A day in the life of a
writer must be different for every author. While we all share the common practice
of writing, I suspect that many other traits are unique.
Some days, I have an all-consuming
passion to write, other days, it’s merely luke warm, as life has a habit of
distracting me. There is a belief amongst
some people that you have to be disciplined and write every day, or for a set
number of hours, to be considered a proper writer.
I disagree. As a writer I am not bound by constraints of
what is right or wrong, I am free to do what works best for me. In fact, stepping away from the computer and doing
something completely different, can bring other ideas and thoughts to mind. It can give you an entirely new approach when
you do eventually return to write.
I have never suffered
from writer’s block, maybe not being regimented in my style, keeps it at bay
and I have always written without the worry that my work will be accepted or
even liked. Ultimately, I write to
please myself.
My new novel, took me
several years to complete. My
imagination can run riot as I follow different story ideas at the same time. Ironically, I am also one of the most organized
when it comes to action, it’s just my mind is often disorganized. In this case,
two other books got in the way and I moved countries twice. A serious obstruction to any writing career. When I did re-visit, The Beekeeper’s Daughter,
I gave it my full attention, but even as I was finishing this novel, I was
already working on another.
To an outsider, it might
seem a chaotic and confusing way to write, but I know exactly what is happening
in all story lines and with my characters, even when I am forced to break
away.
When I thought about a
typical day in my life as a writer, I realized there was nothing typical, only
a series of events that happen, and each day I have to consider whether I have
the time to write, or not to write.
A typical (unpredictable) day during the
week:
6.15am – wake
up to the alarm ringing in my ear. See
my daughter out of the door, and then, rush around getting ready. Wash up any
plates or cups from yesterday. Feed my three cats and Japanese fighting fish.
7.05 – Drive
20 minutes to office.
7.25 –
Arrive at my husband’s company. First cup of tea of the day as I set to work. I check phone messages, emails, while
invoicing customers and answering the phone. Occasional meetings or trips out
of the office.
9am - breakfast
– (typically a yogurt) call any customers that I need to, and discuss their
accounts. Pay outstanding bills.
10.30 –
coffee break. I check personal emails
and back to dealing with email queries or phone calls. The positive thing about working for my
husband is that I can spend time on research for my stories, when I get a free
moment.
12pm – 1pm - Leave
office and drive home
1.30 – the
all-important second cup of tea. I feed my cats again, despite their bowls
being half full, they are pampered and will only eat fresh food. Sometimes, I eat lunch, most often, it’s a
bowl of cereal.
2pm - go
into my office and turn on my computer and begin to write.
2.15 - this
is an unpredictable time in my day.
Several different things can and do often happen. My sister or friend from
England sometimes call via skype, my son wants me to do something, and so I get
sidetracked for a while. Or I have to deal with a phone call from my husband’s
office.
3pm - my
daughter returns from high school, and I talk to her for a few minutes, sometimes,
throw laundry into the washing machine, or empty Rumba before going back to my
office with another cup of tea.
3.15 - This
is often the time I get to write with less disturbances.
5.30 – 6.00 -
start preparing dinner
6.30 – I eat
dinner, tidy the house, water plants, do housework if I am not too tired, and
pay household bills.
8.15 - watch
TV with another cup of tea and maybe some chocolate
9.30 – Feed
cats again, and tidy up after them.
10.pm - Generally
I feel exhausted by this time, so I go to bed with a cup of herbal tea to fight
insomnia.
Occasionally, I wake up
in the early hours of the morning and write for four to five hours straight. On
weekends I grab an hour or two at my computer if I can, but my weekends are
mainly devoted to catching up with housework, gardening and spending some time
with my family.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: The Beekeeper’s Daughter
Genre: Thriller
Author: Jane Jordan
Website: janejordannovelist.com
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Beekeeper’s daughter Annabel Taylor grows up wild and carefree on the
moors of England in the late 1860s. A child of nature and grace with an
unusual ability to charm bees, Annabel follows in the footstep of her
mother Lilith, a beautiful witch. With her closest friend and soulmate
Jevan Wenham by her side, Annabel’s life is a life filled with wonder
and curiosity. But Jevan, the son of a blacksmith, lives his life on the
verge of destruction, and his devotion to Annabel probes the boundaries
between brutality and deep desire, passion and pleasure. When Jevan
leaves Exmoor to pursue an education in London, Annabel’s world
shatters. Devastated without Jevan, Annabel is sure her life is ending.
But everything changes when she crosses paths with Alexander
Saltonstall. The heir to the Saltonstall legacy and son of Cerberus
Saltonstall, the wealthy landowner of the foreboding Gothelstone Manor,
Alex is arrogant and self-assured—and enamored of the outspoken
Annabel. Even though the two are socially worlds apart, that doesn’t
stop Alex from asking, or rather demanding, Annabel’s hand in marriage.
But when Annabel refuses, she is forced into an impossible situation.
To further complicate matters, Jevan is back—and so are those same
desires, that same passion and intensity. But nothing is as it seems,
and Annabel and Jevan are in grave danger. At risk of being ensnared
into the dark legacy of the Saltonstall family, Annabel faces the
ultimate test. Will her fledgling powers be enough to save those she
loves most? Can she even save herself?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jane Jordan grew up in Essex, England and spent six years in the South
West of England living on Exmoor. A trained horticulturist, Jane worked
and volunteered for Britain’s National Trust at Exmoor’s 1000-year-old
Dunster Castle. The atmosphere, beautiful scenery, and ancient history
of the place inspired Jane’s first novel, Ravens Deep, the debut release in her gothic vampire trilogy, which also included Blood & Ashes and A Memoir of Carl. Jane Jordan lives in Southwest Florida.
Connect with Jane Jordan on the web:
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