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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Deadlines Might Just Be the Death of Me

by Chautona Havig · 4 Comments

Deadlines are many authors' nemeses--okay, probably most if not all--but deadlines also affect more than just the author. Here's what's up with mine... via @chautonahavig

It happens every year. February looms. With it, comes the deadline for the next Madeline book. I write in a panic. Will I make it in time? Will the book actually be finished, edited, proofread, and uploaded by the release date?

Madeline Series

I never know. Maybe I should know. Actually, no maybe about it. I should.

But there’s something about this series that defies time and authority.

I’ve examined my process, and it’s sound. See, the last book of the year is published on Black Friday. So, for what it’s worth, that book is DONE by that day, you know? That gives me two months to write the next book. Two and a half, even! Technically, I can squeak it to three if I want to. And a couple of times I’ve had to do that.

No other historical fiction has ever been so time-consuming as this series has been for me. It sucks every spare second I have. And while I can usually write about five hundred words every twenty minutes, I average more like three hundred on Madeline.

#BecauseResearch

Seriously, these books take research on things you can’t possibly anticipate until the scene arrives and you just need to know before you can write more. Like seriously, what did a 122 roll of Kodak film look like in 1902? Do you know how many HOURS I spent scouring the internet? I found the rolls… no boxes that definitively identified themselves as from before 1915. Ahem.

Some might say, “What’s the big deal? You get it done when you get it done.”

I’ve got one answer. #BecauseDeadlines. And let me tell you something.

Deadlines Might Just Be the Death of Me

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Deadlines Might Just Be the Death of Me

Not everyone gets it. After all, I’m an indie author, right? Who cares when the books are published?

Every word of that is true. I feel it.

However, sometimes other people are affected by your progress and choices—people like editors, publicity folks, reviewers and bloggers. You don’t want to leave them hanging until the last second—or at all.

And yet here I am on March 4th, almost three weeks after this book was supposed to be published, and it’s not done. There’s a blog tour starting next week. Guess what book won’t be published yet?

Of course, when I realized that, the overwhelm commenced.

For those who don’t know me well, I need to explain that statement. For me, Overwhelm = Shut down. You can read all about that HERE.

Next came the self-condemnation. You know how that goes. “I should have been more diligent.” Or, “It’s so inconsiderate of you to sleep when people are waiting for that book! (Whoever said self-condemnation was rational?)

So, I took a few hours off.

Insert more guilt.

I did a lot of praying—didn’t take away the existing guilt, but at least I didn’t add more.

Then I went to bed.

The solution came to me (i.e. God whacked some sense into my head) this “morning” at about 2 p.m. Pacific. I didn’t like the solution, but it was the right one…

Okay, before I go on, I need to point out something.

I’m not a huge believer in “confirmation theology.”

Bible for deadlines death of me
Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

What’s that? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, it’s the notion that if you decide to do something, and something else happens that seems to support that decision, it’s “confirmed” as God’s will.

Still, it felt like a nudge from the Lord when I awoke to my friend asking about the book and how she could help me reduce the deadline stress. Sometimes those “we both had the same idea at the same time” feels more like the first part of the old, “Great minds think alike,” and far removed from the rest of that saying that goes, “and fools seldom differ.”

So, what’s my solution?

Not going to tell you—not yet. First, I want to share a few things—things that maybe others need to read so any unreasonable expectations heaping on their heads can be knocked off again.

See, the argument can be made that I knew this deadline wwwwaaaay back in February of 2019. Why didn’t I get on the ball back then?

Okay, well first, I did. I came up with my idea and tossed it. About a dozen times. My original one from several years ago stank, and each one after it stank, too.

But also, there were other books to do. Books like Blessing Bentley and Hashtag Rogue, just to name two. Once Hashtag Rogue launched, I had a slew of deadlines—great, looming deadlines. By the middle to end of October, I needed to have, Wrong about Mr. Wright, 12 Dates of Christmas, and Christmas on Breakers Point done. Additionally, I needed Charming Miss Dashwood done by November 1.

Gulp.

Still, they were “novellas” and that meant a bit shorter than a full-length novel. I really didn’t see any reason I couldn’t do it. I’d wanted to do Seaside in 2019. That didn’t happen. In fact, on September 12th, I got a call from my mother that changed everything and kicked Seaside off my to-do list in one, ten-minute conversation.

See, my mother has always promised that if she needed me, she’d call. On that September day, just as I was heading down south for a meeting, she did. Okay, technically, she had my sister tell me to call. So, I called her.

Still, the result was the same. She needed me to come. Now. So, that Saturday, #5daughter dropped me off at LAX and I flew to Springfield for “a couple of weeks.” That’s when I figured out that Seaside would probably have to be dropped. After all, I was going to have limited writing time while at my mother’s house.

I had no idea.

Christmas on Breakers PointThere’s an interesting coincidental tidbit for you right about here.

Just a couple of days before Mom called, I’d written the opening scene from Christmas on Breakers Point. (you can read that HERE if you like ) In that scene, Mallory gets a call from her beloved great uncle who is like a grandfather to her. He tells her it’s time to come. His “expiration date” is almost up.

While my mother wasn’t on her deathbed, she was very ill—very ill. Weak. Soon she was unable to eat—to swallow. I spent most of my time just chatting and trying to keep her spirits up while we navigated selling her house and getting her ready to move. Home with me. To California.

Over six weeks I fought the hospital there for her medical records, packed up a few huge boxes with things she wanted to bring here, ran all over the place trying to get her house sold, drove back and forth to Springfield to trade in cars, saving me several hundred dollars over just doing it over the phone.

Oh… and I wrote any chance I got.

Somehow, and I’ll tell what I think the Lord did there some other day, I managed to finish three of those books. Three books in six weeks. I also wrote a short story bonus for one of them.

The book that was due by November 1… it didn’t happen. We came home on October 25th and on the 28th, I drove mom to one of our best hospitals in Southern California, Loma Linda University Hospital. She got the help she needed.

And I started writing.

Do you know how hard it is to write in a hospital room while wearing gloves and a gown because your mother tested positive for MRSA? Not easy. Just sayin’.

In that room, I wrote the bonus short story for Christmas on Breakers Point (you can still get it if you buy the paperback, btw!) and got to work on Charming Miss Dashwood. That book was supposed to be a part of the A Very Austen Romance collection releasing in November/December. I knew it wouldn’t be done in time. Still, I’d promised to do it, so I decided to finish it and give it to the collection admins so they could use it as a bonus novella. Maybe it would help sales or something.

Thanksgiving came. Mom came home. More days of no writing.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, I drove with my oldest daughter and her family to Las Vegas (they needed someone to drive one of the vehicles that far). I was a mess for a few days (who am I kidding. I’m still a mess. This gal who “doesn’t cry” sobs every time I think of them being so far away. I’m blaming impending menopause. You won’t convince me otherwise).

The following Wednesday, I drove my mother back down to Loma Linda for a follow-up appointment. On the way home from that, I got the news that my mother-in-law was with Jesus.

Okay, can I just go on record right now to say that 2019 STINKS?

2019

Seriously. Look at the list of joys.

  • In June, plantar fasciitis became a thing at the SoCal Writer’s Conference… misery ever since (unless I’m wearing my Dr. Scholl’s inserts!)
  • July 4th, we got 5.4 and 6.4 earthquakes
  • July 5th, a 7.1 earthquake set off MONTHS of quakes—over 40K as of today.
  • August 24th, I sprained my wrist in a fall on my way to a book launch for Crown: 30 Wife-Changing Lessons (there are pictures and my review of the book HERE).
  • September 12th, Mom needed me
  • September 14th, I left for Missouri
  • October 25th, I came home (with three books and a short story written)
  • October 28th, I left for Loma Linda
  • November 16th I came home… without Mom. She was in “acute rehab” (hospital talk for short-term instead of “chronic” which is long-term)
  • November 27th, I brought Mom home
  • December 1st, I drove to Las Vegas and back still sleep-deprived from being on normal people time (did I mention that I was AWAKE DURING THE DAY ALL THAT TIME starting September 14th?)
  • Mother-in-Law died on December 4th
  • December 8th, flew to Minnesota and flew home December 11th (and informed the collection that my book was done the following Sunday)
  • SICK for the next 2 weeks (including an Emergency Room visit)
  • From January-February, I wrote another Dual Power of Conviction.

That’s not everything, of course, but look at what I accomplished during all that time!!!

Still, can you see why I say 2019 STINKS?

On the other hand, despite everything that Murphy (or Satan… or both) could throw at me, God somehow managed to help me get five books written, a dozen or more reviews done, a retreat planned, attended, and recuperated from (including some super-cute tote bags I made!) and a host of other stuff.

However, I didn’t get Byrd’s Eye View finished yet. And I was upset about that. Seriously?

Ready for the punch line?

I chose a word for this year. One word to focus on and remind me of what I thought I needed to learn. That word? Enough.

Yeah. I know. Oh, the irony.

I hear you asking the question.

“So, what’s the point of all this?”

Here’s my answer

First, an apology. I’m not apologizing for not being able to do more than I can do. I’m not. However, I am sorry I didn’t take a look at where I was, what I’d done, and realize that I wouldn’t be able to do things I’d expected to do. If I’d done that, we might not have people waiting for books for a blog tour that is going to be a little… different.

sorry

I’m sending out the first five chapters (completely unedited, the poor dears) of Byrd’s Eye View to the bloggers who signed up for this book. They’ll share the info about it—synopsis, the post about how it tried not to be written, and share the LINK  to where you can pre-order it for almost 20% off (that price is good through launch day and then it goes up to 5.99). They’ll get the full book later, and maybe some of them will update their posts with a review. Maybe not. I’m good either way. I get it.

But meantime… I can breathe again. I’m excited to work on this book again. And if nothing else, Madeline lovers will have something more exciting to look forward to on “Tax Day” than rushing to the post office.

Still, I hope you’ll follow the blog tour next week. I hope you’ll enter the giveaway. Most of all, I hope you’ll read Madeline when she’s done and done to the best of my ability and that you’ll love this adventure as much as I do.

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Comments

  1. Cindy Hoffman says

    March 6, 2020 at 11:14 am

    Wow! I am totally amazed by how much you have experienced and accomplished over the past year. It’s not typical and you obviously have a gift. Thank you, Jesus, for giving this daughter of yours the energy and the ability to bless and encourage so many people and make such a difference. Please continue to guide and protect her as she serves You!
    And thank you Chautona, for giving 200%…we love you!

    Reply
  2. Ava P Kinsey says

    March 5, 2020 at 7:18 pm

    Wow. I’m sitting here with my mouth hanging open. All I can think of is “Bless your heart,” and I mean that in the heart-felt, wish-I-could-do-something way, not the way that gets made fun of all the time.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      March 5, 2020 at 8:10 pm

      You know a true Southerner when they recognize that the phrase is used both ways!

      Reply
  3. Lucinda Culp says

    March 5, 2020 at 5:43 pm

    Madeline helped me get through the worst weeks of my life last winter. And all of the books you’ve written since then? Let’s just say 2019 was crummy here, too, and having new literary works from YOU helped distract me from a lot of ickiness. Madeline is wonderful, in part because of the research you do. Don’t shortcut that for anyone. Madeline 2020 is already helping me survive an almost as crummy so far 2020. I’m grateful for every single word you choose to bless us with, even if they’re not always within the timeframe you intended. #bekindtoyourself

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 264: A Chat with Romance Author, Sarah Monzon
September 26, 2023
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Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
September 23, 2023
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Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
September 19, 2023
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
September 15, 2023
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Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
September 12, 2023
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Episode 259: A Chat with Debut Author, Laura Conaway
September 8, 2023
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Episode 258: A Louisiana Christmas to Remember
September 2, 2023
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Episode 257: A Chat with Fantasy Author, N. Ford
September 1, 2023
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Episode 256: A Chat about Summer in the Spotlight w/ Liz Johnson
August 29, 2023
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