All work and some play

So, as I'm sure my fellow bloggers will attest, when you tell people that you write YA fiction, they usually respond with a bright smile and a, "that must be so much FUN!"

And it is. It really is. When I'm surfing baby-naming websites for names of characters or conducting "research" by watching reality tv, I have a great time. And the actual writing itself isn't always completely painful, either. But the truth is that no matter how much I love my job, it is *work.* There are deadlines, revisions, and--agh--days when the words refuse to come. Then there's the whole question of boring, grown-up concerns, like knowing when your next gig will be coming along. I am fortunate enough to have a great agent who loves to sit with me and think "big picture," but the big picture can be awfully intimidating, and truthfully, the ro coms are the steadiest work I've got.

I can't say why, for sure. Maybe it's all those years I fancied myself the next Francine Pascal, scribbling ideas for Sweet Valley High novels in my journal. But whatever the reason, I definitely slip into the ro com world as fluidly as if they were a scrunchy pair of Old Navy yoga pants (mmm...yoga pants...).

That's why i was so excited to hear from my editor this week that she's ready to start thinking about a new story together. Frighteningly, I've got two back-to-back deadlines coming up, and have been living and breathing my graphic novel project since June. Freelance: it's always feast or famine.

Luckily, I am just back from a long weekend at the cigarette-studded Jersey shore (see brother Dave's sketch of a local historical building). I am rejuvenated, and ready to dive back into the work.

Here's hoping my motivation lasts at least as long as my tan does....