THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME by Heather Marie

Last month, on my other blog, I featured the lovely Heather Marie and her new book, THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME, which debuts today! I also know that our own Angelica R. Jackson will be on an upcoming the Writer's Bloc panel with her on January 3, from 1-3pm.

Here's a bit more about THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH THEY CAME:

From Goodreads:

To seventeen-year-old Aiden Ortiz, letting the dead walk through his body to reach the other side comes with the territory. Being a Gateway isn’t an easy job, but someone’s gotta send Bleeders where they belong. Heaven. Salvation. Call it whatever you want. Dead is dead. But when his search for Koren Banks––the girl who went mysteriously missing seven months ago––leaves him with more questions than answers, he finds himself involved in something far more sinister and beyond his control. 

With the threat of the Dark Priest's resurrection, and his plan to summon his demon brothers from hell, Aiden is left to discover his identity before the Dark Priest's curse infecting his blood consumes him, and before the world as he knows it succumbs to the darkness of hell on earth.

And here's the trailer (with some cool behind-the-scenes stuff too):

And here's where you can buy it!

Bio:

Heather Marie lives in Northern California with her husband, and spends the majority of her time at home reading. Before she followed her dreams of becoming a writer, Heather worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for several years. Although she enjoyed the artistic aspect of it all, nothing quite quenched her creative side like the telling of a good story. When the day had come for her to make a choice, she left behind her promising career to start another, and never looked back.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeatherMarieYA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathermariewrites
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19089172-the-gateway-through-which-they-came
Website: http://heathermarieya.com/

A Singular Focus

Over the years I have become the queen of multitasking. The other night I did laundry, cooked dinner, and participated in a conference call all at once. I was exhausted afterward, but I got it all done.

For most people multitasking is a part of their life, and the only way they can get all the things on their "to do" list completed. I get that and appreciate it. I can juggle pretty well, but there is one aspect of my life where I cannot multi-task, and that is with my writing.

I know many writers who have three different manuscripts going at once. And the even more amazing thing is they are in different categories and genres! How they pull it off I don't know, and believe me I've tried.

Earlier this summer I started querying my Young Adult Thriller and it came back with some requests for rewrites. Only problem was I'd already started my YA Historical Romance. I was in a groove with the YAHR, but I needed to work on the Thriller. For weeks, I tried to vacillate between both and guess what happened? They both started to suffer. In fact, I started switching the MCs names in the manuscripts. LOL! Not good.

While I applaud all those who can jump from one idea to another, it's not a skill I possess. For me there has to be one singular focus.  Oh, my mind may wander to that other idea calling to me from somewhere on my hard drive, but I have to push it away. 

The good thing about all this is that when one manuscript is finished, I know I have another one ready to go. And if a fluffy, new idea pops up as I'm working on the next thing? I file it away and wait patiently. I've learned my lesson - one thing at a time. It will all get done, it just may take me a looong time.

How about you? Can you work on several different projects at once? Or are you like me and must have a singular focus? Would love to hear about it in the comments!