To continue in my series of Mommy Authors, a post from Virginia Voelker, author or The Color of Ordinary Time. Stay tuned next week for a reveal of the cover to my newest book, Hot Mess.
Battle Cry
Hi. My name is Virginia, and I’m a writer. I’m also a mom, a wife, a knitter, a failed would be rock goddess, a blogger, a reader, a reviewer, an amateur historian, and the most deadly gardener I know. I would like to tell you that I have a set time for writing everyday. I would like to claim that I sit down from the hours of nine to noon and diligently craft my stories over a soothing cup of fragrant tea. I would like to say that my life is harmoniously organized and transcendent. I would like to assert all of that. But I would be such a liar.
I love being a mom not just because I love my boys. Although I do. I love that moment when they’ve learned something and are so excited they want to go out and use their knowledge now. I love the energy and confidence they bring to the proceedings of their lives. I enjoy the fun. I enjoy the honesty. I enjoy the little traditions that are just ours.
I write because I love that moment in a well crafted story where you can hardly turn the page because you know what is coming next could be too awful for words. I also love that moment when the story takes a turn that is so right, or good, or true, that reading the passage brings tears to your eyes. I aspire to writing those moments. Sometimes I’m almost successful.
These two things — being a mom, and being a writer — are the only things I’ve always wanted to do. I’m not going to pretend it’s always easy, or well organized. For the moment my boys are young enough that I do far more mom-ing than I do writing. Over time I know that will change. Until the change comes, I write on the back of shopping receipts while I wait for the bus, or in a notebook next to my dying garden while the boys play tag. I keep great ideas on brightly colored sticky notes that migrate around the house with me. Sometimes a sticky note turns out to hold a grocery list instead of a great novel. Such is life.
At night, after the boys have had their stories and are tucked in, I sit down at my computer. As I sort through my sticky notes and receipts I work at creating those written moments I aspire to. I don’t mind that it’s hard work. Hard work makes you strong. I don’t even mind that I fail more than I succeed, for I have been granted a battle cry by my sons.
My battle cry is made up of the words my oldest used to repeat to himself when he was a preschooler and concentrating hard on something. To me they are the embodiment of energy and confidence in the face of struggle.
“Strawberry Jam! I’m a genius!”
How could I possibly fail with a battle cry like that?
Virginia's blog can be found HERE
Her book, The Color of Ordinary Time, can be purchased from the following: You guys may have to copy/paste the links in the browser window. My links aren't working for some reason.(Anne's note)
At Amazon: HERE or http://www.amazon.com/The-Color-Ordinary-Time-ebook/dp/B00CIC91WQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366931649&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Color+of+ordinary+time
At Barnes and Noble: HERE
At lulu: HERE or http://www.lulu.com/shop/
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