Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Guest Blogger, Lisa Pietsch

Please join me in welcoming author Lisa Pietsch as the special guest blogger here today at Thoughts in Progress.

Lisa’s latest release is FREEDOM’S PROMISE, the third installment in the Task Force 125 series. Lisa stop by today to talk to us about something a little different and quite interesting, ‘her addictions’ and she’s also offering a special treat.

I have a very addictive personality. I’ve known this since I was 18 and spent a summer waitressing on the coast of Maine. I made about $100 a night in tips and drank at least half that. When I joined the Air Force, I took up smoking. It wasn’t a peer pressure issue. I just found the serotonin boost from the nicotine helped me ease up on my food addiction.
 
So why am I spilling all my deepest, dirtiest secrets and shames?
 
My name is Lisa Pietsch and I’m a binge writer.
 
Our family just moved from Colorado to Texas, courtesy of Uncle Sam. During the move, I’ve had precious few moments to write at all. In fact, it has been about 7 weeks since I’ve written anything of consequence. The scary thing about going so long without writing is that I know a binge is coming. 
 
My writing binges aren’t pretty.
 
I write on both my computer and my phone. I’ll stay up late at night because I’m so deep into the story. I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with a new scene and forget to go back to sleep before the kids need to be awakened and breakfast made. Waking up at 1:30 a.m. makes for a really l-o-n-g day!

 
I actually have my next binge planned already. I am smack-dab in the middle of a 7-book series about Task Force 125. Book #4,

STEALING LIBERTIES, is just waiting for my edits before Sapphire Blue Publishing publishes it. Books #5 through #7 are laid out and plotted already. I just have to fill in the stories (which are already playing out in a continuous loop in my mind). 

I figure this will be a 3-4 month binge. By the time January rolls around, I’ll be looking much like a long haired cat who just lost a fight with a fire hose. I’ll probably feel about the same too. Hopefully I’ll have 3 new books to show for it. I hope my readers will find them worthy of reading too.
 

Until then, please take advantage of my previous binges. Tell me about your guilty pleasures/addictions. How do you manage them? Leave a comment and I’ll send you one of my books.
 
If you want to follow my next binge from a safe distance, check out my blog at www.LisaPietsch.com.

 
Thanks for reading!

Lisa, thanks for blogging here today. Sounds like your writing binges work well for you even if they aren’t pretty. I’m still amazed that you write on your phone.

Here’s a brief blurb from FREEDOM’S PROMISE: In the war on terror...sometimes the best weapon is a woman...   Sarah Stevens is back. When one of their own is taken hostage and the Agency turns its back, the members of American Swift must take matters into their own hands. This time they’re off the clock and on their own.



18 comments:

  1. Your writing binge sounds intense. You sound busy and your books sound interesting. Thanks for sharing Lisa with us, Mason. An interesting and humourous post. I could feel the vitality and energy throughout it, and envy you your stamina, Lisa.

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  2. It's nice to see Lisa was able to turn her addictive personality into something good!!

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  3. What a neat story! I tend to write in intense stretches at times, but nothing like this! :)

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  4. Writing binges are better than other kinds!

    Occasionally I'll have a nesting thing come over me and I'll spend hours and hours on cleaning, organizing, yard work, whatever. Thank goodness it ends up coming to an end before too long. :)

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  5. Love your description of yourself after the end of a binge. Very visual.

    I used to have binge sessions of writing, although they were a bit different. I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning, then sleep during the day. Like you, I had characters in my head that kept me up.

    Helen

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  6. Wow, Lisa really laid it all out for us, what a great post and take on life.
    I really have a problem with cookies! In order to help manage it, I have decided not to buy any, but only eat ones we have made. That helps a bit, as it's summer and too hot to bake very often!
    Thanks~
    JHolden955(at)gmail(dot)com

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  7. Lisa, thanks so much for sharing your story with us. It's always fun to find out how authors go about their writing.

    Hi everyone, thanks so much for stopping by today to say hi to Lisa. I really appreciate it.

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  8. What an interesting post. It sounds as if your binges work for you, but after a couple of all nighters, I'm not sure I would write coherently. Obviously, it does work for you and results in great productivity.

    Congrats on your series. I haven't read them, so I'll take a look.

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  9. Glamorous Glynis! (I couldn't resist. I'm a big fan of Chuck Yeager.) I think it is more stuppornness than stamina that keeps me going.

    Thanks for stopping by, Bermudaonion.

    Jemi, keep writing!

    Elizabeth, the next time you feel like going on a cleaning binge I'd love for you to come to San Antonio and binge at my place!

    Helen, nights would be better for my writing but the little ones demand my days.

    Holdenj, I'm nuts about cookies! I found a great recipe for sugar free chocolate chip cookies that just melt in your mouth.

    Thank you all for commenting!

    Mason, thank you very much for having me here! I'd love for you to guest blog on my site when you can.

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  10. I should mention that I really do rely on great editors to keep me from embarrassing myself.
    "Stuppornness" is NOT a word but I am stubborn.

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  11. A very interesting and different post! How cool.

    I'm an addictive person too--at one time, I got into drinking and then I thought I was an alcoholic. But then I got into (well, other bad stuff) and dropped the alcohol! Then I got into food. Before that, I was thin. I write addictively, photograph addictively, read addictively. I paint that way, too. I tend to get into whatever I am doing to the exclusion of everything else. It has it's advantages, but it also has lots of disadvantages. (for me)

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  12. And the book sounds good too!!!! :-D

    YAY for good books, my least guilty pleasure (except when I stay up all night reading, or read all day when I have other commitments! LOL!)

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  13. This post has made me very curious about your work!

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  14. Love the blurb and the cover ... sounds like a fine book!

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  15. Now that's an obsessive addiction! I'm such an even keel person. Borderline boring sometimes!

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  16. Thanks for commenting everyone! I've enjoyed my visit and your books will be on their way soon. I wish I could give away more today but my checkbook is telling me otherwise.

    If you like free books, I do give away a free book from Sapphire Blue Publishing every month in a random drawing from email subscribers to my blog. Maybe I'll see you there :-)

    Thanks again for having me!

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  17. I feel like binging just from reading about your binges. I love writing anything, smelling books (sometimes I read them :) and eating chocolate. Those are my addictions.

    Great post, Girls.

    Teresa

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  18. Hi Mason and Lisa .. crumbs - I'd feel positively frazzled and in need of some dire make overs .. sounds amazing - but daunting .. however three books ready - perhaps it's worth it? Don't know what the kids and your husband think though??!!

    Enjoy the process is all I can say really .. the synopsis of Sarah Stevens sounds interesting - have good weeks .. Hilary

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