandsugars (six are greats), Caryl and her high-school-sweetheart-husband of fifty-five years Ron live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas. The McAdoos wait expectantly for God to open the next door.
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About the book – Texas Times:
He shall choose our inheritance for us . . .
A prim and proper country girl is thrown into a mayhem of madams and mercy killings when Alexandria Bell inherits her estranged uncle’s portion of a big city’s premier newspaper, the Texas Times. She does find the pickin’s better in Dallas as before she knows it, three suitors vie for her attentions. One makes her laugh, one speaks to her heart, and the third possesses such a way with words, he makes her envious of his talent . . . but she’s his boss. Come along on Alex’s new career adventure and see if any are successful in winning her heart and hand.
Can’t wait for the drawing? Worried you won’t win? Interested in Caryl’s other titles?
Get your copy/copies now!
Come back Sept 19th for Ruth Wuwong!
I’m still a night owl, Caryl. My favorite part of the day is between 11 and 2 am, when everyone’s asleep but me. With no interruptions. Since we have an empty nest, most of the time I spend it reading in bed. But if I have a deadline or I’m trying to finish writing a book, I’ll write or revise in my office. Thanks for being here.
I always love visiting The Inkslinger, Shannon! This weekend I got a call to see if I could meet my son halfway (a three-hour drive to the DFW Metroplex) to pick up my seven-year-old sugar doll, Lillian! I never say no to that, and he needed me, so . . . She’s been here and we’ve been having a grand time! We have to get her back this Sunday morning because she has practice for the Nutcracker ballet today! (‘ll be sharing this blog now! 🙂 BLESSINGS and thanks again!
I have a winner! Glenda Hislop won the drawing. I appreciate Caryl for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.