Tag Archives: writer’s life

Looking my age

29 Monday Jul 2019

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I’m taking a summer break. I know, I know, this is unheard of in the Patricia Johns world, but I’m doing it! Our son is home from school, and I wanted to be able to do some things with him this summer instead of distracting him while I work. So I worked extra hard to get my manuscript finished before he got out of school, and here we are! 🙂 The rest will do me good!

So, while my husband had some time off of work, we went into the city for the Royal Alberta Museum. I’ve been wanting to go for some time, and I finally convinced the two of them that it would be fun. So off we went. And it was fun! There was an exhibit on the Vikings, which I found interesting, but the part we all really loved was the dinosaurs. I mean, how could you not? Dinosaurs!

Anyway, we took a few photos, and the one thing I noticed is that I’m definitely looking my age. That’s not a bad thing–I’m forty, and there are worse things than looking forty. But it took me a little by surprise! I don’t look as young in pictures as I do in my head… The mammoth behind me probably feels the same way. 😉

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There were other exhibits, like Natural History that also caught my eye.

 

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And over all, we had a very nice time wandering around the museum. These are the sorts of things I’m trying to do more of this summer–just getting out with my family and playing tourist in our area.

*I’m sorry not to have included pictures of my family, but if you follow me, you know that I try to keep photos of them offline. In fact, Mr. Johns insists upon it! So you’re stuck with a picture of Yours Truly. 😉

 

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You can’t compare

30 Thursday May 2019

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As an author, you have to be able to do this… because you can’t compare yourself! People know how to classify an accountant, or a lawyer, or a stay at home mom. They have a general sense of how much you make if you’re a manager or a bank teller. But as an author… where do you land? They have no idea! You’ve chosen a path that very few people choose, and you’re kind of on your own out there. Sink or swim, successful or not, when you walk into a room there isn’t another person who understands what you’re doing with yourself… or why! You’re going to be the odd one out.

But that’s okay. Because when I walk into a room, I don’t see people I need to compare myself to, I see a roomful of walking stories.

People are intriguing! They are all reacting to something, they’re all inspired by something and frightened by something else. And that unique combination of elements guides every single step they take.

So I don’t compare myself to others, I compare people to other people, and if you catch me looking at you all thoughtfully, it’s very likely that I’m wondering what it’s like to walk in your shoes… who you love… what you long for…

Because you’re interesting. 🙂

*******

Have you picked up my Amish romance? It’s on the shelves now in Walmart, Target and bookstores everywhere.

The Bishop's Daughter MMIn this poignant, beautifully written novel, a faithful young Amish widow is reunited with her wayward first love . . .

As a bishop’s daughter and good Amish mother, widowed Sadie Hochstetler teaches her young son that God blesses those who try their best to please Him. But her brief marriage taught her that life is infinitely more complicated than that. Older, and serious, her late husband seemed a sensible choice—especially compared to Elijah Fisher, the spirited boy with whom she butted heads and hearts. Then Elijah abruptly left for the Englisher world, taking Sadie’s beloved brother along with him—a double betrayal she still strives to forgive. Especially now that Elijah has returned . . .

Elijah plans to stay in the Amish community only as long as he’s needed, helping his family and working for Sadie’s ailing father. The outside world has changed him, leading him to question rules and restrictions that others take on faith. Once, he’d been head over heels in love with the bishop’s daughter—a girl he was judged unworthy of courting. Nine years have changed so much between them. Yet something remains—a spark that, for all their differences, might light the way home again . . .

 

Foot in Mouth

17 Thursday Jan 2019

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I’m new to being forty, but I’m liking it! I’ve noticed that Facebook’s algorithms are choosing a different type of ad for me now. Instead of diet fads and beauty hacks, they’re sending me adds for slippers and mukluks.

They finally get me! Because I’d actually like to buy a decent pair of mukluks now that I’ve seen multiple ads for them. 😉

The one thing I’m not very good with is realizing how old I look. In my head, I look a lot younger, it seems. And I’ve proven that by suggesting a 35-year-old woman was “my age.” This was not because she legitimately looked 40. She’s beautiful and really does look like a tight, well-maintained 35. But in my head, so am I! I immediately apologized when I realized my error (and she looked at me aghast) and told her that it it only reflects on how delusionally young I think I look still… Here’s hoping there are no hard feelings, because she’s kind of extended family, and I really like her.

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But my forties are treating me well. Here are a few things I’m enjoying about them:

  1. No one expects me to be to be thin anymore. “Good Lord, she’s in her forties. Leave her alone.”
  2. Nothing is marketed for me. Except slippers and mukluks. And life is cheaper when the barrage of marketing passes you by!
  3. I’ve been working at my writing career seriously for almost twenty years, and that hard work is paying off. It feels good!

So there you are–I’m enjoying forty, but I’m still putting my foot in my mouth. Because apparently,  that’s my MO. 😉

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Have you picked up my book yet? You can get it online or find it on the shelves in your favourite bookstore all this month. 🙂

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Two stubborn hearts. One ranch.

Could Montana Twins unite them?

With orphaned twin infants to care for, Casey Courtright hoped to buy the ranch he works on—but he can’t match Ember Reed’s offer. Nevertheless, Casey agrees to show Ember the land she plans to use for her therapy center, but only if she’ll help him with the babies. And as the twins draw them together, Casey might just find that Ember is his perfect partner.

Housekeeping tips for writers

12 Monday Nov 2018

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When you work from home, there is the unique challenge of keeping your mitts off the messes in your home, and actually doing your work. It’s harder than it looks to balance it out. I’ve been writing full time for about ten years now, and I’ve realized that I have a choice–write full time, or clean full time. Pick one.

It might not surprise you to know that I’ve chosen the writing option. 😉 But that doesn’t mean that keeping up with everything else is easy! So I have a few tips for you work-at-home types.

  1. Delegate! You are not the full-time housekeeper. You are a writer, and your working hours are sacred. That means you don’t have time to do all the things people hope you’ll do. Learn to delegate jobs to other members of the family to make that workload a litter fairer.800px-Patsy_Grimm_helping_to_do_all_the_housework._8d29104v
  2. Wait before you clean the bathroom… just a bit. With your long hours of writing, there is nothing more irritating than rushing around cleaning up, to have nobody notice or recognize just how heroic your efforts are. That is why I recommend waiting two days longer than you usually would to clean the bathroom. I can guarantee that not only will your family notice when you clean it, they will thank you for it. You’re welcome.Doing_housework_(1993-1997),_bathroom,_1
  3. The dishes can wait. If you were in an office across town for 8 hours a day, you wouldn’t worry about the cereal bowls sitting on the counter. And neither should you worry about them during your writing time. Dishes, laundry, the carpet… whatever it is that irritates you just to see it–turn your back! You have a chapter to write. Get to work.800px-Housework_(5978829002)
  4. Don’t forget to rest. When your work hours are over, turn off the computer and spend that time with your family. It’s too easy to let work take over when it’s just a matter of sitting down at your computer and doing a little blogging or emailing to catch up. You love these people, remember? They deserve your time, too.

 

And there you have it–the best housekeeping tips I’ve got. You can tell that my writing hasn’t been going well when my home is sparkling. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t clean your home, but I AM saying the you and your family should do that cleaning outside of work hours. Because at the end of your work day, you can have a chapter written, or a clean floor/stove/kitchen/whatever. One of those is going to feel more satisfying to you. You have to decide which one you want.

Best of luck!

It smells so good!

17 Monday Sep 2018

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I got this little package from Kensington books. It had about twenty of these book covers–not the whole book, just the unattached covers. I don’t know what you call them… if you do, let me know!

But I have to tell you… they smell amazing! It’s that printing press smell of ink and paper. It’s intoxicating. Even more so when it’s your own book. 😉

 

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And it’s exciting, because this is my official cover for my very first Amish release through Kensington books. Can’t wait to see this one on the shelves in May!

Book signing! :)

13 Monday Aug 2018

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This weekend, I did my very first book signing. I was definitely intimidated. I’ve never done a book signing before, and since I’m 17 books deep with Harlequin, I figured it was high time. At the very least, it’s good for character, right?

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And now, I can tell you about my amazing friends. I didn’t exactly hide that this scared me to death, and friends from all sorts of different corners came out and found me, bought a book and made me feel loved.

So to all my friends who came out and supported me, a HUGE thank you! And to the one non-friend who bought a book–thank you, too! ❤

I took a selfie with my two local writing buddies. On the left you have my friend who is currently working on getting published. (And I have no doubt she’ll get there very soon!) And on the right, you have Taryn Leigh Taylor who also writes for Harlequin and lives down the street from me. They’re both great–and showed up at the same time.

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So there you have it–the book signing that didn’t kill me after all. LOL!

I have some really great people in my life. Just wanted to let you know. ❤

Little Coco

25 Monday Jun 2018

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I’m a bird person. I’ve had pet birds since I was a girl, and I get so very attached to them. They have their own personalities, and they’ll bond to people quite easily, if you know how to talk to them.

Well, recently, our little yellow budgie, Coco, had to be put down by the vet. It was a really hard choice to make, but she was getting sicker and sicker, and I think she’d just gotten to the end of her life span. I didn’t want the poor thing to suffer. So I made an appointment with the vet and brought her in.

The vet told me it was the right choice, so I made the painful decision to say goodbye.

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That was a few weeks ago, and I recently got a sympathy card in the mail from the vet’s office, and while I know that they do this for everyone who loses a pet there, I thought it was a really sweet gesture. All the staff signed it, and they even called Coco by name. It was thoughtful of them.

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Our Quaker parrot has been grieving the loss of his little friend, too. He asks for Coco on a regular basis, and I’m not sure how you’re supposed to explain death to a bird. I was hoping he’d forget her after a while, but he hasn’t yet. From time to time he’ll go over to where her cage used to be and ask me repeatedly, “Coco? Coco?”

We all miss her, even Pichu the Quaker. She was such a sweet little bird, and she’s left a hole. Isn’t it amazing how much we can love one little yellow budgie?

Small Town, Alberta

04 Monday Jun 2018

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When I first got married, my husband and I were living in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Toronto is Canada’s largest city, and the place where I went to university, so I really loved it there. It was just… home!

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But my new husband was looking at the job market in his field in Toronto versus in Alberta, and we decided it was probably better to head out to where the jobs were. It was just a better start to married life. So we moved about four months after we got married, and I left my family behind in Toronto and we headed west.

In some ways, it was really good for us–we had to rely on each other and figure out who we were as a couple. In other ways, it was hard because I’d always been close to my family and really missed them a lot.

We visited them, and they visited us, and there were lots of phone calls, but it’s not really the same as living in the same city.

Thirteen years of marriage later, we’re still out in Alberta, but FINALLY, my parents are retiring and heading out here to be with us! In fact, they’ll be here this month. It’ll be so nice to have them close by at long last–more grandparents to spoil our son rotten, and just family to be close by.

This months, we’ll all be together again, in small town, Alberta. ❤

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They politely never speak to us

28 Monday May 2018

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In the spring, I like to sleep with the window open. It’s nice to have a cool breeze and a warm blanket. When it gets too warm, I replace the open window with the blast of an air conditioner, but for a few weeks, it’s the perfect sleeping temperature.

Mr. Johns and I lay in bed talking and listening to the outdoor sounds of our neighbours. We’re in an apartment, so it’s not exactly romantic ambiance, but it’s entertaining. We’re early to bed people, and where we live, it stays light a really long time. (We’re pretty far north.) So other people stay up a lot later with the sun, and their voices will filter over to us.

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We don’t normally hear anything interesting. There will be some teenagers walking down the sidewalk–and that’s normally just laughter and unintelligible banter. Sometimes there will be the murmurs of the neighbours smoking in the evening across the way. It reminds me of our city days, when we used to live in downtown Toronto, and you knew way too much about your neighbours, and politely never spoke to them.

I like that time of day when Mr. Johns and I enjoy that cool breeze. We talk, vent, dream, joke about things that amused us that day… and I sometimes wonder if there are other people with their windows open who listen to the fragments of our conversations, too.

If they do, they abide by the Close Quarters Rules of Etiquette and politely never speak to us.

 

The formula for books

24 Thursday May 2018

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I can’t be everything. That is my newly earned wisdom.

I feel like life keeps teaching me the same lesson over and over until I finally get it. And this time around, it’s that I can’t be what other people want me to be. I can only be… this.

And I’ve recently stopped feeling badly about it.

Everyone expects something from you. When I get busy and tired, those expectations get heavier, and I get more resentful of them. Generally, these aren’t huge things. They’re just little things that pile up that are most likely linked to the fact that I’m introverted and most of the world isn’t. Things that feel like an invasion to me, are likely just friendly  gestures by an extrovert.

Here are a few things that are not negotiable about me: 

I don’t drink. I tend to stay in on weekends. I’m not fun at a party. Ever.

I hate babysitting. Like a lot. So things that work for other moms like swapping babysitting just don’t work for me. No matter how convenient it would be for that other mom.

I’m busy. Really busy. And my priorities start with my family and my writing, leaving not a whole lot left in the wake.

I’m celiac, and that doesn’t mean that I get a mildly upset stomach when I eat a piece of toast. That means I get very ill for months on end from a trace of gluten. I can’t just eat at someone’s home. I can’t just eat at a restaurant, either. It complicates social interactions.

Villers_Young_Woman_DrawingBut there are a lot of things I DO do:

I write books.

I can focus like a fiend on whatever project I’m working on, and I’m rather prolific because of that ability.

I love my family with everything I’ve got, and I have a few close friends who are as introverted as I am, and who don’t feel bad when I cancel on them. (I also don’t feel bad when they cancel on me!)

I enjoy my quiet time because it recharges me. My husband and son are both introverts, too, so we all need that quiet time.

I blog, I keep up with people online, and I’m grateful for the relationships I form with people that way.

I might not be able to eat out, but we often bring our friends over to our home to eat.

I’ve realized lately that I have to say No a lot to a lot of well-intentioned people. I don’t like disappointing people who are just trying to be friendly, but I can’t change what I have to offer. I can’t be everything. I can just be the best version of this that I can.

Besides, this is the formula for all those books! 😉