Guest Blogging with Casey Crow

As you may or may not know, the writing community is one that is pretty close-knit -- especially when it comes to interacting online. When I was a freelancer actively looking for work, I was part of an online freelance writing community called Freelance Success. This is a fabulous site and community that is made up of all types of nonfiction writers and boasts just about every byline you'd see in most consumer magazines (Woman's Day, The New York Times Magazine, TIME, USA Today Magazine, Parenting, etc.). Tons of contacts, support, and guidance from veteran writers and industry experts. It's actually thanks to FLX (as it's called by its members) that I got my book deals last year!

The last few years, as my work has centered more on corporate copywriting and teaching, I've strayed away from this kind of freelancing and have been interacting more with my creative self when it comes to online writing communities. Yes, I will admit, I have several works of fiction in progress: a YA novel (which was my master's thesis project from over two years ago); a romantic paranormal suspense novel that I'm thinking of building into a trilogy -- again, more than two years in progress; and a sci-fi romantic novella I started last summer as a way to flush my brain.

Whether it's my addiction to work or my undiagnosed and untreated ADD, I have yet to be able to sit down and conscientiously finish any of these projects. This week I'm editing a 600+ page Web site -- and assignment I took without batting an eye. Last year, I co-authored two books that was easily 700 pages total. Yet, I can't seem to push these stories and characters that I know and love forward. Fiction writing is by far the hardest thing I have ever done.

So, I am eternally grateful for having been able to make contact with and build some relationships with more experienced novelists through the Internet. I actually met Casey Crow through Facebook, via Cynthia Eden, another author who was kind enough to critique some of my work a few years ago. Casey was kind enough to offer me a spot as a guest on her blog, which I happily took her up on. I'll be doing a series of "confession" blogs, starting with a post where I unabashedly come out as a book addict (a huge shock to anyone who knows me, I'm sure). Check it out: Confessions of a Book Addict.

Would love to hear suggestions or ideas for future posts!