Featured Writer on Wellness: Amy Reade

My first book was published almost five years ago, and my biggest emotional challenge is the same today as it was when I started writing seriously: the nagging feeling that I’m not working hard enough.

That I’m not working as hard as other authors.

I’m not sure that the feeling has threatened to derail my writing—if anything, it pushes me to work harder—but it does threaten to rob me of the joy I have doing what I love.

Routines Help Me Deal with the Emotional Challenges of Writing

I have found that sticking to a routine as much as possible is the best way for me to deal with FONWHE (Fear Of Not Working Hard Enough).

If I didn’t have a routine to turn to each day, that feeling of not producing and/or selling as much as other authors do might become overwhelming. But I know when I sit down at the computer every day, I’m on a steady course toward my writing time.

I do all my social media, blog writing, and promotion in the morning, so that leaves my afternoons for working on my WIP (work in progress).

Yoga Helps Boost My Energy for Writing

The physical challenge of writing is a different story, so to speak. For a long time, every day I would settle into my routine with the intention of spending some time before dinner exercising, but often I felt too tired by the end of the day to fit in a workout.

The obvious answer, of course, was to work out earlier in the day, but here’s how my thinking went: if I do that, I might be too tired to work later on. If I’m too tired to work later on, then I won’t be working hard enough (see earlier paragraph)…you get the point.

Several months ago I hurt my foot and I was in an ortho boot for about 8 weeks. I had been walking the dog every day up until that point, but I haven’t walked her since.

And lest you think my dog is languishing in the house like I am, fear not. My husband is walking her. My foot is healing, but I still can’t go for an entire walk with my dog (and my husband).

That’s where yoga has come in handy. I’ve started doing some yoga with sneakers on to provide some stability for my foot, and I’ve found that I can work up a significant sweat with yoga.

Though it’s not part of my daily routine yet, I’m lucky in that my husband also walks on the treadmill almost every day. And if he can do that, I can do yoga. So I’ve started doing yoga while he’s on the treadmill.

It means taking time out of my routine whenever he’s got time to go on the treadmill, but I’ve found that I’m not exhausted like I thought I would be when I finish. In fact, I’m energized.

So, long story short, yoga has helped improve my energy. And when I have energy, I can increase my productivity.

And while we’re on the subject of productivity, I should note that I’m always hungry when I work. I try not to eat between meals, but when I do, I try to stick to fruit, whole-milk yogurt, nuts, or a little bit of cheese. I really try to stay away from the sweet stuff.

The Keys to Creativity and Productivity: Reading and Naps

The key to creativity, and hence productivity, I think, is reading. Reading every day, everything I can get my hands on.

And one more thing: when I’m tired, I take a nap. Until pretty recently, I would feel this tremendous sense of guilt every time I took a nap, but I’ve managed to shake that off by forcing myself to acknowledge that I don’t work at my best when I’m exhausted.

If I need a nap, I take a nap. My productivity actually increases.

I’ve found that there’s nothing that ruins creativity and productivity faster than being too tired to write a coherent sentence.

Comments from Readers Keep Me Going

I wouldn’t characterize anything as a “darkest moment” since I started writing. There are days that are better than others, but I like to remind myself that I’m doing what I love and really, any day spent doing that is better than a day spent practicing law, which is what I did before writing.

The greatest moments always come when I’m talking to readers, and I especially love it when someone compares my books to those of my literary heroes. Recently one woman came up to me and told me my writing “is just like Victoria Holt’s!” Comments like that give me a reason to smile inside and out.

And comments like that from readers keep me on the path. Comments like that, and of course, the knowledge that I have the coolest job in the world. I get to make up stories for a living. What could be better than that?

Advice for a Young Writer: Great Writers are Great Readers First

I talk to young people quite often and this is what I tell them: read a lot. Find books outside your comfort zone and read those. Read books of different genres. Read all the time, because great writers are great readers first.

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Amy M. Reade is a recovering attorney who discovered, quite by accident, a passion for fiction writing. She has penned eight mysteries and is working on two more, plus a Cape May County historical mystery series. She writes in the Gothic, traditional, contemporary, and cozy mystery subgenres and looks forward to continuing the two series she has begun since December, 2018. She also loves to read, cook, and travel.

She is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Secrets of Hallstead House, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, House of the Hanging Jade, the Malice series, the Juniper Junction Holiday Mystery series, and the Libraries of the World Mystery series.

For more information on Amy and her work, please see her website and Amazon author page, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, and Bookbub.

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The Worst Noel: Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace, love, and joy, but for Lilly Carlsen, this Christmas is murder.

As a single mom, small business owner, and president of the local Chamber of Commerce, the last thing she needs is to find a dead body on the floor of her jewelry shop on the busiest shopping day of the year. And as if that isn’t enough, Lilly has to deal with a deadbeat ex-husband, a mother with declining mental health, and two teenagers.

But when a second body turns up, Lilly finds herself squarely in the crosshairs of suspicion. Can she figure out who killed the victims before she becomes one herself? And will her family’s Christmas be merry…or scary?

Available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Dead, White, and Blue: Summer is getting hotter in Juniper Junction, Colorado.

There’s a firebug on the loose, the townspeople are nervous, and Lilly Carlsen, single mom to two teenagers, has even more to worry about. She’s in charge of the Independence Day celebration, her mother’s mental health is declining, and her son is getting ready to leave for college.

But things are about to get even hotter: when a bistro owner dies at the celebration and Lilly’s best friend is charged with murder, events start hitting close to home. It’s up to Lilly to help clear her friend’s name while at the same time dealing with her mom’s worsening forgetfulness as well as a coming-of-age issue under her own roof.

Available at Amazon and wherever books are sold.