Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Smolder Springs Cover and Blurb


Apologies for the crickets for the last few days, I've been busy doing final edits for my upcoming releases, Smolder Springs(August 10th), and The Balancing Act(October).

But I honestly couldn't wait to share my cover for Smolder Springs that I just received! What do you think? I'm loving the colors :) Next week I'll post a sneak peek excerpt. For now, here's the blurb:

Smolder Springs

Welcome to Smolder Springs. Pampered by day. Seduced by night.

After years in an emotionally draining job, Kaitlin West visits a luxurious spa known for its healing springs and breathtaking beauty. And where her personal guide, Harrison Knight, helps to awaken her long suppressed desires.

Smolder Springs releases August 10th from Resplendence Publishing :)

~Ann Cory

Monday, July 11, 2011

Juggling: What Is Too Much?



According to the Juggling Information Service Committee on Numbers Juggling, Albert Lucas juggled thirteen rings for thirteen catches. Wow – that’s impressive. Thirteen sounds like a lot to juggle. Maybe too much, considering it’s a very rare feat and would take a lot of practice.

Many of us juggle far too many things than we should. Not always with success. In fact, usually it involves a lot of sacrifice of important things like exercise, eating right, getting enough sleep, and family time. You know, unless you have magical abilities or some other cool gift.

Most of us attempt to juggle as many things as we can in a day. I know I’m guilty of that, and I’m constantly working to scale back. If you’re always feeling harried, rushed, and like you never have enough time, it’s because you don’t. Why? Because you’re trying to fit in too much in your day. Do all of those things have to be done that day? Can one of those items wait another day? Does your house have to be spotless? Or can laundry wait another day? Do you want to be known for keeping a perfect house or for writing great fiction?

An area you may be guilty of is being a workshop junkie or a submission junkie. Hang on now, I’m all about learning. We are students of life, for life. I am not at all suggesting that you shouldn’t take out time everyday to learn more about your craft, or learn a new hobby. At the same time, it needs to fit in your day. It needs to make sense. You won’t learn well while you're juggling everything else too. And while you may have no shortage of fabulous ideas for stories, the world won’t stop if you save it for another time. If you're worried that you'll forget it, kick out a few paragraphs or jot down a brief outline, and then come back to it when you’ve completed the other eight you want to write.

If you want to be in this job for the long haul, why tax yourself early? Think longevity. Thing quality over quantity.

You know my posts are always written because of something I’m doing, dealing with, working through. I’ve gone the quantity over quality route. I’ve gone the never say no - I can do it all route. Am I a prolific writer? Yes I am. I understand this business and my part in it. But I’m not looking to fizzle out early. This isn’t a fifteen minutes of fame process. I aim to be around a long, long time, writing in many different genres. I will always strive to be better. But I have a life and a family, and they’re more important. Sure, the lives of my characters are important to me. I can put them into some very unsettling situations. In the end, the lives of the people I love (including myself) are more precious.

So before you try and throw another task up into the air, consider how many you’ve got going now. Take inventory and figure out what tasks can be set aside for later. Set a limit that works for you. There’s no need to try and do it all. Even if you can, what does it get you? Stress. Less time. Unhealthy habits.

Rather than take on one more activity, why not take that time to exercise? Make a healthy meal? Read a book. Close yourself off from the world. Unplug and walk away. Turn off the phone. Stop checking emails. You know you just sent that story in yesterday, so let it be.

Put all of the balls down for thirty minutes a day, and tune in to yourself. Yes, you can do it all. Yes, you are all that. Yes, your life is valuable, maybe more than that of your characters.

~Ann Cory

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Derailed - Getting Back On Track


You know those personal and professional goals that you make with good intentions? You’ve found a balance of all the important aspects of your life and you can almost coast along with your eyes closed? You don’t of course, but you think you can. It’s a great place to be! But what if suddenly, out of nowhere, you get derailed? What if those goals and plans and daily progress get knocked for a loop? Ever had that happen to you?

*raises hand* I have.

In fact, that is part of why I haven’t updated my blog as often. I was enjoying a pretty nice pace and thought I had enough reserves in case life happened. But then…life happened. It only took two days for me to derail, and two weeks to get back on track. But the beauty is that you can always put yourself back on track.

How? Get back in the driver’s seat. You control that wheel. Just because you went left when you were supposed to go right doesn’t mean your entire trip is a bust. You may have to do some work. You may have to work hard. And you may have to fight off self-doubt and insecurities in the process. Remember that the end result is worth it because the end result is your success. You don’t have to throw your hands in the air and stay stuck. Realign yourself. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be back to making it happen. It’s not easy to right yourself, but it’s possible and you can do it.

Here’s my own personal motto that I made up: When your great intentions go astray – get back on track to find your way.

It may sound hokey, but you matter, and how you treat yourself matters. Nothing goes right all the time. It’s how we learn and grow. It’s how we find out what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes a little shake-up can be positive. It depends on how you react and how you recover.

~Ann Cory

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

New Article Tomorrow!

Hi everyone! I'll have a new blog article posted for you tomorrow that will help explain what I've been up to. Hope you'll stop by!

~Ann Cory