darusha/blog

(cross post and shameless promotion)

Hi, folks.  We’re about halfway through the Self Made podcast, and as a token of my appreciation for all you listeners and readers, I’m offering a whopping 50% off purchases of the complete and unabridged ebook and audiobook versions of the novel.  If you’re getting antsy about finding out the end, now is the time to pick up an ebook from smashwords.com or the full audiobook in mp3 format.

All files are DRM-free and can be used on any computer.  The ebook is available in all the usual formats, including kindle, sony reader and epub.

Just head over to smashwords.com for the ebook and enter coupon code NV94Y to purchase for just $2.50. If you want the half price audiobook, click here and enter the coupon code 412J2T89 at checkout.

This is a limited time offer - it runs out when the story does, so act soon.

And thanks again for your support.

I recently turned 35, which is no big deal, but it did get me thinking. There’s a few things most people my age are expected to have - a job, a spouse, a kid or two. Lots of us don’t have all that, through choice or circumstance, but it is the expectation, the dream for many.

I have a very different life - no job, sailing the world on savings and writing stories. Lots of the people I meet also describe my life as living the dream, and, in many ways, I am. But unlike a dream, there’s more cooking, cleaning, sail repair and engine oil changes than glorious sailing into the sunset. And there’s more revision and rejection than the pure joy of telling a new story.

But those highlights still exist, as they do for all of us. There are the opportunities to swim with tropical fish and revelatory moments in my writing. They are what keep us doing those things we once only dreamed of. They are what lets us live up to or defy expectation. And in fiction, they are what makes things interesting.

Here’s to the highlights, and even the lowlights - the stuff of dreams and great stories.

Back when I worked in an office, I imagined that once I moved away from land and on to the boat that I’d have tons of time for writing and other things that kept getting filed in the “I’ll do that later” pile. It turns out that distraction is everywhere, especially in those places I tend to go.

As I write this, I’m looking out at a beautiful beach with surf coming in to the grey sand shore. In some ways, it’s the most conducive environment for writing I’ve ever had, and in others it’s almost impossible to get anything done. It’s hard to sit down in a chair with a laptop when you could be out surfing, looking at ruins or otherwise hanging out with all the other merry-makers.

My point is not to spark envy among all of you freezing in offices, but rather to point out that there’s no such thing as the “right” environment to get things done. The only way anything ever happens is if you make it a high enough priority and just make the time for it.