Nope, we’re not celebrating me, although of course I’m WORTH celebrating, and you all should celebrate me (and refer your friends and yourselves to me. Have I mentioned I’m hankering for a really good erotic romance author right now? I am. Totally. Preferably someone prolific, but keep reading to see why).

I got word the other day from one of my clients. Let’s call him Steve. Steve does some really hard work on his manuscripts, and his world building is mind-blowing (and then some). He writes series that are strong, compelling reading. And he’s an absolute joy to work for and with.

Of course, he’s got his writerly ticks that I try to beat out of him. Who doesn’t? (And that’s a trick question because the answer is that if you don’t have a writerly tick, you’re not human.)

So I was very pleased to get a note from him that he’s managed to build enough of a career with his books that he’s quit his day job and become a full-time writer.

Yes, boys and girls, these success stories ARE still possible, even in the current crowded marketplace and ages of 99c box sets that are great exposure but lousy royalties.

How did Steve do it? By being prolific. By working hard on every element of his books and series. By having an innate understanding of what it takes to tell a great story, a gentle touch on the action scenes, and an ability to draw strong, likeable women who are vital to a male-dominated world. (No calls for your version of political correctness here, folks. It takes all kinds to rock the world, and no one’s saying you have to read and love these books. Plenty of others already are.)

Steve WORKS.

That’s the bottom line.

No whining (at least to me). Just work.

And it’s paid off.

So my heart swells with pride as I congratulate him again. And the editor in me drools at the thought of what’s to come, now that he’s a full-time writer. I hope his fans are drooling as hard as I am.

His present can be your future. Go get it.

No pithy words of wisdom, no writing advice, no ties between real life and writing this week.

Why?

Because I’m living the example. E-mail’s been piling up — all of a sudden, eight million clients want me, and I love it, love to chat with my writers and friends, but welcome to freelancing, where life is either feast or famine — and I’ve got a ton of Featured New Book Spotlights to post for you. (Feel free to add to the queue, or to send in some Lines of Distinction for yourself or a friend!) And Rocktober over at The Rock of Pages. And I’ve had reason to dig through the archives here and discover the weird coding that popped up when I changed hosts earlier in the year. Oops. The editor’s website isn’t pristine. On my list to fix, I promise!

And then there’s real life. School. Activities. An upcoming life cycle event and optimism that a source of stress will soon be put to rest. And I’m writing like a fiend, trying for 1000 words a day but really, other than last night, when I had a township meeting, I’ve been getting in no less than 1400. School meeting two nights ago, and another one tonight. I’m not sure I’m going to have time for dinner; guess the kids are cooking.

Been busy. Feel like I’m behind in everything (have you SEEN my kitchen? Me, either. It’s buried under dishes, clean that need to be put away and dirty that need to be washed.) Falling off a cliff with no safety net. Drowning in everyone’s need for me.

And at the same time, it is exhilarating.

This is what success smells like, feels like, looks like. It’s that people have faith in me, so much so that my favorite clients speak up and tell me when I’m starting to go off the rails with stress. It’s that new clients come to me, seeking my help. Yes, there’s room on my schedule: November dates are currently up for grabs, although those unanswered e-mails? A lot of them are asking for November. Start thinking December, folks and yes, I have time for new people. Always. And yet, I’ll find a way for my existing folk, too. You all mean that much to me.

So… it’s nose to the grindstone right now. This is a huge part of the writing life, that time when you realize the only way to get it all done is to sit down, or maybe lift the desk into standing position (thank you, Varidesk! And oh, no! Look at that new desk that’d be perfect for my family room writing sessions…) and be like an old Nike ad campaign. Just do it.

As summer turns to autumn, as we all do what needs to be done, remember to head out to a nice grassy field, take your shoes off, turn your face up to the sun, and recharge. If a disc happens to be flying overhead, take a second and watch it there, hovering, falling gracefully into the hands that charge right at it, awaiting its arrival, stretching to make the grab, one-hundred percent left right there on the field with the turf beads or the dust from the lack of rain. Take a deep breath. The work awaits.

Be your best.