Rants N Scribbles: [Guest Post] Megan Squires on Traced

My Writing Room

by Megan Squires

I'm like a cat. I cannot focus on one thing if even the temptation for distraction is a possibility. If I'm on the computer, my email, Facebook and several other forum pages are open on the screen. I can’t zero in on just one thing unless all outside distractions are completely removed. I've always been like this, and it makes productivity quite a challenge.

This is why I adore having my studio space as a place to write. For the past three years, I've had a photography studio in town where I photograph all of my newborn clients. However, just this last year I've utilized the space as a writing room as well. In addition to the huge picture windows and mini fridge stocked full of my favorite snacks, I absolutely love that I don’t have internet there. It’s a place I can go and not be tempted to check my email, to update my status, or to catch up on the latest celebrity gossip. All that exists is my computer, my thoughts, and some food to fuel my creativity.

I try to carve out two to three times a week where I can write at the studio after I drop my daughter off at school. That allows me a three-hour, solid chunk of time to dive into my world and get my thoughts on paper. But as all you writers know, we never have enough time to get it all out. That’s why I also spend about three more hours at night—usually from 10:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.—writing on my family room couch. When everyone else is asleep and when my responsibilities as mommy and homemaker are on hold, I jump on the chance to spend a few more quiet hours with the laptop. Apparently my characters are night owls, too, because my favorite scenes have all been written in the wee hours of the night. Maybe I work best when the line between creativity and delirium blurs, but it’s my routine, it really seems to work, and I love it!

About Traced - Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, Indiebound, The Book Depository

Tessa can’t sleep.

But when your parents are dead and the government directs your path in life, sleep shouldn’t come easily. Lately, Tessa’s fitful nights are growing even more predictable, almost like déjà vu. And she’s beginning to think that something greater is at work—something her society has taken drastic measures to keep hidden.

Caught between self-discovery and government conformity, she’ll have to choose either the boy who can help her reveal this new truth or the one that can provide her with the security of familiarity.

Tessa’s faced with a weighty decision. And she’s going to need more than a good night’s sleep to make it.

About Megan Squires

Megan Squires lives with her husband and two children just outside of Sacramento, California. A graduate from the University of California, Davis, Megan is now a full-time mother, wife, and dreamer – though her characters don’t often give her much opportunity to sleep. website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

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