Balancing Life by Kristen Beairsto

If I had to describe my life in one word, I think an accurate one would be crazy.  A husband, a 7 year old daughter, a 3 year old daughter, friends, family, a day job, and a writing career.  Ok, maybe it should be termed certifiably insane!A year ago this month, I decided to take my writing career into my own hands and take the self-publishing route.  A decision I knew that would require a lot of hard work and dedication, but I've always been someone who stubbornly sticks to accomplishing something once I set my mind to it.  In May of 2012, I published my first contemporary romance called Love Like Krazy.  In September, I published my second contemporary, Sugar & Spice.  And a few weeks ago, I published my third title, Going After the Heart on December 18th.In order to make this happen, I kept a stressful schedule of working early mornings, nights, and weekends while working full time forty plus hours a week at the job that actually pays the bills.  Oh, and of course, fitting in being a mom and a wife and everything that goes along with those two job descriptions.Can we say hello sleep deprivation!Looking back, I can honestly say I'm very proud of what I've accomplished.  But when it came to looking at what I wanted to make happen for 2013, I decided: Momma needs more sleep!When I initially began to look at my goals for 2013 a few months ago, I thought, well, I managed three books this year, why not do four next year.  But then I started considering whether or not I could keep up the hectic and stressful schedule I've kept up over the course of the last seven months.  Honestly, I don't think I can.So in the interest of my sanity, I decided to actually cut back on my production schedule and work on finding more of a balance for 2013.  As a start, I've gotten back on the healthy train and am fitting the gym back into my schedule.  After only a couple of weeks, I'm starting to feel better already.  It's still a work in progress, but it's a start.I'd love to hear what others do to balance out their lives.  Any special tricks you use to keep the stress from overwhelming you? 

 Kristen Beairsto

 In between her to-be-read pile and trying to bring the characters in her head alive, Kristen spends as much time as she can with family and friends.  Much to her husband’s dismay, she enjoys collecting purses, shoes, and jewelry.  During those rare times she’s not working at her day job, rushing her daughters somewhere, watching movies with her husband, and trying to meet a deadline, she can usually be found energetically cheering for one of her favorite New York sports teams.As with just about every other writer on the planet, Kristen grew up an avid reader.  She started with young adult before she technically hit the age range and moved on to sci-fi classics by Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.  At fifteen, her best friend gave her a book she just had to read!  The book was Honest Illusions by Nora Roberts.  Always a sucker for a happy ending, she was a goner and fell in love with the romance genre.  Having started writing novel length stories at the age of eleven, Kristen’s stories all took a romantic turn from that point on.You can connect with Kristen through her website www.KristenBeairsto.com, Facebook www.facebook.com/AuthorKristenBeairsto, or Twitter www.twitter.com/AuthorKBeairsto.  

Going After the Heart 

 

Lizzy Bergstrum thought she finally reached a point in her life when she could honestly say she had it all.  A thriving writing career.  A wonderful daughter.  And a marriage to the love of her life.  But looks can apparently be deceiving because her husband just walked out on her and their eight year old daughter hates her. Gavin Bergstrum can’t handle the direction his life has taken.  Not only did he get laid off from his job, but his wife seems to barely remember he exists.  Convinced he’s tried his best to change things, he begins to wrestle with the possibility of divorce.  But he can’t think straight in the same house as Lizzy.  Hating to leave his daughter, but needing time to think and come to terms with what he feels he needs to do, Gavin decides to return to his small home town in Oregon and stay at his family ranch with his father and brothers. In shock, Lizzy gives Gavin his space.  But as time passes and he doesn’t say a word about their marriage, Lizzy decides it’s past time she takes matters into her own hands.  Without a word, she follows Gavin to Oregon. Now facing a daughter who blames her for everything, an irritated husband, and a small town that feeds on the drama, Lizzy finds herself trying to figure out how to convince Gavin to give her another chance, teach her daughter it takes two to make a successful marriage, and overcome her own insecurities – all without compromising who she is.