Teri Mathis: The Interview

After reading Teri Mathis' first published book, Notes From Faraway Inn, I was convinced I would have to go and take an extended vacation down to her beloved Cedar Key, Florida. After our conversation, I am even more convinced. I want nothing more than to relax on the Gulf, watching dolphins and walking through their quaint town to buy some local treasures.

Notes From Faraway Inn gives you a glimpse of what innkeepers Oliver and Doreen have created on the tiny island of Cedar Key. Teri Mathis read through many of the journals that guests have written their experiences in and turned it into a book for everyone to enjoy.

This busy Jill-of-all-trades doesn't stop there. She is hard at work on her second book, The Oxygen Theory, which is a compilation of many years worth of research into how increasing your oxygen intake is beneficial for the body. She is also a successful business owner, patent holder and member of the Fort Bend Photography Club (which she encourages anyone to join).

Teri and her husband, Lee Mathis, own and operate Oxygen Orchard, Inc. where they sell Teri's invention, The Big Pitcher. The pitcher is a small counter-top device that is designed to saturate your drinking water with oxygen. For more information, please visit their site, OxygenOrchard.com. Teri is also the proud owner of Vendale Publishing, which she used to self-publish her first book and hopefully many more.

Blogger Laura Romero and Writer Teri Mathis
Photo Property of Laura Romero

To purchase Notes from Faraway Inn, you can contact Teri at vendalepublishingco@gmail.com or call or her at 713-446-5337 or 1-877-347-7770.

Proceeds from Notes From Faraway Inn go to assist the Trap Neuter Release program on Cedar Key.

**The first 10 people to donate to the TNR program will receive a free copy of Teri's book!** 

Please contact her for more information!

Also, look for a possible book signing this summer in Cedar Key!

Please enjoy listening to my interview with Teri Mathis! (click on her name to listen to the interview)

Staying Motivated

One of the things I have found most difficult lately is staying motivated to write every single day. My life, for a short while at least, had become a little busier when I joined a local writing group. We were meeting nearly every week to critique and discuss each other's current projects. Unfortunately we are on hiatus because the founder of our group has fallen ill. Just when I was ready to get back in the swings of things after my own tangle with not feeling well. Too bad.

My current project is taking my short story, Youthanasia, (that you can read here) and expanding it in to a novel. (Youthanasia was entered into the Chilling Tales for Dark Nights short story contest in June 2014.) I started it during NaNoWriMo in November 2014. During that time I got about halfway through Not too bad, really for my second attempt at that particular challenge. But since then I haven't gotten that much further. Say 35,000 words or so. And, no, it's not the word count that matters, but I do not have a whole a story. Yet.

And I am the ultimate procrastinator when it comes to actually finishing anything. Why? Because I never feel that anything is ever good enough (even these silly little blogs). Because I don't think that anyone will want to read my story (even though you are supposed to write for yourself). Because I feel like I am wasting my time (again, what if no one likes it?). Because after this, what do I have (even though I have plenty of ideas for future stories)? Because I am afraid of rejection (from publishers, from readers, from critics). Because I keep changing my mind (that's what editing is for). Because I need to do more research (actually I just love to read more than anything). See? I'm full of excuses not to finish.

I haven't even been participating in Flash! Fiction Fridays lately, either. It used to be because I was busy on Fridays going to my writers group. But I haven't had that excuse lately. Now I'm just being lazy. I need something to jump start my creativity again in a serious way. I started looking up short story competitions again. (I'll post a link to the ones I found at the bottom.) I need something to get me out of this rut.

I still do my words on most days. I found a site called 750 Words maybe a year and a half ago. I use it as sort of a diary. The point of the site is to use it as a "brain dump" before you start writing. To sort of get it all out so you can start your day with a clean sheet of paper. Problem is, I do my 750 words - and that's it. Then I fool around the house the rest of the day. Tinker with our budget. Read. Watch some recordings on the DVR. Do some laundry. Do a word puzzle (love Penny Dell Puzzles!). Help the kids with homework. Probably yell at one them. Cook (a fabulous) dinner. Read. Sleep. Repeat.

So stuck in rut right now. Help!

What do you do to keep yourself motivated and write everyday? Or at least stick to a schedule? Leave your tips in the comments below!

Writing contests I found for April/May (That I was interested in)

sweatpants & coffee
Seeking fiction and non-fiction stories about transformation and redemption. They like well worded works, with "lyrical turns of phrase."

haunted waters press
Seeking fiction and poetry depicting life in rural America. Think country living, Midwestern tales, Southern Gothic and Country Noir.