Welcome to my stop on author P.R. Newton's Virtual Book Tour
for Shattered Embrace, presented by Reading Addiction Book Tours.
Please leave a comment or question for P.R. to let her know you stopped
by. You can enter the tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter
form below. You can also follow the rest of P.R.'s tour here,
the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.
Tips
For Parents Writing With Young Ones Around
P.R. Newton is an author of both a non-fiction work and a
fiction novel, Shattered Embrace. She has two young boys with special needs,
one who is still too young for school, making writing a daily challenge.
1 –There is never going to be a perfect time. The kids
are going to get sick. They may be napping one week, then not napping the next.
School schedules change. Sports and school demand a lot of parents.
Appointments and errands can seem never ending. There will simply never be the
perfect time to write, but if you want it badly enough you will carve out
moments.
2 – When you get time to write, focus and have a game
plan. Are you editing? Working on a tricky scene? Outlining? Whatever you are
doing, if you have some precious childfree time to write, focus and make the
most of those moments. The best way to do this is to have a plan, know what you
are going to work on during that time, and do only that. Oh and turn off the
internet!
3 –Figure out your strengths and weaknesses. What comes
easy that you can do quickly and efficiently? Save those tasks for moments you
can carve out of your day, those five minute windows that can really add up.
For tough tasks, save those for when you have more time and can focus. For
myself, that’s editing. I need time to get into the right mindset and to focus
for extended periods while editing, so I save that work for when I have a
sitter.
4 – Emotions will spill over. Try and compartmentalize.
Shattered Embrace is a very emotional story and while writing many of the
scenes I would take on those emotions, sadness, fear, stress, anxiety, grief.
It can be extremely hard to change gears. I find a great way to shed the emotions
so I can be present for my family, is to end those really emotional writing
sessions ten minutes early and go for a walk or shower. The goal is to clear my
mind, so I don’t bring those emotions to my family.
5 – Become an organization machine. I create calendars
that I get printed and laminated. The calendars have all of our schedules
(including school, sports, work and my writing promos and deadlines) and
because they are laminated I can use erasable markers to update them. I hang
them near our kitchen so the whole family knows what is coming up. I have a
separate schedule for meal planning and grocery shopping.
6 – Give up the idea of perfection. I fretted over
Shattered Embrace for two years after it was essentially finished. I wanted it
perfect. And with every look I found new things to change. It would still be
sitting on a hard drive if I hadn’t finally decided to let it go and send it
into the world.
7 – Write. It sounds kind of silly, but I meet so many
people who tell me they have stories they want to write. They look at me as if
I should offer some great insight, some astounding secret that will help them
achieve their dream. There isn’t one except write. I wrote the first chapter of
Shattered on the back of check out receipts at my local library while my kids
played in the kids section. I kept checking out more and more books just to get
more paper. A number of other scenes were written on my phone (I use a Galaxy
Note, which I LOVE as a writer), as I waited in the car to pick up my son from
school. If you want to write, write. Excuses won’t get the story finished and
your dream achieved.
8 – Know you can’t do it all. Don’t compare your output
to those with no children in the home. Family is so important, your kids need
you and they will only be little once. Family always needs to come first.
9 – Dream big but remember this is a marathon, not a
sprint. Life is going to get in the way. As a parent you have so many things
pulling you in different directions. If it doesn’t get done today, let it go,
don’t carry any guilt about it, just give it another try tomorrow.
10 – And finally, don’t give up. This is your dream. Your
desire. It will take time and lots of work, but it can happen.
Shattered Embrace
by P.R. Newton
Publisher: PRN Publishing
Release Date: February
27, 2014
Genre: Women's
Fiction
Length: 398
Pages
ISBN: 978-0-992023-29-4
ASIN: B00IP2A6B8
About the book:
Bethlehem took her first breath as her mother took her last.
Left to survive in overcrowded Ethiopian orphanages, she developed survival skills rivaling a warrior - a fierce, independent fighter before she could walk or talk. As she approached her second birthday, Bethlehem lived her days guided by two rules: everyone leaves and trust no one.
A world away in Canada, Tory Witcraft is trying to adopt from Ethiopia with her husband, Matt, when her adoption agency goes bankrupt, threatening her dreams of becoming a mother. Against the advice of many, including government officials threatening to revoke the adoption, she goes to Ethiopia, and her new daughter, Bethlehem.
When they finally meet, both mother and daughter struggle to connect, each trapped by their own fears and demons. Emotions and tempers run hot. Hearts and dreams collide, shattering a family before it could fully form.
The adoption journey was difficult, but no one expected the hardest part of the journey would begin once they met.
Excerpt
An itty bitty little thing of a girl came
running into the room. Bouncing high with each step as she flew at them and
promptly threw herself into Matt’s lap. Tory’s hand clutched her face, her
breath stopped in her chest as she watched Matt draw the little girl close. His
body rocked as he held her, his face split into a smile of pure joy.
“Daddy!” she cried out in a squeaky voice.
She grabbed Matt’s face kissing each cheek with a big, slimy, open mouth kiss.
“Bethlehem!” Matt breathed out as he hugged
her and kissed the top of her head.
“Bethlehem,” Tory whispered the name, as if
saying it for the first time as she took in the face of the little girl she had
studied through pictures for months. Blowing up the pictures until she could
examine every facet of the the little girls features. Seeing her up close, face
to face, finally close enough to touch left Tory breathless. Her skin itched to
touch her. With a tentative hand she stroked her back.
P.
R. Newton
P.R. (Piper) Newton is a proud geek mom of
two little boys, one through birth, one through adoption. She has a background
in psychology and continues to take post-grad courses in childhood trauma and
development. In her writings she loves to explore the human mind, putting her
characters through unthinkable things, just to see how they react. She is a
full-time author, who believes in the magical, creative inducing powers of arm
warmers and stripy socks.
Website: http://prnewton.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PRNewtonAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PRNewtonwrites
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