Today I am so pleased to welcome Leta Blake to Joyfully Jay. Leta has come to talk to us about her herΒ Wake Up Married serial, cowritten with Alice Griffiths. She has also brought along a great giveaway! Please join me in giving her a big welcome!
Stress Busters
Everyone gets stressed out and while working on the Wake Up Married serial, I had my share of stressful days. Was I going to meet my deadlines? Was I maintaining tension throughout the arc? Were the characters growing enough? Was there going to be enough chocolate to get me through to the end?
I found the following three things helped a lot:
1) Looking at pictures of baby animals. Science shows that looking at pictures or videos of baby animals improves focus and mood. So, when push came to shove, and chocolate wasnβt available (because I ate it all), I indulged in baby animal viewing. It brought my brain down from a frenzy of worry to a more focused, awwww-filled place. A simple Google search for baby animals will give you all you need.
2) Going on a walk. Science also shows that moving your body and getting fresh air improves, well, everything. The only time this didnβt prove true for me was when I decided to take my rambunctious and large puppy out with me, and she pulled me down, scraped up by knees, palms, and twisted my ankle badly. That was actually a pretty stressful walk, now that I think about it. But most walks helped to clear my head.
3) Wine. Admittedly, wine didnβt help me write even a single word. I canβt write when drinking. Mainly because I lose all drive and motivation. But I also lose all desire to worry and fret. So, yes, wine at night once I was done for the day helped to take my mind away from the stress and strain of my various writerly concerns.
What are your best tips for remaining focused and stress-free?
Weβre pleased to announce the Wake Up Married serial is now complete and available in two bundles or individually. Check out your options at Amazon!
Blurb
Join the fun in this new romantic comedy serial by best-selling author Leta Blake and newcomer Alice Griffiths!Β
After a drunken night of hot sex in Vegas, strangers Will Patterson and Dr. Patrick McCloud wake up married. A quickie divorce is the most obvious way outβunless youβre the heir of a staunchly Catholic mafia boss with a draconian position on the sanctity of marriage. Throw their simmering attraction into the mix and all bets are off!
Word Count for the entire serial: 220,000
Buy Links:
- Serial page: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B017PJOYU0/
- Bundle 1: http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Up-Married-serial-Episodes-ebook/dp/B01DYPVA92/
- Bundle 2: http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Up-Married-serial-Episodes-ebook/dp/B01EP7ZKTY/
Bio
Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.
You can find out more about her by following her online:
- On the web: http://letablake.wordpress.com/
- On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letablake
- On Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetaBlake
Giveaway
Leta has brought three copies of the Wake Up Married serial bundle (episodes 1-3) for three lucky readers. Just leave a comment at the end of the post to enter. The contest ends on Thursday, May 5th at 11:59 pm EST.
- By entering the giveaway, youβre confirming that you are at least 18 years old.
- Winners will be selected by random number.Β No purchase necessary to win. Β The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.
- If you win, you must respond to my email within 48 hours or another winner may be chosen. Please make sure that your spam filter allows email from Joyfully Jay.
- Winners may be announced on the blog following the contest. By entering the contest you are agreeing to allow your name to be posted and promoted as the contest winner by Joyfully Jay.
- Prizes will be distributed following the giveaway either by Joyfully Jay or the person/organization donating the prize.
- All book prizes are in electronic format unless otherwise specified.
- By entering you are agreeing to hold Joyfully Jay harmless if the prize or giveaway in some way negatively impacts the winner.
- Readers may only enter once for each contest. Β Duplicate entries for the same giveaway will be ignored. In the event of technical problems with the blog during the contest, every effort will be made to extend the contest deadline to allow for additional entries.
- Void where prohibited by law.
I’ve had my eye on this series since reading Jay’s review of the first two episodes, would be great to win the final book in the series!
Thomas, good luck! Thanks for your interest! π
Thanks, Leta!
I’m all for chocolate at all times whether I’m stressed or not. Reading is another good stress reliever, but that probably wouldn’t enable you to write at the same time. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the giveaway, Ms. Blake.
Thanks, Kareni! I’m a huge chocolate fan, too! π Good luck on the giveaway!
Thanks for this post, when stressed i go and sit in front of our aquarium (Fish tank) and watch the fish π It is very stress relieving. Thanks for the giveaway chance.
Oh, wow, that sounds so relaxing! Thanks for sharing that! Good luck on the giveaway! π
I love your three items! Β I find that doing a bit of recreational reading helps reset my mind and reduce stress/worry. Β It also helps when I am angry.
Oh, that’s interesting that reading helps when you’re angry. Thanks so much for replying! Good luck on the giveaway! π
Love your suggestions! π I read to reduce stress, I love getting lost in someone else’s story for a while! I’ve really been looking forward to reading this series, it sounds great!
Reading is definitely a great way to get away from it all! Thanks for your interest! π Good luck on the giveaway!
I’d like to win the books but otherwise i will buy them π
Aw, thank you, Cyntia! π
I enjoyed the post congratulations on having completed your series do you think you would write another episode type book again? I’ll have to try that looking at baby animals when I get stressed. I also think when you’re on facebook the time just flies by.
I loved working on this serial and I do think I might do another like it some day. We’ll have to see how it all plays out, but it was incredibly satisfying writing to people’s enthusiasms! π
I like old-school Muppet Show videos (NOT the new series, which just makes me more jangly). No matter how hard my life gets, at least I don’t have to worry about turning into a chicken just in time for Roger Miller’s guest-star appearance…
Haha! That is truly looking on the bright side! Good luck on the giveaway! π
Oh, bunny pictures work so well. O.O I also find that little breaks to do something mindless (for me usually organizing something, which I find very soothing) is also helpful. Rewarding yourself with a 5 minute break every hour or so makes it so much easier to handle!
Bunnies!!! π You’re right about that reward after work. So true. π Thank you for your interest! Good luck on the giveaway!Β
I don”t think I’ve got any tips for stress reduction, although I rescued 3 baby kittens last year-they’re almost a year old-
and they can definitely distract me. π
Haha! I can only imagine! Three kitties! π Thank you for the interest! Good luck on the giveaway!
I read to releive stress. Β You books sound perfect for that.
Aw, thank you! I’ve had some folks tell me it’s a really fun ride! Thank you for the interest! Good luck on the giveaway!
Please count me in. Thanks.
Awesome! Thank you for the interest! Good luck!
Ugh, I think I’ll be that annoying person who says that exercise really helps. Now, I qualify that because if someone said you should run, definitely not going to leave me feeling stress-free or focused, except maybe on how much I hate running. However, I do classes where I get to dance? Yeah, I’m having fun and feeling good about myself afterwards, so it helps. Of course, dark chocolate and a good book is also a nice quick fix! Thanks for sharing your stressbusters and for the chance at the Wake Up Married bundle!
Exercise is truly the best stress buster around! Thank you for participating and for the interest! Good luck on the giveaway!
Thanks for the post. Reading helps with everything. Reading about someone else’s troubles makes mine seem better. And wine. Wine is always good too. π
WINE!!! π I hear you! Thank you, Lisa, for the interest! Good luck on the drawing!
The series sounds lovely and fun!
Thank you! π Good luck on the giveaway! π
A doctor, the mafia and a Vegas oopsie? Count me in!
Yay!!! π Thank you! Good luck on the giveaway!