Jenny Carlisle – A Day in the Life – Part 1 of 2

Shannon here: Jenny Carlisle shares insight into a day in the life of an author. Comment or answer the question in any post dated Aug 16th – 19th to enter the drawing for a print copy of her Women’s Fiction title, Hope Takes the Reins. Deadline: Aug 27th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Jenny:

A day in the life- Still nothing typical about it by Jenny Carlisle:

Maybe because I dreamed about it for so long, I have developed a vivid vision of what the day-to-day life of an author should be. It goes something like this:

7:00 a.m. I wake up with the sun streaming through my window. Hubby is already up, fixing his coffee. I lie there for a few minutes, reviewing the story ideas that have come to me in my dreams.

7:30-8:30 ish Breakfast with hubby.

8:30-9:00  Bible study and Prayer time.

9:00 Head to my writing nook, or the back porch in good weather to add valuable words to my work in progress.

12:00 Lunch (Maybe at a local restaurant with a friend)

1:30-2:30 Exercise on a stationary bike or walking.

2:30 until supper– miscellaneous writing tasks, marketing, advance reading for a fellow author’s book launch, creating engaging and inspiring blogs.

5:00-7:00 ish Preparing supper, dining with hubby, cleaning up.

7:30-bedtime Back to the writing nook for more creativity

However- LIFE.

Nothing about my writing journey has been typical, so therefore, my day to day is not either. Now that I’m retired from my “day job”, we have new routines. Because I vowed over 46 years ago to put my husband’s and my family’s needs and wants ahead of my own, I don’t have complete control over my schedule.

We both have health issues, so we work around doctor’s appointments and daily treatment regimes. Thankfully, nothing life-threatening is going on now. Still, those things replace my creative times, and sometimes, occupy my mind in the bargain.

So, how do I make sure that I keep up with my new responsibilities, and meet my deadlines? It’s really not that hard. I just try to decide what is most important each day, and make sure that all these things happen at some point.

Meals (of course), exercise (so that I don’t balloon back up to my worst ever weight), and spending time with my best friend from high school (AKA, hubby) will be included every day. So, how do I find time for writing? I just use every available moment as it arises. I promote my book and help other authors on social media while watching TV with my hubby. I take my laptop along to doctor visits, or while hubby is doing his exercise, and write in the car, or in the waiting room. I read while pedaling on an exercise bike. Prayer and spending time in God’s word are also spread throughout the day. I couldn’t make it through without knowing that God is with me through it all.

I am so thankful that my mind is always creating, waiting for the moment when I will be able to tap out my ideas on my computer. Writer’s block has never been a problem for me, probably because I have had so much time to ponder while working or waiting. So, when the opportunity presents itself, I’m off and running, or actually, off and writing.

I have been known to leave the remote control in hubby’s hands after supper and spend hours in my hideaway. I even jump up in the middle of the night in my pajamas and settle into my “writing chair” when inspiration strikes. I make notes during church, when the minister’s sermon or one of the songs resonates with what’s happening in my characters’ lives.

There are days, of course, when I totally unplug from writing. Hubby and I love to take long drives around our beautiful state. Even better, I enjoy visiting with our kids and grands, and since they live in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, that involves travel, too. Now and then, we venture further for our getaways. Some of these trips are writing related, like for a book signing, or a writer’s conference.

Occasionally, we go on adventures together with nothing but fun in mind.  I have no trouble during those times clearing my mind and enjoying whatever comes up. The sights I see and the people I meet are all being stored in my memory, for potential use in a future story.

A writer is a writer is a writer. God has given me a mind that is always busy, and when I get the chance, so are my fingers. I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to serve Him in this way.

Question for Readers: What is the one thing you never seem to find enough time for during your day?

About Jenny: Jenny Carlisle is the author of Hope Takes the Reins, a contemporary women’s fiction novel set in her home state of Arkansas.  Her own 46 year marriage to her high school prom date inspires the sweet romance in her stories. The two families in this first book will reappear in the remaining titles of the Crossroads series, as well as in a planned Christmas novella in 2023. All will be published by Scrivening’s Press. Learn more & connect:

Jenny’s Website         Jenny’s Facebook

Jenny Facebook Author Page          Jenny’s Twitter

Subscribe to Jenny’s Newsletter to get all of her latest news, along with a fun packet of comforting recipes.

About the book – Hope Takes the Reins:

O.D. Billings has lived in the shadow of his brothers all his life. Even his name brings him down, so he has used only initials for years. Now, his older brother has returned home from the army, rejecting the role his family expects him to assume in their pickup truck dealership, and the younger brother is intent on risking his life on the back of a bucking bull. O.D.’s fans at the rodeo love his confident swagger during tie-down roping competitions, but every trail he heads down on his own seems to wind up going nowhere.

Hope Caldwell’s world is still reeling after her mom’s recent death from cancer. She thrives on keeping the family’s rodeo business going. Getting back to normal seems impossible when she overhears her uncle’s plans to sell out. How can she continue without the only way of life she has known for all of her nineteen years? Can she rely on the help of a big-talking cowboy? Or does he have too many problems of his own?

Can’t wait for the drawing? Worried you won’t win? Get your copy now!

Hope Takes the Reins

Come back Aug 19th for part 2 with Jenny!