The last post I shared here I discussed quitting my day job and focusing on my plan for writing freelance and fiction. I did that, but then like the best laid plans, things changed. One of my freelance writing jobs quickly became a full-time job. I’m still at that job, because I enjoy it and have learned a ton (and hello—twin girls in college!), but I continued to write fiction in my free time.

Sadly, my free time was not as abundant as I hoped.

When There’s a Writer, There’s a Way

As a writer, I can’t not write. It’s part of who I am and I feel incomplete when I’m not writing my fiction stories. So I did. The funny thing with me is, writing the story is the easy part, the editing is where I procrastinate. That lead to accumulating multiple story drafts on my computer that I planned to return to edit ‘later’.

Then Comes COVID

Luckily for me, when the lockdowns happened during the height of pandemic, it didn’t affect my day job. We continued working and were busier than ever. But the pandemic did affect my writing.

When my favorite month came along (I’ve talked about my love of November’s National Novel Writing (NaNoWri) until I’m blue in the face), I started a new story—and I stalled. Current events, and the fear in the world, were stealing my writing mojo. Until I switched gears and changed the story to a holiday paranormal cozy mystery.

I played Christmas music to inspire me and watched a multitude of holiday shows—something I hadn’t done in years—and the story poured out. That story (Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe) is just one of the paranormal cozy mysteries I’ve written for my new Charmed Cocktail Cozy Series.

Why Two Author Names?

I added the pen name of M.L. Bonatch for my paranormal cozy mysteries. Most of the reason for doing this is due to the business side of writing. It’s also an easy way for readers to identify my paranormal cozy mysteries from my Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance books that will remain under my author name of Maureen L. Bonatch.

What’s the Difference in the Books?

My stories are similar in these genres in that they all:

• Have a paranormal element
• Usually feature magic and/or witches
• Have Humor
• Usually have pets or animals in the story

My stories are Paranormal Cozy Mysteries are different in that they are:

• A little shorter
• Humor is a huge focus
• There is no sex or violence
• There’s always a mystery, and usually a murder, to solve
• My heroine can talk to her cat, or other animals

Exciting Book Stuff Coming Your Way

• My website will continue to share book information for all my genres
• My Charmed Cozy Cocktail series will have at least 3 releases this year:
  • Curses, Cats & Corpses (Is initially included in this boxset to give you a taste of ten other fabulous cozy mystery authors)
  • Hexes, Highballs & Hockey
  • Magic, Mimosas & Mistletoe
• My book, Grandma Must Die, is being re-edited and released with a new cover and a stronger focus on the mystery as one of the characters in the story (Abigail) has her own paranormal cozy mystery series coming early next year.
• No worries if you love Urban Fantasy – I’ll have several stories in draft (one in a new series) that you’ll hear more about in 2022

Hop on This Crazy Train with Me!

There’s so much going on this year with my writing. The best way to know what’s up next is to sign up for my newsletter right here or:

Follow me on my social media- especially my new pages as M.L. Bonatch (She’s lonely & looking for friends)

Author: M.L. Bonatch:

• Amazon page
• BookBub
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Author: Maureen L. Bonatch:

• Amazon Page
• Facebook
• BookBub
• Goodreads

Both M.L. Bonatch & Maureen Bonatch:

• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Afraid you’ll forget about all these books coming out? No worries- preorder links are already available on my M.L. Bonatch Amazon page right here.

More Good Stuff for you

Find new authors and enter right here for this fabulous giveaway to win an Amazon gift card!

Searching for Your Next Cozy Mystery?

Check out these great deals on Cozy Mysteries (click right here) to fill up your TBR

Get Out and Read Giveaway

WIN 1 OF 4 KINDLE FIRES

Do you enjoy spending the long, lazy days of summer with a book in your hand? One of the best ways to find new-to-you authors is on BookBub, and LitRing has got you covered. Head over to the Get Out and Read Giveaway now to get 175+ chances to win a Kindle Fire >> https://www.litring.com/get-out-and-read-giveaway/

Thank you for sharing this journey with me, lovely readers! I can’t wait to share more stories with you.

The post What Happened? What’s Next for My Books? appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

There are a few things I’m prone to brag about now and then, and those are my favorite people.

Being Thankful

With the Thanksgiving holiday still in full force in the United States, it seems like a good time to take a moment to appreciate a few people in my life who I love to brag about.

• My mother- I’ve written about her before, right here, and how much she’s inspired me with her stoic, strength, and endless patience. A woman I aspire to be more like.
• My husband– With all the feasting this week, I’m lucky enough to have a hubby who loves to cook. No canned cranberries, or boxed stuffing, for this dude. It’s all the trimmings homemade with love.
• My twins– As the girls wrap up their senior year, they’ve given me so much to be proud of. Their tireless dedication to their studies, and their kindhearted nature, assure me we’ve raised some wonderful ladies.
• My family- My favorite thing about the holidays is the extra time I get to spend with my family. I love having most of us together. Having a close bond with family is definitely worth bragging about in this busy world.
• My readers- Readers are awesome. It saddens me when I hear so many people who seem to act as if they’re bragging when they say, “I don’t read.” When in reality, they’re depriving themselves of a much richer, fuller life that can be gained through books.
• My publisher- The Wild Rose Press (#TWRP) is a pretty awesome publisher. If you ask any of their authors (like me) they’ll tell you how much TWRP cares about their authors. And they care about their readers, that’s why you can visit their site for their holiday sale, right here.

My Book Babies

As an author, marketing should be foremost on my mind. But like many authors, it doesn’t come naturally to brag about myself and my stories.

Getting up before the crack of dawn to make time to write, giving up my lunch break, television and social gatherings doesn’t feel like a sacrifice when it’s something I love.

I’m #thankful to get to share my stories, and my characters, with the world. That's something to #brag about. #MFRW
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It’s a Blog Hop

Check out what the other authors are bragging about.

Maybe they’re better at tooting their own horn and I can learn a thing or two from them.

What Do You Like to Brag About?

The post I Feel Like a Drag if I Brag appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

We Just Met

I tend to write, and enjoy reading, character driven stories. Sure, I love some action to get the story going but I can be drawn in just as easily with a well-crafted first line. I want to get to know the characters today before I hear about what happened before.

Because usually I don’t really care—because I don’t know why it’s important, and I don’t care for the character yet.

It’s as if you just meet a person and they start telling you about something that happened years ago, or everything that you weren’t sure you wanted to know about them, before you even know their name or have decided if you liked them that much to listen.

My Memory Stinks

Sure, I’ll read the prologue, but then I find myself repeatedly looking back because I’m trying to remember how many years ago that was, or what was the city, or what the heck happened again when it gets to the part in the story where this is important. I’ve talked about my poor memory of my own past many times before, so if I can’t remember that, I’m surely not going to have space in my mind to remember someone else’s.

It’s Cheating

It’s not really, but it does seem like cheating to me. Weaving in the backstory can be hard. Really hard! Trying to insert the information without telling someone everything upfront is a challenge.

So putting in a bunch of information in the front is kind of like cheating to me. #prologue #MFRW #amwriting
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Believe me, when I was writing my upcoming release, NOT A CHANCE—the 2^nd book in The Enchantlings story, I had to rewrite the beginning multiple times so it wasn’t an information dump for that might bore readers who already read book #1 (DESTINY CALLING) and confusing for readers who started with book #2.

P.S. scroll to the end for the link to the party page for NOT A CHANCE to enter for a chance to win kindles, gift cards, ebooks and other cool stuff for all the contests I’m participating in.

The Author Jury is—Out

Well, you got my two cents. Or probably a quarter’s worth. I hadn’t realized how much I didn’t care for prologues until I started to think about this week’s topic.

But the other author’s in the blog hop haven’t weighed in. I’m sure there are some that have valid reasons why they absolutely love a prologue, but I guess we’ll have to hop around to find out why.

What Are Your Thoughts on Prologues?

Scruff just wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss stopping over at the party page for NOT A CHANCE so you have your chance to sign up for all the giveaways before it’s too late! Click right here to visit.Follow the #MFRW Hop Below!

Then follow the #MFRW Hop below!

The post Do You Think a Prologue Should Stay, or No Way? appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

Skip to the End

My girls used to tell me that they often read the last page of a book first to know the ending.

I was horrified. Skip to the end? Are you kidding?

That’s why I write as a panster, and I love a nice surprise (we all know there are bad surprises too).

But I must admit that my favorite epilogue was that for the television series Charmed.

It was one of my favorite shows and I hated to see it come to an end, but they provided a fabulous epilogue that made me feel a little better about leaving my favorite characters. (Yes, I know there’s a new version that started —I haven’t watched it yet. I’m just not sure it will be the same, but I’m sure I’ll check it out sometime.)

Writing Epilogues

I don’t usually write an epilogue and my opinion of epilogues varies depending on the story. So I don’t have a solid answer for this. Some stories it feels right, while other times I feel like it’s an attempt to wrap everything up too neatly and I feel a little cheated.

If my story isn’t over, I usually have so much more to say that I write the next #book. #epilogue #MFRW
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I’m long-winded like that. Hence why the next book in The Enchantlings series, NOT A CHANCE, is up for preorder now and will be released on October 31^st. (Happy Halloween!)

Plus—if you haven’t read the first book, DESTINY CALLING is on sale right now for .99cents.

One of my stories did sort of wrap up in an epilogue, FORGET ME NOT. Since it was a novella, it was nice to give a tiny glimpse of the future for this couple.

My Crystal Ball

My twins are seniors this year. You know, those little baby girls that I used to write the twin talk blog posts to document their stories since I’m terrible at filling out a baby book?

That means many changes for them soon, and for Mom and Dad. I admit, it’s caused

me stress and has had me reflecting on many things, but most of all, I just want to know how everything turns out.

With so many questions, I want answers. Sure, it might take the fun out of the journey a little, but as a Mom, I just want to take the worry away and have the happily ever after.

So, would I peek ahead at the epilogue of this story? You betcha.

It’s Not the End—It’s a Blog Hop

Be sure to check out the other author’s blogs about their thoughts on Epilogue or no?

But before you do, be sure to stop RIGHT HERE where I’m listing all the contests and giveaways this month to celebrate the paranormal season and for the upcoming release of NOT A CHANCE.

I’m telling you I have so many going on that the only way to keep them straight and not miss any was to corral them all together on one big blog post!

Plus, I have a rafflecopter for a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card.

What Are Your Thoughts on Epilogue or Not?

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The post Do You Want to Know the End First? appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

Since I write everywhere and anywhere, my selection or style of clothes aren’t always considered when I’m jotting down some words. Although I do have designated writing days and some clothes that I consider my writer fashion.

Writer Fashion- Not Your Business Casual

Writing is a solitary activity, for the most part. Despite trying to hide away from the world there’s still the dog that might need to go outside, an occasionally delivery person, neighbors who might glimpse me through the window and then inevitably, I have to go somewhere for something.

Therefore, I must put a little consideration into what I wear. Otherwise it would just be whatever I roll out of bed in.

Because #writing isn’t about what’s going on the outside, it’s more about what’s going on inside. #amwriting #MFRW
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So as much as I’d like to join the whole ‘no pants’ perception that many who work at home seem to claim, I just don’t think that would fly if you’re terrifying unsuspecting neighbors or others that an author may inadvertently encounter during their writing day.

Less Is More

To focus on writing and a ger-er-done attitude for getting words on the page, the most important thing to me is comfort. That means arranging my desk, chair and laptop so that it’s most comfortable and accommodating, and dressing accordingly.

My writer fashion includes loose pants, comfortable tops and a sweatshirt nearby that I put on and off as my body temperature messes with my mind. The minimal fashion sense I might have is thrown out the window.

It also means no jewelry or anything that is jangling on the keyboard, or digging into my wrists while I’m writing. Hair pulled back but not too tight that it’s straining my brain as I try to think about the next line.

In other words, I may look a bit like a homeless person, except that I’m in the house.

Check Out the Other Author Fashionistas!

It’s a blog hop, so you can find out the secret style of the other authors.

But before you go, I didn’t forget that I promised to keep sharing some of the fun giveaways I’ll be participating in this month in preparation for the release of NOT A CHANCE (Book #2 of The Enchantlings).

I’m listing a few below.

What’s Your Favorite Get-er-Done Outfit?

The post Why Does It Matter What I Wear When I Write? appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

But before any of the purging of the words onto the page can occur, something else must happen to really get myself into the writing mode. If I don’t do this task, or I try to ignore it, my muse curls up and ignores me, or it keeps stalking away. It has nothing to do with writing, plotting, or character sketches like many other authors may utilize to start their writing process. Nope. But I must do this before I dive into writing.

Clutter = Creativity Crusher

I’ve increased my tolerance for some clutter, and for delaying the endless household tasks to prioritize my writing. Often, I can wait to start dinner, or close the door to the laundry room if I must, or wait another day to vacuum.

It’s heading towards Halloween—can’t cobwebs be part of the decorations?

Well, it works for some things, for a short time, except for these things. Paper and emails.

After years of patiently waiting, I finally gained a writing space. Sometimes when I’m working, I lay out the papers and lists around me to remind me what I need to do next. And it drives me crazy.

I have a need to visualize the tasks ahead of me, but at the same time they distract me and keep me from focusing on my characters and my story.

As I organize, toss, or file each piece of paper I can almost feel the calm washing over me. Once my office looks organized, I must tackle the other task, emails.

Out sight, out of mind? Nope

Emails.

Gotta love them, but I also hate them.

I can never seem to achieve, or then maintain, a zero inbox.

I leave things that I need to address or remember in there like an endless to do list.

Even if I close out of the emails, or close the screens, I know they’re there. Waiting to be tackled. #MFRW #amwriting
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So even though my muse is often at its best when I first get up, and I often take advantage of this during NaNoWri month, usually I must clear out some of the emails first or I’m distracted from writing.

Then to increase my focus, I update my To-do list to get some of the tasks out of my mind so I can listen to my characters better.

Writing Ritual Summarized

• Clear the clutter
• Conquer the email
• Write the To-Do list
• Purge all the words

Check Out the Other Author’s Writing Rituals

This is a blog hop, so now’s your chance to discover more about the secret writing rituals of authors. Even if mine wasn’t all that exciting of a ritual, who knows, perhaps one of them does something really bizarre.

P.S. My writing ritual has resulted in releasing some of those pesky characters and their stories from my head.

If you’ve been wondering what’s happened with Hope and the rest of my friends at the Last Call, book #2 of The Enchantlings is up for preorder (releases October 31, 2018).

Grab your copy of NOT A CHANCE for your Halloween treat!

Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter to join in on all the giveaways and fun gearing up for release day. Plus you get a free story when you sign up.

Do You Have a Ritual to Helps You Get Started With a Task?

The post How Clutter Crushes My Writing Inspiration appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

Although lately I’ve had to implement some tweaks to my writing set-up since I’ve stared to notice wrist pain from long hours writing. Since giving up writing isn’t an option, I’ve continued to explore ways to make writing easier for my fiction and freelance. Recently I read this post about automated transcription and thought I’d share it.

I came across this article about automatic transcription. I notice more people using features similar to this with their phones, so why not with writing? It might be a good way to keep track of the random ideas or stir up some creativity if writer’s block sets in. Check it out and see what you think.

Article below originally posted and written by Descript 

Overcoming Writer’s Block with Automatic Transcription

If you’re a writer — of books, essays, scripts, blog posts, whatever — you’re familiar with the phenomenon: the blank screen, a looming deadline, and a sinking feeling in your gut that pairs poorly with the jug of coffee you drank earlier.

If you know that rumble all too well: this post is for you. Maybe it’ll help you get out of a rut; at the very least, it’s good for a few minutes of procrastination.

Here’s the core idea: thinking out loud is often less arduous than writing. And it’s now easier than ever to combine the two, thanks to recent advances in speech recognition technology.

Of course, dictation is nothing new — and plenty of writers have taken advantage of it. Carl Sagan’s voluminous output was facilitated by his process of speaking into an audio recorder, to be transcribed later by an assistant (you can listen to some of his dictations in the Library of Congress!) And software like Dragon’s Naturally Speaking has offered automated transcription for people with the patience and budget to pursue it.

But it’s only in the last couple of years that automated transcription has reached a sweet spot — of convenience, affordability and accuracy—that makes it practical to use it more casually. And I’ve found it increasingly useful for generating a sort of proto-first draft: an alternative approach to the painful process of converting the nebulous wisps inside your head into something you can actually work with.

I call this process idea extraction (though these ideas may be more accurately dubbed brain droppings).

Part I: Extraction

Here’s how my process works. Borrow what works for you and forget the rest — and let me know how it goes!

• Pick a voice recorder. Start talking. Try it with a topic you’ve been chewing on for weeks — or when an idea flits your head. Don’t overthink it. Just start blabbing.
• The goal is to tug on as many threads as you come across, and to follow them as far as they go. These threads may lead to meandering tangents— and you may discover new ideas along the way.
• A lot of those new ideas will probably be embarrassingly bad. That’s fine. You’re already talking about the next thing! And unlike with text, your bad ideas aren’t staring you in the face.
• Consider leaving comments to yourself as you go — e.g. “Maybe that’d work for the intro”. These will come in handy later.
• For me, these recordings run anywhere from 20–80 minutes. Sometimes they’re much shorter, in quick succession. Whatever works.

Part II: Transcription

Once I’ve finished recording, it’s time to harness The Power of Technology

A little background: over the last couple of years there’s been an explosion of tools related to automatic speech recognition (ASR) thanks to huge steps forward in the underlying technologies.

Here’s how ASR works: you import your audio into the software, the software uses state-of-the-art machine learning to spit back a text transcript a few minutes later. That transcript won’t be perfect—the robots are currently in the ‘Write drunk’ phase of their careers. But for our purposes that’s fine: you just need it to be accurate enough that you can recognize your ideas.

Once you have your text transcript, your next step is up to you: maybe you’re exporting your transcript as a Word doc and revising from there. Maybe you’re firing up your voice recorder again to dictate a more polished take. Maybe only a few words in your audio journey are worth keeping — but that’s fine too. It probably didn’t cost you much (and good news: the price for this tech will continue to fall in the years ahead).

A few more tips:

• Use a recorder/app that you trust. Losing a recording is painful — and the anxiety of losing another can derail your most exciting creative moments (“I hope this recorder is working. Good, it is… @#*! where was I?”)
• Audio quality matters when it comes to automatic transcription. If your recording has a lot of background noise or you’re speaking far away from the mic, the accuracy is going to drop. Consider using earbuds (better yet: Airpods) so you can worry less about where you’re holding the recorder.
• Find a comfortable space. Eventually you may get used to having people overhear your musings, but it’s a lot easier to let your mind “go for a walk” when you’re comfortable in your environment.
• Speaking of walking: why not go for a stroll? The pains of writing can have just as much to do with being stationary and hunched over. Walking gets your blood flowing — and your ideas too.
• I have a lot of ideas, good and bad, while I’m thinking out loud and playing music at the same time (in my case, guitar — but I suspect it applies more broadly). There’s something about playing the same four-chord song on auto pilot for the thousandth time that keeps my hands busy and leaves my mind free to wander.

The old ways of doing things — whether it’s with a keyboard or pen — still have their advantages. Putting words to a page can force a sort of linear thinking that is otherwise difficult to maintain. And when it comes to editing, it’s no contest: QWERTY or bust.

But for getting those first crucial paragraphs down (and maybe a few keystone ideas to build towards)? Consider talking to yourself. Even if you wind up with a transcript full of nothing but profanity — well, have you ever seen a transcript full of profanity? You could do a lot worse.

This article was originally published by Descript.

What Are Your Thoughts on Automated Transcription?

The post Thoughts on Writing with Automated Transcription appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

One piece of advice, I’d heard more than once, but didn’t think it really made much difference in polishing my prose. Mostly because I really didn’t enjoy taking the time to apply this boring, tedious advice. Until I discovered just how wrong I was.

Listen to Your Writing

The first time an editor told me to read through my manuscript again, I wasn’t too thrilled. Read it? Hadn’t I already done that like a bajillion times as I prepared it? But, as a stickler for the rules and wanting to get it just right, I did. Feeling a bit foolish as I read aloud in my room while getting odd looks from the dog and the family.

I caught some mistakes, but not that much. Although I realized that I got bored of listening to myself. I’d start to read and my voice would trail off and I’d be mumbling, or “reading” it in my head. As someone who’s easily distracted, this was a long, tedious process.

No…I said Listen

So, when I was advised, once again, to read through another manuscript I may have sighed. I may have considered arguing that it wasn’t really worth the time it took. Then I noticed how some authors discussed buying software so that the computer could read the manuscript. Hmmm…

I looked around a little and then discovered that my Mac had the ability to read my writing back to me. Granted, there are limits to the voice you can choose if you aren’t buying a program, but it suited my needs. It was worth a shot. I was tired of listening to myself talk.

Game Changing

Wow.

That advice I hated to follow about reading my manuscript. Spot on. Unbelievable. Sure, listening to a monotonous voice mumble through my manuscript isn’t all that exciting, but the things I caught amazed me. This was after reviewing the manuscript so, so many times.

How did I miss these typos, wrong words, and awkward sentences? You know, all those things that throw you out of the story when you’re reading a book?

The sentences sounded so much different when I listened to the words. #MFRW #writing-advice
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I’ve applied this advice to all my manuscripts now, and my freelance articles, and I share this, and other writing advice with other authors. Several have had the same reaction as I did when they listened to their writing. Initially resisting, and then realizing how beneficial this review of their writing is for tightening the story and making it extra awesome.

It’s a Blog Hop

If you’re like me, you’ll want to hop around to the other blogs to soak up all their advice. Because with writing you never stop learning.

Good or bad advice, it can help you improve your craft.

The post I Don’t Enjoy Following the Best Writing Advice appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

I’ve written about many different topics, and some of the freelance healthcare writing topics are related to writing. I’ve written about lots of health topics but lately…I’m not taking my own advice.

Writing Posts in Review

If you’re a newcomer to my blog, welcome! I’m glad to have you! I hope you stay and have a look around. But perhaps you’ve missed the plethora of topics where I belabor about how writing is like the air I breathe.

That I should be doing more things when I’m not writing (and believe it or not, I do have some hobbies I discuss in some of the posts), but for the most part, my computer is attached to me like some sci-fi thriller where it has become an extra appendage.

Want proof? Check out some of these previous posts to discover how all this writing can end up not always being good for your health.

• What Happens When I’m Not Writing 
• Hobbies & Things That Are Kinda Hobbies, But Not Really 
• My First Love and My Other Obsession
• A Day in the Life; Fantasy versus Reality
• Living With a Writer Survivor Style

What Happens To Your Health When You’re Always Writing

I’ve learned that our bodies aren’t meant to always be glued to a chair with butt in the seat and hands on the keyboard—writing.

The body doesn’t like to be immobile and doing the same thing over and over and complains in the form of back and neck aches, fiction/freelance fanny and other aggrevating health concerns.

I’ve attempted to resist this by creating a DIY Treadmill Desk .  This is fabulous, but it helps if you use it consistently!

I purchased an ergonomically correct laptop desk to raise to reduce neck strain and a Bluetooth keyboard. But I’ve still started to notice discomfort in my wrists and hands from all the long hours typing.

Hence, not even paying enough attention to my own advice about avoiding Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI).

It seems that I spend too much time #writing, and not doing other things when I’m…not writing. #MFRW
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Perhaps that’s something I need to work on.

What About the Other Authors?

Perhaps the other authors have some more insight into fabulous, fun things they do when they’re not writing, or maybe they’re better at taking their own advice and doing more things and less writing.

Hop around and check them out! Me? I’ll try to work on those other activities, but it’s hard when writing is like breathing. It’s just what I do.

P.S.- If you hurry, there’s still time to enter this contest right here for a chance to win a Kindle Fire or Echo Dot.

What Do You Do When You’re Not Following Your Passion?

The post If I’m Not Writing…Something’s Up appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.

It’s not because I don’t relish the thought of getting a bunch of unexpected money, I just have little faith that I will.

The Golden Noose

Money may not be the answer, but it certainly could open many more opportunities and reduce worries. As much as I’d like to believe money doesn’t matter all that much, it’s pretty much the reason many decisions are made.

It’s why we choose one job over another, get out of bed each day, or buy, or not buy certain items.

I job I used to work had most workers with low morale and motivation for the job. But it paid well and had great benefits.

Several employees referred to it as “The Golden Noose”. It—money—is what kept them there for years.I’m talking decades!

It made me sad to realize how many people work a job they despise because they feel trapped there by “The Golden Noose.” #MFRW #money #dreams
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Peace of Mind

I went on to school for nursing administration partially for this reason. Because I wanted to make a difference in workplace morale.

Because we shouldn’t spend so many hours sacrificing the joy and happiness of our lives for money. That’s also the reason I write paranormal and fantasy—for a little escape from the worries of everyday. To travel without expense. To find peace between the pages.

If I Won the Lottery

So, back to the topic at hand. If I did win the lottery I’d gain the peace of mind in knowing that I didn’t have to worry about

sending two girls to college at the same time, help my family and close friends and pay off all our debt and maybe find a little vacation home or cabin.

But, I wouldn’t stop writing. In fact, that might be the best part. To be able to write when I want, and what I want without worrying about fitting it in around all the other duties in life that bind me by The Golden Noose.

Easier Than Winning the Lottery

Don’t forget- you have a better chance to win some prizes than the lottery by popping over to Moonlight & Mystery where there is a quarterly prize every quarter, or by signing up for the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s A Blog Hop

Don’t miss the other author’s blogs as they talk about what they’d do if the won the lottery.

What about you? I’d love to hear your dreams of escaping the golden noose, or whether you feel the lottery would only tighten its grip.

What Would You Do If You Won the Lottery?

The post Money Might Not Buy Happiness—But Maybe Peace of Mind appeared first on Author Maureen L. Bonatch.