Amy Rohde's Blog

The Katrina Diary is free at lulu.com for a limited time, in honor of the five year anniversary of Katrina.

Download up your copy today, and find out what it was REALLY like to be caught up in one of the biggest storms ever to hit North America.

http://www.lulu.com/product/file-down...

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that there is a 20% discount code at Lulu.com.

Enter the code "SANTA" for the discount.

Expires August 1st-- so if you've been wanting to read The Katrina Diary, now's a great time to get it!

Want to hear me complain for a minute? Sure, it's not very "professional" of me, but neither is working in pyjama pants, cussing like a sailor at laundry piles or having pink hair... so here we go. I figure some of you probably deal with this too. Let's think of this as therapy, okay?

I mentioned last night that having three kids on summer vacation and a menagerie of pets makes it difficult for me to sit down and write, and I was told that if I wanted to write badly enough, I'd reorganize my priorities and just do it.

I don't know what I am supposed to cut out to make writing a higher priority. I don't watch TV, I don't spend hours shopping or web surfing or playing video games.

Am I supposed to tell the kids that I am too busy to hear about their days, or that I simply cannot find the time to make dinner? Am I supposed to leave a vomited hairball on the floor until I have written at least 500 words?

I'm really not sure how some of you do it-- writing/promoting is a full time gig, and so is raising a family, and honestly, so is maintaining a house.

I'm asking those of you who have found that precious, elusive balance: what do I do to make both my work and family time productive and separate?

At 0800 this morning, I got a knock on my door from a lady who had my very tired, quite dirty missing pup in tow. Apart from a cut on his paw, he's fine.

I haven't made a book sale today, I'm at a loss for where to begin on my housework.... but this has still been a damn good day.

My dog went missing last night. I'm so down.

I had a discussion not long ago with a new acquaintance who professed to love writing, and wanted to be an actual writer.

I asked what she wrote, and was completely stunned by her answer: nothing.

"Well, I just don't have a lot of time, and I'm always so busy, I don't actually write... but I'm a writer at heart, and I know I'll get published one day."

By that same logic, I'm going to start having some fun with may business cards. They will now say "Amy Rohde, astronaut". If a wish is all it takes for something to be true, why not?

After five years of hard work, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, I have finally published "The Katrina Diary", a story of my family's reluctant adventures during the hurricane season of 2005.

I'm really excited to be on Goodreads, and I can't wait for the print copy of the book to come out. Stay tuned for giveaway details!