Chaos-self induced or otherwise

By Suzanne Welsh
Sometimes, life just gets in our way. Sometimes, we get in the way of life.

Things have been a little crazy around me lately. Part of it I have no control over, some of it I've done to myself.

Nine months ago it was winter. People were cold. They snuggled up. Guess what? That leads to more babies born in the months of July-October. (Statistical fact based on three decades of L&D nursing by me!) So I always know I'm going to be working harder and more hours at the night job. Busy!! And on top of that, it's summer to early autumn, which leads to sick moms and sick babies...Extra busy!! (But NOT my fault.)

A couple of years ago my good friend and CP talked me into running for President-elect of our Dallas Area Romance Authors, (thanks Sandy!). Duh, that meant that I'd have to be chapter president. So, since January of this year, they let me be in charge of a large chapter and all the responsibilities it involves. (Yep, they're crazy...and it's only partially my fault! I only ran for office, THEY elected me!)

In 2006 I had a "What the hell" moment, something I'm want to do cyclically, and sent three manuscripts to the Golden Heart contest. Dang....two of them finalled. Whoohoo! But even better, I met this core group of fantastic women. Writers who were as determined as me to ride the wave of PR, make a name for ourselves, and start a blog to promote ourselves and our writing. Yep, the Romance Bandits were born! I adore reading the blogs, commenting on them, writing them and interviewing guests. But it does take time and thought. (Yep, this one is my fault!)

Christmas holidays are coming up. I adore fall, but every year I start thinking early about the "special projects" I'd like to do for my kids. One I've decided to do this year involves scrapbooking for one of them. Very time consuming, but in the end, it should be a real tears-rolling-down-the-cheek moment for us. So I'll add that to the pile! Then there's the baking, the parties, the gifts...(Okay, this one is my fault, too...adding more to my plate!)

In the fall I get the urge to head north to Ohio. Now many of you may think it's because of the season and the fall colors on the trees. Well, sort of. I do enjoy the colors, but it has more to do with the change in temperature, the cool rainy days, heck, I even miss the drizzly days that requires a fire in the fireplace! So in the midst of all this craziness, I plan a trip home to see my parents. (This one is my fault, too...but necessary for my own peace of mind!)

And then there's the writing. I always write two stories and edit a third at the same time. Crazy? Maybe, but it's MY process. And all three projects have to be different sub genres or time periods. Apparently my brain LOVES to multi-task. (Is this my fault, well, maybe, maybe not.)

Amidst all this chaos there's hope. A light at the end of the tunnel. (Please God don't let it be a train heading right for me...) October is almost here, which means the baby boom will slow down a bit, hopefully. The moms won't be quite as sick, hopefully. My tenure as chapter president will come to an end. The trip home is planned and will renew my spirits. The holidays, while crazy, are also fun. The writing, it's my sanity, so that's a constant for me.

So what craziness is going on in your lives? What is self-induced? Projects you've volunteered to do? Family obligations you can't put aside? Is there a light at the end of your tunnel?

CHAOS!

by Jeanne Adams

The dictionary defines chaos in several ways. It's rioting in the streets and general anarchy in governments. It's also the unformed stuff that creates new worlds and universes. It's a theory in mathematics which predicts (or fails to predict) the actions of objects in motion.

At my house, pure chaos can be defined as the first quarter of every year. You see, my darling husband is a corporate accountant. Doesn't that just give you a perfect picture right there? And he lost nearly a full week to a nasty virus. That's panic-inducing in an accountant. (Chime in here anytime, Donna. I can hear you groaning in sympathy as I write this)

Oh, and adding more fuel to the fire, this year in addition to generally being head-parent-in-charge (HPIC) because of the whole first quarter thing, I have a book coming out in June. I'm knee-deep in getting bookmarks and planning speaking engagements and plotting (ha, ha!) every possible way to promote my book.

In short, my life is a lot wilder and busier than it was this time last year. Did I mention that my youngest son just turned three, and my oldest is about to start Spring baseball, and basketball's not over yet? (Baseball is a HUGE thing in my house, BTW. The men, young and old, are waiting with bated breath for the start of Spring Training.) Yep. So here I am, HPIC/Race Car Driver/Taxi driver....Both the boys have extracurricular activities beyond the ones I just mentioned. Don't even get me started on how much homework they now give to Second Graders. (I'm gritting my teeth over that one...I hate homework. And no, I've discovered I'm NOT as smart as a fifth grader, heck, I'm struggling with second grade math. Since when do you have to learn about rhomboids in second grade? And yes, I know the picture does NOT contain a rhomoid...)

Sorry. Back to chaos theory...So with all of this, I've been trying - and failing - to predict...well anything. Bouts of unexpected flu bugs have beset us, providential fun has changed our schedules, and then there's the weather. Oh, don't ya' just DESPISE those snow days, when you're a writer/parent? It would be okay if there were actually SNOW, but nooooooooo, just ice. Bleech. Heck, I'd go out and play if it were snow. Nobody has any fun on an ice/slush day.

I've also been working with some of that unformed stuff which creates worlds - also known as creativity - to finish my second book and polish a third and begin a fourth. I'm really, really, REALLY looking forward to some time with some writer friends to do some book-plotting. (As opposed to murder and mayhem) I have to do something with the maelstrom of new ideas buzzing in my head.

Ahhh, more chaos to add to the chaos! Just what I needed. Snork!

In spite of all this gritching, part of me thrives on the unpredictable, the spontaneous, and the twists and turns of life. I love it in books too. I love the author who can keep me guessing all the way to the end. I love the storyteller - from Homer to Austen to Christie Kelly - who keeps me turning the pages because I haven't quite figured out...(turns pages)...what....(reads more quickly)...is going to...(OH!)...happen.

Actually, that's the very thing that holds my sanity together. What you might ask, baffled by my strange turn of phrase? Books, of course. A good story can give me a breath of relief from the chaos of MY life, even if I have to read it in the car pool line. (Especially if I GET to read it in the car pool line! Ha!)

I know the Banditas' books - and the blog! - are fast becoming my refuge from the chaos. :> Add to that wonderful list authors like Lisa Gardner, Roxanne St. Clair, J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Mercedes Lackey, and one of my all time fav re-reads, Eva Ibbotson. You know life's got me by the throat if I'm re-reading Eva's Countess Below Stairs. Eva writes YA now, but if you can get a hold of this one, it's a great escape! (Anna C., I can see that grin all the way from Oz. Anna is fond of Eva as well) There are countless others. Thank goodness for that, because they don't make fashionable straight jackets for stress-strained writers in the car pool lane. (So hard to drive in those, you know.)

So who takes you away? Who gives you a momentary escape from the chaos? Are you looking forward to Spring Training? (for my dh's sake, I'll say GO CUBS! even tho' I'm a Braves fan) :> Do you thrive on spontaneity, or are you a There MUST BE ORDER kind of person? What's your recipe for keeping the madness managed? (Chocolate? Milkshakes? Wine? Port? More chocolate?)

Lest it go straight to MY hips, (thus adding to the chaos of my who-has-time-to-work-out day) I have a box of Godiva for one commenter!