Back when I did my call for guest bloggers, I ended up getting a slew, so I’m saving some to post through the end of April.  Today, Missy Jane is visiting us.

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Time is a funny thing. When we’re children, we have as much as we could ever want and sometimes too much. As teenagers it begins to shrink and mean more to us. Once we become adults, it gets away from us quickly and there’s never enough. Then in our golden years there can be too much again with little to fill the space. Any mom can tell you that despite having twenty-four hours, most days are too short to accomplish a list of tasks. Add in a husband, a job and a hobby, and forget having a chance to do anything else. So when is there time to write?

I have four wonderful daughters, who have had to learn to share me with all of the voices in my head (and my characters too). Luckily for me they are good at entertaining and caring for each other. They also take care of the household chores and keep my hubby happy on that end. The only problem is, it’s never quiet in my house. My walls are paper thin and my girls have no clue what a closed door means. I often resort to simply locking them out when I need to concentrate on writing.

A couple of weeks ago I bought my very first Ipod. I loaded it with classical music and now I can tune my kids out as well as they do me. “Beat them at their own game” is my motto and so far it’s working, until the thing goes dead of course. I’ve learned to tune out the extra noise, talking, arguing and my hubby (don’t tell him I admitted that) in order to write. However, I’ve also learned having a set schedule makes the entire day easier. My family knows the time I set aside to write and bothers me a little bit less during that time. I never get completely alone time (without using duct tape and handcuffs) but the fewer interruptions are better.

Whenever I think about everything I need to accomplish I remember the words I heard somewhere (I couldn’t quote accurately if I tried). We have the same number of hours in our days as Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin did. Never mind that those men had no clue what it’s like to be a mom/wife/cook/teacher/accountant/coach/housekeeper/chauffeur…

Oh, never mind. They had no clue what today’s women have to cram into one hour, much less twenty-four. More power to each and every one of you who wear many hats all day long and still find the time to breathe!

Here are the top five ways I like to spend my free time:

5. Fantasize what my husband would be like with the body of Jason Statham, the voice of Antonio Banderas (with accent), the intellect of Henry Rollins, the temperament of a saint and the understanding of a woman.

4. Surf the web for por (ahem), I mean intellectually stimulating literature about the world around me.

3. Compare the subtle nuances between Hershey and Godiva choclolates.

2. Sort the voices in my head into complete characters so I can torture them in stories.

1. Read EVERYTHING by Shiloh Walker because she rocks!

Ms. Missy Jane is the alter ego of a Texas mother of four who has been married to the same wonderful man for thirteen years. About five years ago Missy finished reading a book by Mercedes Lackey and thought “Now, what if…” and a monster was created. Missy now spends most of her time lost in worlds of her own making alternately loving and hating such creatures as vampires, shape-shifters and gargoyles (to name a few). When not writing, she spends her time reading, taking photos of her beautiful daughters and training her husband to believe she’s always right. Excerpts from Missy’s work can be found at www.msmissyjane.com.

Missy’s first book, They Call me Death is available from Samhain Publishing.

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