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6:00 am—I’m one of those dreaded morning people. I blame my military training for this. I was in the Air Force 8 years, and that early schedule just stuck with me. Of course, I still need some coffee (strong and black) to get me awake enough to start my morning. I have my first cup while answering readers’ emails and mapping out my writing schedule for the day. This is also when I do my posts on social media. I don’t work at a desk but rather a chair/chaise so I can put my feet up.
7:00-9:00 am—By now I’m on my second cup of coffee, and I’m writing. I don’t answer my phone or do emails during this time. It’s all about the story. Notice what’s missing though in my schedule. I don’t eat breakfast. I know, I know—some think it’s the most important meal of the day--but it’s just not for me.
9:00-10:00 am—Time to shower and get dressed. If the weather’s good, I’ll take a short walk just to give myself an eye-break from the computer screen.
10:00-11:30am—Back to writing. No more coffee. I switch to tea. Usually it’s Irish breakfast tea or Darjeeling, but my daughter brought me back some Assam tea from India that’s wonderful. I’ve been collecting teacups for years, and I try to make tea time special by using my favorites. Here’s one of them. It’s from Royal
Halsey (Japan) and was made around 1950.
11:30-12:30—lunch and answering emails. I also comment on posts made by readers on social media. That’s one of my favorite things to do.
12:30 pm—until late afternoon: writing, writing, writing. If I’m working on two different stories (like an Intrigue and an HQN), I’ll often work on one in the morning and a different one in the afternoon.
4:30-ish pm—a break to give my eyes and brain a short rest. Sometimes, I go for a walk, and other times I’ll get on the dreaded elliptical. Can you tell from my expression that I have a hate-hate relationship with the elliptical, lol?
After 6:00 pm—Then, it’s dinner with my husband. Sometimes, we’ll watch a movie or TV show together, but since we’re both big readers, we often end up just reading.
10:00 pm—the problem with being an early riser is that I also crash early. Usually, I’m sacked out by ten, getting that rest I need for a 6:00 am start.