EMBRACE THE PAUSE

I got bit by the writing bug early. By the time I was thirteen, I knew I wanted to write books. I sold my first short story in 1986, and I’ve been writing ever since.

But where I used to be able to write for six, eight, even ten hours a day (with the help of enough coffee and Doritos—hey, it was college), now, as I am entering my mid-to-late career, I simply can’t. Even when the fingers are willing, the brain simply is not.

And that’s okay.

This has not been the easiest lesson, but I’ve started to welcome those times when my brain pauses for breath, even when they last for a couple of days. They give me time to consider what I’ve written, and to look ahead and assess my plans. I reorient and readjust to the changes I’ve created.

The most difficult part is to really believe that the pause is not permanent. Like a lot of authors, I’m a control freak, and not being in control of my own process is, frankly, a bitch. But I can choose to trust that I’m not done. My brain is still working. I can take the time to read, to research, to get out in the fresh air, or go for a swim. The pause is just that. A pause. 

The thinking is coming back into balance with the actual writing, and the writing is better for it.

Everybody’s process is their own, but if yours is including more pauses, then take a deep breath and let yourself reset, reconsider, and readjust. And maybe get out in the fresh air.

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The crews of Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Ezri Dax, and William Riker unite to prevent a cosmic-level apocalypse—only to find that some fates really are inevitable.

THEIR MOST DAUNTING MISSION WILL BE THEIR FINEST HOUR.

The epic Star Trek: Coda trilogy comes to a shattering conclusion as the Temporal Apocalypse forces Starfleet’s greatest heroes to make the greatest sacrifices of their lives.

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In this thrilling historical fantasy, time-traveling Librarian spy Irene will need to delve deep into a tangled web of loyalty and power to keep her friends safe.

Irene is trying to learn the truth about Alberich-and the possibility that he's her father. But when the Library orders her to kill him, and then Alberich himself offers to sign a truce, she has to discover why he originally betrayed the Library.

With her allies endangered and her strongest loyalties under threat, she'll have to trace his past across multiple worlds and into the depths of mythology and folklore, to find the truth at the heart of the Library, and why the Library was first created. 

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The Man is happy. The Woman is happy. That means Gatz is happy. He'd like to forget about the trouble he made to get them back together—only slightly ashamed at his antics—and focus on the future. The Woman and New Man are about to get married, after all. But when The Woman loses her job because of some bad press about the two of them, her confidence is broken and she can't help but feel resentful towards New Man when his own career stays intact. Gatz has to give it to him; New Man remains as patient as a saint (of course he does).

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Among the ton of Regency London, one breath of scandal can be disastrous. Enter Rosalind Thorne, a young woman adept at helping ladies of quality navigate the most delicate problems—in this charming mystery series inspired by the novels of Jane Austen . . .

It is every mama’s dearest wish that her daughter marries well. But how to ensure that a seemingly earnest suitor is not merely a fortune hunter? Rosalind is involved in just such a case, discreetly investigating a client’s prospective son-in-law, when she is drawn into another predicament shockingly close to home.

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His head made the list but his heart’s not in it.

Ex-SEAL Max Del Toro persuaded his friend Ava Long to play matchmaker in exchange for posing as her boyfriend for one night. He even gave her a list of must-haves for his future wife. Except now he can’t stop thinking about Ava—who doesn’t check a single item on his list! Navigating his feelings seems more dangerous than any mission. Can Max abandon his plan and take a spontaneous risk for love?

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Everyone has secrets. Especially those who live in the shadows.

Cristian Slava doesn’t fear much. After he was betrayed by the man he called an uncle, leaving upstate New York for the Carpathian Mountains of his childhood is more a matter of practicality than fear. With him is Atlas Kinkaid, a former marine turned fierce bodyguard…and fierce lover, albeit a hell of a complicated one.

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Christmas has come early to the beautiful Poconos resort that’s the setting for the American Baking Battle’s holiday special, where chef Courtney Archer is on hand to sample festive fare—and lift the lid off a killer . . .

Six ambitious bakers are competing for glory and a grand prize, showcasing their most delicious candies, cookies, and desserts. Courtney detects some on-set grinchiness from her coworkers, especially judge Shannon Collins, but she’s hoping the sweet treats will restore everyone’s festive spirits. That Christmas wish swiftly fizzles when assistant director Kinzy Hummel is found strangled—with an apron from Shannon’s new product line . . .

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A steamy fling with an old crush who doesn’t do commitment? What was she thinking! Find out in the conclusion to Reese Ryan’s Bourbon Brothers series.

What happens when you say yes to a bad boy?

Even if divorcée Renee Lockwood were willing to give love a second chance, she wouldn’t choose Cole Abbott. The sexy, successful real estate developer doesn’t do commitment. But he’s perfect for a no-strings fling—exactly what Ren needs now that she’s moved back home to raise her son. Mind-blowing pleasure with the man she once crushed on is harder to quit than Ren expected. Impossible, in fact. Is time running out before the bad boy bolts…or will the results of her experiment surprise her?

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Forsaken. Deathless. A monster in every way. Mostly, Brochan is determined. He craves what fate promised him—the woman who will help him conquer a heavenly kingdom. He will stop at nothing to win her.

Viola, Keeper of the demon of Narcissism, lives for a single purpose—treating herself and her pet to the best life possible. But a crazed warrior is now appearing everywhere she ventures, ruining her fun…. tempting her beyond reason and keeping her at a razor-edge of desire.

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Searching for a safe haven and a new beginning…

Returning home for the holidays after an unexpected pregnancy, Clara Fisher needs a fresh start. And working as a housekeeper for Tucker Church and his teenage niece is the first step. Clara still has hard choices to make, but Tucker might be just the person to help her forget her fears. Could the path to her new future also lead to love?

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A missing-person case turns into a rescue operation.

After months of searching for Violet James, Gabriel Runyon and his K-9 partner finally track her down—just in time to rescue her from her ex-fiancé. Now they must safeguard the single mother and her newborn daughter. Leaving Violet’s Alaskan hideout is the safest option, but with a winter storm rolling in, it’s not just a murderer they have to escape…

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Danger awaits in the icy winter shadows in two Alaska K-9 Unit Christmas novellas.

Forensic scientist Tala Ekho and K-9 state trooper Ian McCaffrey investigate a thief whose deadly agenda begins with jewels…and ends with Tala's murder in Maggie K. Black's Holiday Heist. And in Lenora Worth's Alaskan Christmas Chase, criminal psychologist Mallory Haru, tech whiz Eli Partridge and a traumatized K-9 must keep a teen out of the hands of a robbery gang.

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She'd sworn him to secrecyBut some secrets can kill…

When Valerie Yates and Nash Colton reunite, they don't expect that their love could reawaken old demons. Soon after Valerie confesses a devastating truth, Nash is arrested for murder. She's determined to prove his innocence, but doing so means uncovering even more heartbreak and betrayal. Can the former lovers find their second chance…and capture a killer tracking Nash's every move?