When you're a writer there are several milestones in your career that give you the most massive thrill - holding your first (and actually, any subsequent books) in your hands for the first time, seeing them on the shelf in a bookshop at the local mall, getting your first email from a reader who loved the story you wrote, getting your books in translation. It's a fabulous reward for those 'hard slog' days!
I've had a couple of lovely 'buzz' moments recently - getting copies of my books in Manga - I'm sooooo thrilled about that - check out the cover of this one, I love it!!! And I had another thrill this month with a book included in the Australian/New Zealand "Best Selling Authors Collection 2012".
The story of mine in the anthology is UNBUTTONED BY HER MAVERICK BOSS (in the US this was released as REBEL WITH A CAUST). I'm so thrilled this book is getting another outing as it is a particular favourite of mine. I love the hero, Lorenzo, for many reasons, but one of the biggies is the way he gives the heroine, Sophy, the time to reach for her dreams. Sophy is the kind of girl I think many of us can relate to - she's trying very hard to be all things to all people and she tends to shove her own dreams to the bottom of the 'to do' list. But Lorenzo pulls her up on this - realising that the root of Sophy's reason for being so busy, is fear - she doesn't want to fail in something that's so precious to her. But she's been given an opportunity and he's not going to let her self-sabogage it! He whisks her away for the weekend - and then pretty much abandons her, literally giving her the time and the space to get the work she needs to get done, done. Of course, he does come back later in the day and helps soothe her weary muscles (think massage and thermal pools...) ;) But thanks to him she got the work done, her confidence grew and she began to truly believe in her ability.
I think many people get bogged down in day to day 'busy'-ness and often don't take the time to give their creative selves a chance - and actually sometimes it takes courage to take the time for yourself and your own dreams. My husband, my real life hero (who is of course, inspiration for all my romance heroes) is the guy who gave me the time - literally - to start my own writing career. I was home with two small children and he'd take them off (to the park, via the cafe) so I could sit at the computer and try to 'write a book' - because I'd always said I wanted to. It was such a supportive thing - and still does - for me. Giving someone time (especially as a busy mum!) is the most fabulous gift!
Is finding time to fulfil your creative self a problem for you? If you got given some time, what would you do with it - write, paint, garden, dream? Would you create something yourself or enjoy the creations of someone else?! Tell me what would you do before enjoying the massage and thermal pools?!? ;)
USA TODAY bestseller Natalie Anderson writes fun, frisky, feels-good contemporary romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon and Entangled. With twenty books published, she's also been a Romantic Times Award nominee & a finalist for the R*BY (Romantic Book of the Year). She lives in Chirstchurch, New Zealand with her husband, four children and what feels like a million ducks. Sign up to her newsletter and find out more at her website on Twitter and on Facebook.
