Monday, November 5, 2012
Violent nomads. The coming winter. Jack's unspoken feelings. Leaving the relative peace of the settlement is more difficult than Terra ever imagined. But what she should fear most is the government that professes to protect its citizens. Imprisoned in a labor camp, Terra learns just how much the corrupt regime wants absolute control. Never has she felt more powerless to act. But there's always the call of the ocean, and her captors just might underestimate how powerful that call can be.
We burrow down in the hollow and scrape the bracken around us. I pile the leaves down against our legs and shiver as the dampness seeps into my pants. I'm pressed up against Jack, and his arm wraps around me protectively, before he can even stop to question—like he has on so many other nights—if I'd even want him to. There's no time for thinking, and when there's no time to over think this, I realize I never want him to move his arm. But I can't follow that train of thought through to its conclusion because I hear footsteps coming toward us.
I reach my hand up to Jack's arm and squeeze it so tightly I'm sure he'll gasp, but he's silent and still as a tomb. I'm trembling, and even Jack's arms around me can't stop it. Nomads were one thing. They might kill us, but it would be quick. But agents? They would torture us to find out where we've been, how many other illegals we've come across, and what unauthorized settlements we've seen. They would probably kill us eventually, and there would be nothing quick about it. I look down and see the small thread of a tracker scar on Jack's arm next to the unblemished flesh on my own. Very few people have never had a tracker. What would the agents think of me, and what would they do about it?
A DAY IN MY WRITING LIFE
I'd love to devote more time to writing, but I have other responsibilities infinitely more important. I'm awife and a mother. The balancing act is tricky, but here's a typical day:
7 am Three little human alarm clocks wake us up. Thoughts about stories and characters fade, and I hope for all I'm worth that I'll remember them.
7:15–8:50 am Get ready, rush out the door. Think about the newest book cover draft and what feedback to give my graphic designer.
9:00–11:00 am Work out and run errands while my oldest is at preschool. Ponder why anyone in the world would want to read the guest post I'm working on. Seriously. Just because people buy my books doesn't mean I don't doubt myself all the time. Comes with the territory as a writer.
11:00 am–1:00 pm Homework, lunch, laundry. Draw the twenty-third pegasus unicorn of the day. What is it about mythical equine that sings to a girl's soul? And now that my 2 ½ year old can actually say “pegasus-unicorn,” she asks for them all day too. And I can't draw. Just wanted to add that.
1:00–3:00 pm Quiet time for the girls, writing time for me. Though “writing time” is misleading. It could mean writing or rewriting a draft. Contacting book bloggers. Emailing my editor, my beta readers, or my graphic designer. It's time devoted to my writing or being an author.
3:00–7:30 pm The girls emerge from “quiet time” (which isn't quiet by any means). We have snacks. I think about what I did during writing time and what I'll do tomorrow. I make dinner, the hubby comes home and I watch the girls maul him, we eat, he gets them ready for bed, we read scriptures, say prayers, and then it's freedom from children!
8:00–10:00 pm Hang out with my husband. Ask his opinion on the latest draft of my book cover. We watch TV. Eat a bowl of cereal for a snack. (I love cold cereal.) He asks how my book is going. I tell him I wished I could have written more today. He sympathizes. I think I'm a lucky girl. Then I fall asleep with book ideas in my head and I tell myself I'm not going to remember them in the morning if I don't write them down, but I'm just too tired to do something about it...
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3 comments:
Heyo! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! I love to hear from my awesome-sauce blog readers. You just made my day! I try to reply to every comment I get so if you have a question check back later! Or just link me up to your blog (if you have one) and I'll visit you! Have a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day! <333 Inky
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Hannah, thanks for coming along for the wild ride!
ReplyDeleteYou do have a very full day. I hope you get some writing done.
ReplyDeleteINFRACTION does look interesting!!
Thanks, Mary! Definitely not as much writing as I'd like, but any writing is good writing :)
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