Marriage, Melodies, and Rewritten Conclusions - Spotlight Book Tour

Kaylee McGrurd feels like life has left her behind. Her best friends have all moved out, married, or are in the process of matrimony. Meanwhile, she’s lost another job, and her daily diet consists of noodles that are better suited as packing material.

Then Kaylee’s ex, Gabe Sanders, enters the equation.

Gabe walked out on Kaylee without warning or explanation nine years earlier, but now he’s been brought back to the area for the unforeseen future. And he’s in need of new lead vocalist for his wedding band.

A dwindling account balance calls for desperate measures, and Kaylee reluctantly accepts Gabe’s offer. While the former couple works together in the midst of happy marriages and heartfelt melodies, secrets and the need for forgiveness highlight the strife between them…and the hope that maybe God’s rewriting the conclusion to their story.

Amazon 

V. Joy Palmer is the author of Love, Lace, and Minor Alterations and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She is also an avid blogger and co-founder of Snack Time Devotions. In her spare time, Joy is an unprofessional chocolate connoisseur/binger, and she loves acting crazy and drinking coffee with the teens she mentors. When Joy isn't urging the elves that live in her computer to write, she's hanging out with her husband, their adorable baby girl, and their socially awkward pets.

How do you stay motivated and focused to write during these crazy days?

Even before 2020 unleashed its Jumanji levels of craziness on us, the way I have stayed motivated and focused to write is by constantly implementing and reminding myself of the following things (and we’re counting down because I like to be confusing like that):

4. Coffee. Lots of coffee.

Lorelai Gilmore and I have similar mottos when it comes to coffee. For me, it’s a key part of my writing process. My lifeblood, motivator, and reward all rolled into one!

3. That I shouldn’t begrudge those seemingly insignificant time periods. 

The twenties minutes of writing time that I get in before disaster strikes (crayon on the walls, anyone?) or I pass out from exhaustion do amount to something – I’ve even determined key plot points in those short time periods. The ten minutes that I have here and there can help me get a lot of research done throughout the week or even the day. The potential scene ideas scribbled into my notebook give me something to think about so that I have something to work with when I sit down to write. These little things don’t seem like a lot in the moment, but they make a HUGE difference in the long run!

2. That I need to protect the precious time that I can set aside for writing.

I write best when I can get out of the house, and that requires some planning, arranging, and the aligning of all the elements of the universe in order to achieve that feat. Phew – I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Even when I can’t get out of the house (looking at you, Oh Great Spring Quarantine), I really need to protect the time I have set aside to write because distractions abound! Those larger periods of time are hard to find, and sometimes that means saying no to fun or even necessary things like being lazy, seeing friends, housework, or reading. Especially as a work-from-home mom, I need to be diligent about saying, “Sorry, that time is already booked.” 

1. That I need to give myself grace.

If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s that the unexpected will rip the pages of my perfectly crafted plan into unrecognizable pieces at some point. For better or worse, that is part of life. If I am constantly thinking things like “I should have done this instead,” “I should be able to do all of this,” or “I should have finished this already,” then I’m adding burdens to my weary shoulders by “shoulding” on myself. I need to give myself grace. I can only do my best, and my best will be different from season to season, day to day. And that’s okay.