Write. Dream. Dance. By Tammy L. Bailey

When I was in high school, I wanted to be a:

F-16 fighter pilot
Dancer on Fame (television show)
George Clooney’s girlfriend (when he was on The Facts of Life)

I didn’t think of becoming a published author until 2004, after watching the 1995 Jane Austen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. I was inspired. So, I bought a laptop and began writing. A few books and over one hundred queries later, I received the awaited email from The Wild Rose Press regarding my contemporary romance, LORD BACHELOR. I was sitting in my happy writing space, working on my next round of queries when I read the good news. Strike that...unbelievable, wonderful, life-changing news! Of course, I made my husband read the message, just in case I was hallucinating.

He confirmed what I read, and I broke into the happy dance next to my chair. The ‘happy dance’ is what happens when a writer receives word their book is about to be published. I’m not sure if the moves are universal, however, I do believe all of them involve slipping into The Running Man at some point.

Since retiring out of the Ohio Air National Guard, I try to visit my chair several times a day. My typical writing week looks a little like this:

Monday-Friday
5:00 A.M. Wake up and hit snooze
5:15 A.M. Wake up, stumble, and zigzag to my writing chair
6:00 A.M. Save project and get ready for work
7:00 A.M. Commute 40 minutes to my job, hoping no one is filming me singing...and dancing to, “It’s Raining Men”
4:30 P.M. Drive home, make dinner, and Google school work because I have no idea how to do this new math
7:30 P.M. Escape to my writing chair
8:30 P.M. Spend time with boys and tuck them into bed
9:30 P.M. Stumble and zigzag to my own bed and try to fall asleep as my characters carry on a fascinating conversation in my head

Sat-Sun
A big blur

To say the least, I’m very excited about sharing LORD BACHELOR, and I’m so fortunate to have found a wonderful editor who was willing to take a chance on me and the book. She also did a great job of reminding me when to breathe.

Although I don’t have a release date, I’m learning the art of marketing and continuing to write in my writing space where there are plenty of ‘happy’ plants to keep me company. I’m also perfecting my dance moves for my next unbelievable, wonderful, life-changing email.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog post. I look forward to hearing from you.

Tammy L. Bailey
http://www.tammylbailey.com