9. You have been a full-time writer for five years. How did you finally know "when the time was right" and what are some of the disadvantages to writing full-time?
When I left my job in 2000, I had eleven titles published or in progress. This gave me confidence that I could make it on my own. I also had a commitment to continue editing two series I had developed for at least a year. Those projects gave me the breathing room I needed to start building relationships with other clients. But my decision was also personal. At the time, I really wanted to move back to Massachusetts, where I had grown up. My sister-in-law was pregnant with my first nephew, and I wanted to be a big part of his life. Now he has two sisters. And my husband has two nephews and a niece, so there are six kids in our lives. It's great.
Most of the time, I love my job. Not only do I like what I'm doing and feel that it is making a difference in the lives of children, I am grateful for the flexibility in my schedule and the fact that my commute is only 10 feet. I can even work in my pajamas if I want, and sometimes I do! But anyone who owns a business will tell you that, maintaining a steady flow of work can be hard. I don't like marketing nearly as much as writing, but I have to do it or else my business will fail.
In the past, when I had a slow period, I would start to panic. I'd think I'd never get work again. I couldn't relax and enjoy those down times. But now that I've been through ups and downs, I'm getting more confident. Also, my husband always reminds me that new projects always seem to come along. That helps. Both his father and brother and self employed, so he's used to people complaining about a lack of work-and then a few weeks later about having too much work. He helps me put things into perspective.
