You're writing the best love scene ever to sizzle off a computer screen. The artful amalgamation of words will undoubtedly dazzle editors, agents, contest judges, and then--

"Mom! Maggie spit on me! I left my spelling words at school! Trooper barfed on the kitchen floor!"

Talk about a proverbial bucket of cold water! Welcome to my ever-exciting world of writing with four children.

Success can be defined any number of ways. For the purposes of this section, let success be whatever "your" version of it is, with one caveat: you want to be able to write novels and earn enough to make a living.

On my many trips to Atlanta with the family, I drive through the night. The main reason is to avoid hearing the repeated whines of 'Are we there yet?' Instead, everyone awakens when I'm about an hour away from my brother's house, for which I only have to hear it once. This tactic guarantees that everyone arrives with their heads still attached to their bodies. Before I begin the road trip, I know it's going to be a long journey. I also know that it doesn't help to look up at each sign post and wonder if the trip is coming to an end. You have to know and believe that there is an end and at some point in time, you will arrive.

By now you know where I'm going with this.

The classic stereotype of a romance writer paints a cozy picture of a woman typing her stories at home during the day. Only a small percentage of aspiring/new authors have it so good, while a larger percentage of veteran, best selling authors have become fulltime writers.

The majority of writers have to hold down a fulltime job, especially when living in the bigger, expensive cities. Although I don't have the luxury of a full time writing career, I have something that is equally important. I am 100% committed to my writing. This is why I am a full time writer.

Recently, the Florida lotto was $85 million dollars. Did I buy a ticket? Yep. Ten of ‘em. Did I win? Nope. But someone did - someone who bought the ticket in the same town where I bought mine. A quick pick, no less. So close, I could almost smell the leather interior of my brand new Porsche, see how sharp my Manolo Blahniks would look leaning on the accelerator, hear the engines of my private jet revving up for a trip to Cannes. Did I mention the gorgeous pilot? All right. You get the idea. Somebody won. In my tiny burg of 6,000. How do you get that lucky?

I know this feeling of envy and awe. I’ve had it before.

Recently I was reading a book review where the reviewer described the heroine as TSTL. Because of this nefarious acronym, she couldn't recommend the book. I stopped reading, puzzled. TSTL?

Tempting Sultress Takes Life?

Tumultuous Seductress Taming Lions?

Tobacco-stained Slut Tasting Lemons?

Do you dream of writing? Of having your book published? Of seeing your name on a bookstore shelf? Here are steps you can take to pursue your goals and realize your dreams!

Like the arrow keys on a computer which move my manuscript up or down, forward or back, taking a new step in my writing career was filled with possibilities. I started writing category because I love Romance and the shorter genre. I still do and so, my category career continues. But as is human nature, I wanted to try something different. Enter Warner Books and the opportunity to write single title romance and take my career in a new and challenging direction. How did I handle the experience and what have I learned as a result? Because I am a writer, I think those computer arrow keys provide a perfect analogy..

Once upon a time in New York state, a sort-of young Jewish girl sat slaving away at her computer writing stories of love and happily-ever-after. While she dreamed of one day making it to the exalted New York Times list, she knew that it only happened to other girls. Still, she dreamed.

So my story begins...

I never would've had the guts to write this if I hadn't just sold a book. I would've kept my shame and embarrassment to myself, figuring if I kept quiet maybe nobody would notice me and I wouldn't have to feel like an utter failure.

But telling this to a friend who said "Gee, this is helpful to know" made me think that probably other writers could benefit from hearing what I discovered last week.