Guest Post by Novelist Shannon Vannatter

A Delicate Balance of Organization

By Shannon Vannatter

Balancing writing and family is a delicate skill that requires organization. Which I don’t have. I fly through life, deadlines, and obligations by the seat of my pants. On top of that, I have the worst memory. I keep my calendar on my desk and carefully schedule family stuff, writing commitments, and church events. I write down everything from allergy shots to interviews to weddings.

I do pretty good unless I have to travel. Traveling seems to wipe everything from my brain as Preslaysa knows. I missed my deadline for this post. But she’s sweet, so she puts up with me.

Here’s my list of things I try to do to keep my family my first priority:

• Only write when they’re not home, asleep, or my son has a friend over.
• Never make my family feel neglected because of my writing.
• Try not to schedule summer deadlines since my son is home.
• When I do have to be away from my family for writing commitments, do something fun when I get back.
• Try not to schedule book signings or speaking engagements on back to back weekends.

The last one is tough sometimes. Since Saturday is really our only family day, I try to keep at least two free a month. But when I scheduled my speaking engagements early in the year, it didn’t seem like September 23 and October 1 were only a week apart. I ended up going toSt. Louis,Missouri, six hours from home one weekend andSiloam Springs,Arkansas, four hours from home the next.

I often tell my husband I need a handler to get me where I need to be on time. I also need an assistant to help me keep it all straight. With Rodeo Dust releasing through Heartsong Presents this month, my book signing schedule kicks into high gear. And I did it again, I scheduled two signings on back to back weekends. But both are close to home, so we’ll have time for fun after my events.

My husband is currently a bi-vocational pastor which means he has a full time job as a dental technician and supposedly part time job as pastor. But there’s no such thing. In December he’s taking our church on full time. With a more relaxed schedule, we should be able to carve out more family time between his and my commitments.

For the most part, I stay on track, meet my deadlines and obligations, and manage family time too. Sometimes I feel like I’m juggling china on a treadmill, but life is good.

You can visit Shannon online at: www.shannonvannatter.com/

Shannon’s latest novel Rodeo Dust is available from Heartsong Presents

About Rodeo Dust:

Ad exec, Rayna Landers meets bull rider, Clay Warren at the State Fair of Texas. While Rayna thinks she’s content solo, Clay longs for marriage and family. Though poised to win his third world championship, his ranch is in a slump. Clay convinces his publicist to hire her advertising firm in a last-ditch effort to keep his employees and lasso her heart.

Soon the city girl is on the ride of her life, until the rodeo unearths buried memories from her past. Clay sees her through the trauma, but an injury and his stubborn determination to get back in the hypothetical saddle threatens their budding relationship. Can they rely on God to find their common ground or will they draw a line in the rodeo dust that neither will cross?