Falling into the Light

When you're too busy to realize something beautiful's happening right in front of you, pray you have the good sense to fall into the light!!

Believe it or not, the draft of The Perfect Daughter is finished!!! It's not beautiful yet, but the potential for all it can be is staring me in the face. I have a little over two weeks to make it shine, and I've resigned myself to falling into the light. I really believe in this story--only the best for Maggie Rivers (our younger hero who took a back seat to the other heroines in my last two "Daughter" books). The best guy, the best happily ever after, the best friends and family helping her get there... A tall order? Yes. But I'm giving myself over to the process and believing that good things will happen, just like I teach in the writing workshops I give.

How about you? What new adventure or challenge awaits that you have no idea how you'll meet, but if you'll only let it happen and put everything you have into it, the light is going to be so beautiful. We're often most afraid of the greatest things we'll ever do, because we know these things can be great and we're afraid of not living up to the potential.

That's every writer's paradox...we want to reach readers and give them something they'll love, then once we do, we're left with the worry of disappointing fans with the next book. I let this sort of nonesense get to me when I started my second book, a project I'm very proud of now and am still getting raves about from readers. As a matter of fact, A Family for Daniel is a 2005 Holt Medallion finalist in the Southern Theme category. What if I'd let my fear hold me back? What if I'd never finished the book, or let myself dream that I could write the next one, or the next one? I know authors who struggle with crippling anxiety each and every time they have to start anew.

Potential is the light, my friends. It's the promise of what we can be if we are willing to let ourselves fall. There are no guarantees, except that if you don't keep going and honoring what you're dying to do next, you will fulfill any expectation you've had of failure. The only hope we have to beat failure back into the cave where it belongs is to keep trying and refuse to let the fear and doubt dim the light.

So, I'm falling into the light these next few weeks. My dh who's been travelling non-stop for a month will be home to hold down the fort while I tunnel under and give my writing the lead for a while. I hadn't planned on being a single mom while I wrote the bulk of this draft, but I didn't let fear of the unknown stop me when my husband's work got in the way of what I expected--I simply adjusted and expected that I'd be just fine. And here I am. Cut off from the outside world a bit more? Yes. Just where I need to be to turn over a wonderful book to my editor in early May? Yes. It's a trade off. It was a change. But what didn't change is my dedication to my goals--to living in the light, rather than in the shadows that come from worryng myself into doing nothing but worrying.

Need a little light in your day? Check out the winner of Romantic Times cover model search last year--Andrei Claude. He's a young accountant from Florida who won the model contest (and a modeling contract) at last year's Romantic Times conference in St. Louis. There was a lot of competition, and modelling is a tough world to break into, but he took a chance, got on a plane, and now has a great shot to do really well. Really, really well ;O) Yes, I know he's too young for me, but can you blame me!!!

I can't wait to see whose dream comes true at this year's bash in Daytona!! Until then, please enjoy a taste of Andrei, on me ;o)