Anya Bast

A couple things before the meme….

Does anyone else keep thinking about Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series every time they talk about the tomato scare on the news, or is it just me? Also, just because I’m being denied tomatoes I’ve developed a huge craving for them…and I don’t really even LIKE tomatoes.

Second random bit…there’s this thing that writers need to have and it’s called DISCIPLINE. It means you sit your ass down in your chair every day or every evening and you write. We need to be disciplined because we have this other thing called DEADLINES. Deadlines are a part of a writer’s life, really the fiber of an author’s career, dare I say. *head tilt* The category authors have this great acronym — BICHOK — Butt In Chair Hands On Keyboard. Yeah.

Now things happen and sometimes an author might miss a deadline. Sickness might occur, or natural disasters. Sometimes the book just simply doesn’t flow the way you want it too. Stuff happens. But that latter thing shouldn’t be used as an excuse because authors need to plan for the “worst case scenario”. That’s why I don’t lie around not writing until two or three months before my deadline. I start right away, anticipating I’ll be blocked here or there, or that I’ll have to rewrite significant portions. I plan for my “muse” to take a leave of absence at some point.

Bottom line is that I don’t wait around for my muse to strike me. My muse is discipline. My muse is MY CHECK in the mail. Dude, my muse is the POST PERSON. So, if you’re making six figures on your books and you only have one measly deadline a year, meet it. Don’t whine and make me want to kick your ass.

*deep breath*

Okay, meme time. I was tagged by Lauren Dane to share six things about myself.

The rules:

a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

1. I chain chew Orbit gum (the bubblemint flavor) and can’t keep in the house.

2. I have a major caffeine addiction

3. I’m pretty superstitious by nature. It really bothers me a lot if you spill the salt in my presence and don’t throw some over your shoulder.

4. I’m fascinated by bugs in a way that leaves me intrigued and grossed out at the same time. I won’t kill a spider in the house (unless it’s too fast to catch and relocate, is exceptionally huge, or I think it could be harmful). I will immediately kill any centipede I see and then do the YuckYuckYuckThatWasACentipede! Dance of Blarg.

5. I must read every night before I go to sleep, even if it’s just a paragraph or two, or I have trouble sleeping.

6. I love, LOVE, LOVE vacationing at the beach even though I was not made for the sun. I don’t tan and must make sure I’m slathered with sun block at all times, and I get horrid heat rash.

I tag: Patrice Michelle & Lisa Shearin