Welcome, JK Coi

Today I do my magic act and appear at two places at once. I'm hosting JK Coi, whose book, FALLING HARD releases today!! You'll love this book!

And presto change-o, I'm also appearing on Rula Sinara's blog as her interview guest. I've been interviewed lots of times, but Rula really asked some terrific questions. The answers--well, I'll let you decide that for yourself. 

So please give JK a little love and then go over and visit me at Rula's where she grills me to juicy perfection. 

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Priorities by J.K. Coi 

I’ve known Maria online for a couple of years now (how the time flies by!!) and whenever I come to the blog here, I’m so impressed by all that she does to live off her own land, maintain a frugal lifestyle, maximize her time and energy, and take care of the people (and animals) who are important to her! I have to admit, I can barely manage to spell my own name some days. 

As women, as writers, as professionals with day jobs. As mothers, wives, friends, and individuals who have to have some other interests besides all of that or we’d go crazy…it’s not hard to see why sometimes it can all seem overwhelming. 

And I was no exception. I went through a period not long ago when I can honestly say that I felt like I was burning myself out and I wasn’t sure I would write again.

But I really wanted to be writing. Even when the words wouldn’t come, or I couldn’t make time for them, I wanted to be writing so badly. The constant nagging of the story that fought to get out onto the page told me I had to give it a shot again, which meant re-organizing everything else so I could make it work and still get some sleep at night. 

So how do you do that? How do you put aside some things to make room for others when all of them are important to you? 

Lots of people will tell you that you have to learn to use the word “no”, and others will tell you that you have to decide that certain activities have to be sacrificed if you’re really committed to your writing career. And for those people, I say all the power to you. But for me, there was no way I could say no to my family. There was no way I could cut out any more activities—even some of the “frivolous” ones—because those are the things that helped me to relax and refill the creative well. 

What I did agree to, was a schedule which would get me writing regularly. Maybe not like gangbusters, but something is always better than nothing. I don’t write quickly. I agonize over every word. And yet I still learned to tell myself that it was okay to skip a day of writing. It was okay if I only had two hours a night to write. My self-imposed deadlines suffered because it would mean less quantity, but hopefully more quality. 

And I think my writing absolutely reflects this new outlook…but maybe I’ll leave that decision to the readers.   

So what lengths do you go to in order to make time for the things you love most?   

FALLING HARD is available July 18 from Carina Press!
After a life filled with tragedy, rocker Gabriel Gunn thinks he's finally getting the better of his personal demons. Then he's attacked after a concert—and rescued by a warrior goddess brandishing a sword and white wings. As hard as it is to believe in an angelic bodyguard, Gabriel must face an even more impossible truth: he carries the devil's soul within him. 

Amelia has been watching over Gabriel for years, using her angelic powers to prevent Lucifer's return. Now she must also protect him from warring angel factions with their own agendas. Amelia would do anything to avert another angelic war, even sacrifice her own emotions to avoid temptation. Yet with Gabriel she feels things she no longer wants to deny, and pleasure she never imagined. 

But the closer Gabriel and Amelia get, the stronger Lucifer becomes. Will Amelia be forced to kill the man she's come to love to stop the war she's always feared?

JK Coi is a multi-published, award winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance and urban fantasy. She makes her home in Ontario, Canada, with her husband and son and a feisty black cat who is the uncontested head of the household. While she spends her days immersed in the litigious world of insurance law, she is very happy to spend her nights writing dark and sexy characters who leap off the page and into readers’ hearts.

Comments

Rula Sinara said…
Maria, I'm thrilled to have you at my blog today :)Thanks for the shout out!

JK, great post! Like you said, it's a fine balance. You can't cut out too much in your life, or you'd be cutting out your natural inspiration. I prefer writing in the mornings, but I don't always set a specific hour to start because it's unrealistic for me. With kids and all, things happen. My schedule would end up like a crash diet that doesn't last long. Rather, when I'm working on a draft, I'll set word count goals. That way, I can squeeze them in whenever I have time during the day. It's just enough to keep me on track.
J.K. Coi said…
word count goals are a fantastic way to handle balancing the writing with the real life, Rula and I like your reference to a crash diet! Thanks for dropping by!

And thanks to Maria for having me as a guest today!

I'll pop in throughout the day to respond to comments :)
Sarah Ahiers said…
this is a bit OT, but i can't help it. I'm totally distracted by how much i LOVE that cover!
Damn, that is one fine cover...
J.K. Coi said…
LOL, I'm glad you think so!
Ellie Garratt said…
Fabulous interview, J.K. I love how you didn't sacrifice those things which helped you be the writer you are today. I'm adding your book to my wishlist and blogging authors page.

Ellie Garratt
Angela Brown said…
What a great interview, J. K. Prioritizing IS a difficult thing when you wear so many hats in life. But I'm glad to see the way you worked it out.

I have to agree with Sarah. That's an intoxicating book cover. The blurb alongside it is appealling as well. *sizzle*
Maria Zannini said…
I guess I'm not doing as good a job being in two places at once as I thought. LOL. Turns out I had to be at three places at once. Yes, the chickens ended up getting my undivided attention.

But I'm back. And I have to say, JK, your cover is awesome. The cover gods smiled on you.
J.K. Coi said…
Hi Ellie! In the long run, sacrifices do have to be made, of course, but I won’t ever tell a friend I haven’t seen in weeks that we can’t have coffee to gossip, or tell my son I’m too busy to play a game of badminton with him (He LOVES badminton!) I have no problem letting the housecleaning and laundry suffer though LOL
J.K. Coi said…
Angela and Maria, the cover is HOT! You know what’s funny? When it was first sent to me I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but that was because I think I had a preconceived notion of what the cover SHOULD have looked like. I’m glad now that the cover didn’t go the way I had pictured it in my head. This is an AWESOME cover :)
Karen C said…
I have to agree with everyone's comments on the cover and blurb - hot, hot , hot!
When I was working in the corporate world, I had difficulties prioritizing, too. In some cases, I had to learn to say 'no' and in others, I had to learn to let go - like housekeeping. There really aren't people with white gloves (dating myself a bit, here) checking to make sure there isn't any dust!
Falling Hard sounds like an interesting read.
Jennifer Shirk said…
Oooh-la-la! Great blurb!

And saw Maria's interview at Rula's. Loved it. :-)
Michelle Fayard said…
I agree, Maria, that Rula has one of the best author interviews I've ever read. I'm so glad you were her guest, as your advice "just give the art department two or three important aspects in the story" is especially excellent.

I'm delighted to be a new follower!

Michelle
Unknown said…
I'm retired ... so I don't have the kid or job interruptions I once had, though one of my jobs was writing.

Now setting my schedule is my own responsibility. What I'm finding is that I'm falling back on the "shooing the kids off to school" pattern. I get my writing quota first thing in the morning. Then if more words get written down later, so much the better.

It's been a battle, but I'm slowly convincing myself the social networking stuff will sit there until I get to it. As the time managers say, it's all about setting priorities. *snicker*
Kimber Chin said…
I don't watch TV.
That was the thing that went when I started working the world domination plan.

I have daily goals, and I stick with them.

And I take summers off the day job to write. That's a financial sacrifice but it is a fun financial sacrifice.

But then I don't have kids.

I don't know how you do it with a day job and a trooper, J.K. That's so impressive.
Maria Zannini said…
@Jennifer: Thank you!

@Michelle: Nice to meet you, Michelle!
Jackie said…
Maria thanks for introducing me to an author whose work is new to me and JK sounds like you have found your way and it is working, good for you and congratulations on your new release!
Sarita Leone said…
Congratulations on your release! The book sounds intriguing and the cover is awesome!
J.K. Coi said…
Karen and Jennifer: glad you like the cover! So nice to meet you here!
J.K. Coi said…
Michelle, I stopped by and have to agree as well, that was a fabulous interview!
J.K. Coi said…
Kay, you're so lucky to be able to plan your day the way you'd like to. I'm hoping for more of that kind of flexibility one day soon! Take care!!
J.K. Coi said…
Kimber my darlin' I think it's awesome that you've been able to take your summers off. my hubby stays home in the summer (he's a teacher) and it's hard to get up and go to work when the rest of the house is still in bed
J.K. Coi said…
Jackie! It's so nice to meet you too. Thanks for dropping in today!
J.K. Coi said…
Thanks Sarita! Have a great night!
Charlie said…
I find I have to readjust my priorities every few years. I clear the decks then things creep back in. LOL The first thing to go was yard work. Pretty much anything I can get someone elst to do, I will. ;)

Good luck with your new release!
Shelley Munro said…
Hi JK,

I have to agree about the cover. It's lovely.

I think if something is really important to you it's much easier to assign time for it. Ironing and housework...not much time assigned to those *g*
J.K. Coi said…
LOL Shelley, Exactly!!
Raelyn Barclay said…
Oh no...another book to add to my teetering pile, LOL. Love the cover JK.

I'm still trying to find my balance (and I completely agree with you JK that Maria makes it look easy) and waiting for school to start again, LOL