On the Air, Part 2

I will be a guest with Mary Hunt’s online radio show, Your Money Solutions, on Thursday, November 13, starting at noon Eastern. The show will be archived at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/stations/RadioWD/YourMoneySolutions, so check it out!

Until next time,

Sarah

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Isn't modern technology wonderful--until it isn't? We had Internet connection issues that dragged on for more than a week before resolution. I'm still tired from spending literally hours on the phone with tech support. Whew.

But I'm back up and running just in time to jump right in and try my hand at writing a novel in a month. November is National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org), where you can win a "prize" by banging out a 50,000-word book in 30 days. The emphasis is on quantity rather than quality, granted, but there's something to be said for just getting it done.

Worrying too much about the craft or quality of something can become a hindrance if it stops you from actually getting the project done. Sometimes, everyone suffers from "writer's block"--even if you're not a writer. Whatever keeps you from starting that project or task or whatever because you don't have all your ducks in a row can be a block.

As a writer, I learned early on just to start writing, whether or not I had a lede or intro to my piece or not. Often, my articles start after the first few paragraphs, jumping to the meat of the story. Sometimes, my conclusions wait until the rest of the article is complete.

It will be interesting to not worry about the grammar or the content when tackling this project. I'm looking forward to seeing how writing 50,000 words in a month will jumpstart my creative juices again--and hopefully, I'll have something worth revisiting with my editor's pen.

Until next time,

Sarah

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Meet the Author

On Saturday, Oct. 11, I'll be signing books and answering your work-from-home questions at the Rainbow Parable Christian Book and Gift Store in Colonial Heights, Va. So if you're in the area, please stop by between noon and 3 p.m. I'd love to meet you!

Sarah

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Staying Home

A recent Grand Avenue comic portrayed a woman who listed all of the errands she was running while her kids were in school. The punch line was that she was a stay-at-home mom who wasn’t staying home.

The same can be true about those of us who work from home: sometimes, our work-from-home jobs are not performed all the time at home. For example, while dog sitters, pet walkers, caterers, photographers and house cleaners might base their businesses at home, the work they do takes place in other locations.

For me, that’s the beauty of at-home businesses—you can do them anyplace, in your home office, at a client’s home or place of business, in the outdoors. Anyplace you can do your job works.

I’ve edited copy while sitting on my front porch watching my children draw with sidewalk chalk. I’ve written articles on my laptop at a local coffee shop. The ability to change venue can be invigorating and can boost your productivity and creativity.

I’ve grown to love the flexibility of working from home and, after nearly six years of working from home, can’t imagine going back to a nine-to-five office environment. And the ranks of people who feel like I do are growing, as telecommuting and at-home employment opportunities expand.

Until next time,

Sarah

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On the Air, part 1

My first radio interview about my book, Hired@Home, will be aired on WRMB-FM/Boynton Beach, Fla. The interview will be split over four days: Monday, Aug. 18, through Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 a.m. ET. The “Mornings” show host, Audrey Altman, and I spoke several weeks ago about working from home, while my older children played downstairs and my youngest cooed in my arms:).

At the end of the week, the entire interview will be archived and available for downloading from the station’s Web site, http://www.mbn.org/GenMoody/default.asp?sectionID=F747DDC842B5443391F4920E02479579.

Take a listen!

Until next time,
Sarah

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Heat Daze

For me, the hardest part of summer is the heat and humidity. Virginia summers are chock-full of heat and humidity, and you’d think a native like myself would get used to it. But no, I still suffer through every summer wondering why God created a world that got so hot where I live.

But the worst part is the way the weather affects my wanting to do anything, from keeping up with the housework to playing with the children to going to the grocery store to cooking supper. And let’s not even begin to tackle writing, which requires thinking--that grows increasingly difficult the higher the thermometer and heat index rises.

As my brain turns to mush in August, usually the hottest month of the summer, I remember that I don’t have to wallow in despair. (And yes, we do have air conditioning, so on really hot days, I’m not suffering too much.) That God has provided the perfect remedy for the heat blues in his Word. That I have much to be thankful for, such as ice cream and cold drinks. A nearby community swimming pool. Fans and money to pay for the extra electricity used to run them and the AC.

And I’m thankful for a mind that can work despite the heat and humidity, one that I need to keep sharp and focused in order not to sink down into nothingness or boredom or just the plain old blahs. That it’s my duty to not complain but to rejoice in everything, even the dog days of summer.

So as summer blazes on, I will choose to be happy in my circumstances. I will choose not to allow the weather to influence my choices or attitudes. I will choose to glorify God in all things. And in so doing, I hope—and pray—to beat the summer heat.

Until next time,


Sarah

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The Mom Connection

With the recent release of Hired@Home, several of the women I interviewed have blogged about the book. Check out Sandra Joseph’s blog at http://sandrajo.wordpress.com/2008/07/01/featured-in-hired-at-home/ and Rebecca Jean Rivera at http://strivingtoliveeachdayhisway.blogspot.com/.

Also, several people have inquired about contacting some of the work-at-home mothers I interviewed. Below is a directory of contact information for those women who wanted their information made public.

Julie Divine
The Elevation Group
www.theelevationgroup.com
Julie@theelevationgroup.com

Toni Friese
Blessings Unlimited Independent Consultant
6571 20th St N
St Cloud MN 56303
320-230-7646
www.blessingsdirect.comlukesmom16@hotmail.com

Lisa Harmon
McNamara & Company
2376 Ravenhill Drive
Raleigh NC 27615
919-413-5347
www.valueabode.com
lisaWharmon@gmail.com

Sandra Joseph
542 Sherritt Drive
Darlington, PA 16115
724-601-2377
www.sandrajo.wordpress.com
sandrajoseph@windstream.net

Martha Leone
703 455 6604
marthag86@verizon.net

Dixie Moore
Crickhollow Knitting
8427 Fletcher Bay Road
Bainbridge Island, WA. 98110
206-842-1402

Meagan Price
724-327-3026
meaganprice@alltel.net

Valerie Ottinger
byFaith magazine
1700 North Brown Road, Suite 105
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
678-825-1005
www.byfaithonline.comvottinger@byfaithonline.com

Carolyn Wayland
Wayland Window Treatments
Curtainscushions@aol.com

Leslie W. Whelchel, M.Ed.
Openbook Educational Therapy
20849 Driftwood Terrace
Potomac Falls, VA 20165
571-434-0990
www.openbook.us

Until next time,

Sarah

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