A Moment with Ednah Walter's ~ author of "Betrayed" (Blog Tour/giveaway)

I love Ednah Walter's the Guardian Legacy books.  Betrayed is the second installment.  If you've followed this blog for a while, you've seen me post several times about her books.  The opportunity came up to host her again, and quite frankly, I wouldn't refuse.  I love to have her here.

Today she is going to tell us a little about the joys of being a writing mother!

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THE JOY OF BEING A MOM WRITER

Aah, the joy of motherhood is unsurpassed by anything. I have five children and would not trade them for anything. When I chose to be a stay-at-home mother, my family thought I was nuts. All they saw was the stress I went through getting my doctorate and how I was “throwing” all that education away. They didn’t realize that the money I would have made working outside home could never make up for the joy of being my children’s primary caretaker.

However, I’m first to admit that being a stay-at-home mother is not for everyone. It is a choice, just like working outside a home while raising a family is, or choosing a career over having a family. To each their own, and judge not lest you be judged. Still, I count myself lucky to have a husband who works hard so I can stay at home with our children.

But the one thing I found out as years rolled by (it’s been 16 years) is that being a stay-at-home mother is emotionally, mentally and physically draining. Some women balance this by immersing themselves in charity work, church activities, or school and community organizations. It gives them balance. I did what I could at my kids’ school, but it wasn’t enough. Plus, working with other children is not easy—kudos to teachers for teaching our children and staying sane. Some of those little children are a nightmare. I swore that I will never ever get angry with a teacher again, for whatever reason, after what I’ve seen them put up with.

FYI, Parents. Your perfect little angels are little demons in disguise! Make sure you do something special to the teachers on Teachers Appreciation Week every year.

So what did I decide to do to give me balance? Write. I am an avid reader. Before I started writing, I read everything—from Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy espionage books to Jonathan Cook medical thrillers, Nora Roberts contemporary and futuristic books to J.R. Ward’s BDB. Writing is like reading to me.

The best part of writing is I am my own boss. I get to do what I love and keep my own schedule. I work when I am with the kids at the park, waiting in line at carpool, or by the poolside or in the ski lodge while they ski. Hehehe, how can you beat being your own boss? (Uh, don’t get me start on deadlines though. Then I am not my own boss.)

Secondly, they know what I do and see me do it, share in my joys and disappointments. When I’d get a rejection letter, they’d see how I dealt with it—namely, the frustrated, “it’s another rejection” moment then how I’d pick myself up and continue writing. I set the example. They learned by watching me, saw that disappointments were a part of life, but you don’t let them get you down. You picked yourself up, dusted your pants off and kept going.

Of course, they are not so very understanding when they have to eat leftovers and the clothes are not folded week after week when I have a deadline. But all in all, they are my cheerleaders.

Whenever I am overwhelmed…you know helping them with their projects, homework, afterschool activities, house chores and doing little writing, one would say, “Maybe you need to check into a hotel this weekend, Mom, and just focus on your writing instead of us.”

Have I done this before? You bet. Two straight days of uninterrupted writing is amazing. Of course, my family comes first, so I don’t mind never attending a conference or a writers’ retreat, or book tours. But being a writer mom is the best job in the world.

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I was fortunate to post an excerpt in July 2011.  Go here to see it!

I am re-posting my review.  This was originally posted on August 1, 2011.

My Quick review and thoughts:  

Lil and Bran's relationship is full steam ahead.  There are many huggy and kissy scenes.  Then the relationship takes a detour and goes downhill.  They are keeping secrets and pulling away from each other.  While the
relationship is in trouble, Lil is trying to deal with a demonic father who is trying to sway her to his side.  He is evil and she is good.  

The actions becomes more intense about 2/3 of the way into the book.  I enjoyed this book.  I would recommend it to older YA readers, because of the descriptive make out sessions. ;0)

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