I recently completed my 51st book and sent it to my editor (ONCE A COP, for those of you who'd like to know--set for release in summer 2014!). I thought you might find it interesting to learn what happens right after I complete a book.
No, I'm not talking about edits or copyedits, filling out art fact sheets, scheduling blogs and other promotions--not even writing the proposal for my next book (tentatively titled KIDNAPPED BY A COP), which I'll be turning in this week. And yes, those are all things that come next. But...
I'm talking about catching up on all those things that get pushed aside or glossed over when I'm hitting that deadline crunch. Yes, I feed my family (or tell them where to get takeout) and run the dishwasher, I keep up with the laundry, I keep the toilets clean and make quick check-ins with my mom. But those last few weeks and days leading up to typing "The End"? Pretty much everything else gets moved to a back burner so I can get the book done, read through it one last time, and send it in.
So what are those things I do for a few days after completing a book? Here are the highlights.
1. Sleep in. Only for a day or two. It's a direct message to my brain that says, "Today isn't a work day."
2. Spend some quality time with the hubby. This may mean fixing a special meal, going out to a movie together, helping him with a project, or just sitting down and watching tv together all evening.
3. Call my mom for a long chat. My mom is a widow and lives on her own--okay, so she's a super busy, very healthy, intellectually vibrant and social widow, but I still worry about her. She's also my best friend. So when we share a phone conversation--unless she knows I'm working, or I know she's got a bridge game--we can talk for a longggggggg time. It's fun to indulge and solve all the world's problems and laugh and reminisce together.
4. Reclaim my house. Housework is far down my list of priorities. But a truly messy house can even get on my nerves sometimes. So, I take a couple of days to vacuum (possibly my least favorite chore), dust, go through interesting piles of cards or catalogs or recipes or whatever may be gathering dust bunnies, deep clean the bathrooms (did I mention toilets earlier? I do love a clean bathroom <g>) and so on. That kind of holds me until the end of the next book. (And hubby has learned that if something beyond the basic cleanups bug him, he is perfectly capable of cleaning it himself.)
5. I binge read. It's hard for me to read fiction while I'm writing it--especially if it's in the same genre. I find the details get mixed up with my story, the author's voice may creep into mine, or--if it's a really good book--I find I'd rather read than get my own work done. So I reward myself when I'm done with all that writing by reading a stack of books from my TBR pile or on my Kindle. Here are some of the titles on my reward list this time.
So what do you like to do after you complete a big project? Do you reward yourself? Or do you just need
time to catch up on the rest of your life? I'll give away an advance copy of my Nov. 19 release YULETIDE PROTECTOR (an RT BookReviews Top Pick!, btw) to one lucky poster.
Julie Miller
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