Once again, I'm in awe of the passage of time. Last time I wrote this column, I hadn't been through another family Christmas, two children's birthdays, two science fair projects and numerous school deadlines, making a book deadline and preparing for the April launch of my sixth published novel (Pieces of the Heart). Now, blessedly, it's all behind me. However, when I think of myself back in November anticipating all of the above, I also anticipated taking a huge sigh of relief and relaxing for a bit. Ha!

After the book deadline on March 15th, and the release of PIECES on April 4th, I had to turn in a new book proposal for my editor on May 1st. Then, having come up with a really cool idea for a 3-book mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina, I had to whip up a new proposal and get it to my agent before heading out for summer vacation. We'll be in Italy for two weeks and I realized a few months ago that the children and husband would be naked if I didn't go out and buy some clothes for them. They children can't fit into anything from last year, and my dear husband would rather be on the golf course than in a store trying on clothes. As much as I love shopping, it's grueling finding appropriate and well-fitting clothes for three people on a deadline!

Besides shopping and finding somebody to keep the guinea pigs (Cappuccino and Mocha) while we're gone, I also had to deal with the after-school frenzy: going through backpacks and saving what we'll need for next year, organizing text books into what I can sell back and what I need to keep for the younger child, cleaning out closets of old school uniforms and buying new, and simply getting rid of the junk that somehow seems to accumulate when mom's back is turned. I guess that's what summer camp is all about--time for Mom to scourge the kids' rooms when they're not there to witness it! Last year I got rid of my daughter's gum wrapper collection in the mistaken belief that she wouldn't miss it. Oops. OK--so I make a wrong call every once in a while!

As soon as we get back from Italy, I'll be heading downtown Atlanta for a writer's conference (if you're in town, check out the huge literacy autographing where I'll be signing on July 26--see my appearances page). And then the weekend of August 5th, I'll be at a family wedding--and my entire family will be staying with me (for a total of 14 people). Ack! Of course, sometime during July and August, I'll be receiving my revisions for my March 2007 book, LEARNING TO BREATHE and I'll have to squeeze that in with all the activities--as well as working on my 2008 book, A YEAR OF RAIN.

A friend from college recently asked me, why don't you stop writing? I'll admit I was a bit overwhelmed when I spoke with her and I must have been grousing about all I had to do. But give up writing? To me, that was almost like asking me to give up my family. Both are integral to who I am. Yes, my family always comes first---but then I squeeze in the time for my writing. I have to. It's who I am. When the kids are older, I'll have more time. But I could never put my writing on hold right now anymore than I could put my kids on hold. I just have to sort of grin and bear it for a few more years, finding ways to make my life easier along the way (like finding somebody to do my grocery shopping!).

I realized this summer that I can actually blend the two. My daughter, who is 14, types about 70 wpm. I figured that since she's starting high school next year that it was time to introduce her to my database. She's going to be doing all the mailing list updates from now on (and I reward her with a trip to Barnes & Noble--how cool is that?). My son is also more than capable of printing out mailing labels and affixing them to postcards. I'm thinking that I will no longer need a personal assistant---I'll have the help I need right under my roof! When I first had this thought, I swear it was like a lightbulb going off in my head. Two kids equals four extra hands! It's better than when they first started sleeping through the night, believe me.

A friend of mine from my days at the advertising agency once told me, "When you have a problem, don't rush to solve it. Sit on it for a few days and a solution will usually present itself." How very true I've found this to be--and my two little solutions have been under my nose the entire time!

Have a wonderful summer, and may the solutions to all your problems present themselves.

Karen