Guest Post by Michelle Dim-St. Pierre, Author of Pinnacle Lust

Please join me in welcoming Michelle Dim-St. Pierre to A Literary Vacation today! She's stopped by to tell us a little bit about the realities of becoming a published author as well as about her novel, Pinnacle Lust. Enjoy!

 

 

 

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So you want to be a writer. Maybe you picture yourself working in your PJs all day by a cozy fire, your dog peacefully sleeping at your feet as you speed through your manuscript. I mean with all of the extra time to write, you will be able to write your book in a fraction of the time, right?

Well if this is your impression of the writing life, I’d suggest you hold onto your day job for awhile. The reality might surprise you.

This blog isn’t meant to discourage you from taking on the enormous challenge of being an author—well, maybe just a little. But only because I believe you should have a clear picture of the reality of the writing life before embarking on the journey—the road less travelled. 

The reality is, you can write in your PJs with no makeup, all day long if you want to—at least on some days. And you will have more time to write, at least until you publish your book. But the idea that more time means more productivity is an illusion. There is a reason for the cliché that busy people get more done.

Sometimes, the blank page and all that time don’t add up to much. You feel pressured to get more done and that stymies you. Or you feel like you have more time so you can put it off longer. In the end, you really don’t accomplish much more than if you put aside two or three hours a day to write after work or before work. In fact, when you are away from your desk, your subconscious works on the story and you accomplish more when you sit down.

There are other hiccups to the writing life. It can make you feel isolated and you have to go out of your way to get out and make social connections from real, living, breathing people, rather than just the ones who live in your mind. And there is the issue of your behind taking on the shape of your chair, but I’ll leave the details of that for another day.

The reality of publication brings a whole new set of issues to the writer. Once your book is out there in the big world, you will have to find ways to market it, maintain a presence on social media, answer emails from readers, do book signing events, and a whole range of additional marketing activities.

The thing most new authors struggle with is finding a balance and claiming back that writing time which is more concentrated than before, perhaps even more so than when you were working another job. 

Of course writing can be wonderful. There are those days cuddling up to the fire with the dog and living your adventure through your characters. There are perfect moments when the writing flows and your book seems to write itself. But expect these moments to be rare events rather than the norm.

The writing life can be wonderful at times. But it isn’t a life for everyone. Do you think this is the life for you?

 

 

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 Publisher: BookLogix

Publication Date: January 20th, 2015

Pages: 368

 

 In a Tel-Aviv hospital during Operation Desert Storm, Sharon Lapidot, a beautiful young nurse, is having an affair with a married doctor.

Sharon’s colorful and exciting life is ultimately destroyed by powerful and eroding mistakes. But her courage and wisdom lead her to an unregretful commitment.

Vividly told, this compelling journey of love and lust, honor and betrayal, loss and redemption, will move you — and perhaps even change you.

 

 

About the Author

 

 

Michelle Dim-St. Pierre was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, where she spent more than half of her life before relocating to the United States.

She lived through four wars and served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years. Unlike her first year of service in an armored division in the Golan Heights, she spent her second year serving in the medical corps where she interacted directly with the injured soldiers of the Peace of Galilee war and their families. This interaction, along with the exposure to the hospital atmosphere, fascinated Michelle and further touched her heart.

After graduating from nursing school with a BS in Nursing in Tel-Aviv, she practiced internationally for 32 years in various positions in the surgical field and quickly advanced into health care administration. During her career she worked in the Operating Room, Recovery Room, and CCU--along with many other duties.

Writing was Michelle's outlet at first, but it soon became her passion. Recently she left nursing and became a full-time writer. Her international background, along with her military and nursing experience, is always at the tip of her pen. Her first novel, Pinnacle Lust, starts the Pinnacle trilogy. She is also currently creating a cookbook inspired by the Pinnacle trilogy featuring dishes mentioned in the books.

Michelle is a world traveler who enjoys cooking epicurean food and creating original recipes.

 

Learn more about Michelle on her website, and connect with her on her blog, Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

Buy the Book

 

 

Author's Website | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Apple iBookstore | Kobo