What a great summer for new books! And affordable ones at that! Today I am super excited to have Gina Conkle author of
Norse Jewel guest posting today!
I was drawn to reading her new novel
Norse Jewel for one simple reason. I like reading about the Viking getting the girl.
Norse Jewel did not disappoint me. I was quickly drawn into the tale of Helena, a Frankish (French) thrall (slave) and her unshakable desire to return to her homeland after being abducted by Danes. Gina does a wonderful job of balancing historical accuracy with the sensibilities of current day readers. Not often do we have a romance, especially a historical romance that includes a single father. Having Hakan the Viking as a single dad trying to get custody of his son in the first millennium isn't standard romance fare, but I loved it.
Once you read
Norse Jewel, I am sure you will be as pleased as me to learn that a follow up book is coming! Click the Picture to enter the blog tour giveaway!
Please read on as we enter Gina's home office for a tour of her work space.
Thanks for this opportunity to be here today.
The requested topic, “My workspace and how do I feed
my creativity?” grabbed me. I took a picture of my desk on Norse Jewel’s release day. A lot of emotions…maybe reflected in the
miasma of post-it notes on my desk!
Because our house is small, everything’s contained
within my desk and a narrow bookcase beside it.
But, inspiration?
That comes from your head, your heart, your soul. Feed those parts and you can work anywhere, even
a cramped desk.
I wish I had a Zen-ish work space…like super-blogger
Leo Babauta.
But it’s not. I’m not.
So, how do you build your dreams?
1. “…walk
into a large white room.”
Those words open chapter one of choreographer,
Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit. She went to that plain room at the same time
for years, decades even, creating moves that played on stages worldwide.
Does the white room feel familiar?
Like a plain canvas? Or a blank computer screen?
The lesson learned? Find your groove. Make that a habit, and you’ll feed your muse.
Your routine becomes that time that two of you sit down and get to work.
Call it the Law of
Propinquity. Your muse will be a great
friend if you rub shoulders with her on a continuous basis.
And you will be alone with your
muse --- a lot.
2. “Quietness
without loneliness.”
If ideas are fishes,
then solitude is the bait that lures them to the surface.
Try this. Sit somewhere quietly. But, don’t empty your mind. You want your thoughts to wander where they
will. Give them a little breathing room.
See if you can do this
for a few minutes. If you reach ten
minutes, then the next time expand to fifteen or twenty minutes.
We don’t allow
ourselves much time to simply be…to think or wonder.
Oh, and that phrase? It’s
a Gaelic phrase for that state of mind that feeds creativity.
3. Keep
a “Lifesaver List.”
The first two items I
learned from Twyla Tharp. This last
lesson came the hard way: by burnout.
If your creativity is a
bank account, consistent deposits balance continuous withdrawals. You can’t take, take, take without some give
in return.
So, what do you do? Keep
a list of things that “fill” you up. Learn
to recognize the signs when you’re close to empty.
Here’s a few things on
my “happy” list:
*Alone time with a book
*Pedicure
*Go to a bookstore
*Bubble bath
Now, why not share a
few things that fill you up?
Before I go, thank you,
Victoria, for hosting me and thank you to your readers for sharing part of your
day with me. I welcome you to connect
with me:
