Celebrated by Americans since 1884

By Kimberly Jayne

"All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day... is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."

~ Samuel Gompers

Founder of the American Federation of Labor

Happy Labor Day! It's not just for traditional American workers — those 8-to-5'ers who bring home a regular paycheck and enjoy the benefits of paid vacations, sick days, and coworker relationships. It's for everyone who works hard at their craft too, alone in their struggle, like writers.

I always wonder if the broadest section of society that does not write books understands the labor that goes into it. Countless people remark, when they learn I'm a writer, that they could or want to write a book too. Or they offer me a great idea for a book, which is not such a good idea because it's something that doesn't fit me; it fits them.

The truth is most people will never write a book. I think on some level, they must have an inkling of the time, energy, persistence, dedication, and honed talent it takes to finish a project of that size and scope. And for most writers, the ROI for our hard work is abysmal. It truly is a labor of love.

I think we all have a book within us — certainly, we all have stories within us. But it's those who do the work, who push beyond the self-doubt, who churn out the paragraphs and pages and plots that make magical worlds come to life inside the reader, who can be most proud of their achievements.

This holiday weekend alone, I've written about 2,500 words, which is hard to accomplish during the regular work week where I am a writer and editor for a trade publication and where I enjoy all the perks of more "traditional" workers. 

So to all you writers out there who toil in the spare hours of your day, the weekend warriors who fast-write while they have free time away from the J.O.B., those who overcome the obstacles and blast through the blocks, and those midnight-oil-burners who punch those keys long after everyone else is asleep, I celebrate you! I hope you're celebrating your successes on this Labor Day too. 

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Kimberly Jayne writes in multiple genres including humor, romantic comedy, suspense, erotica, and dark fantasy. Her latest foray into a dark fantasy released in episodes is as much an adventure as the writing itself. You can check her out on Amazon. Find out more about her at ReadKimberly.

Books by Kimberly Jayne:

Take My Husband, Please! A Romantic Comedy

Demonesse: Avarus, Episode 1
Demonesse: Avarus, Episode 2
Demonesse: Avarus, Episode 3

Watch for Episode 4, coming soon!

All the Innuendo, Half the Fact: Reflections of a Fragrant Liar

How can it almost be December?

By: Joelle Charbonneau

Every morning my won wakes up and asks, “Is it December, yet?”  Every morning I say, “No.  Not yet.”  But as I look at the date on the calendar, I realize I won’t get to say that for much longer.  December is coming.  There is no stopping it.  Although, I’d like to try!

I have nothing against the month.  In fact, I love snow and the festive holiday fun that comes along with the calendar turning to the final month of the year.  Never does the house look so pretty as when the halls are decked and the scent of freshly baked gingerbread makes the world feel like a happier place.

The problem is, I’m not ready for it to be December, yet!  I’m just not.  Although I already have the tree up and decorated and most of my gift-giving purchases complete, I’m not ready.  And the reason for that is simple.  I love the holidays, but at the moment I don’t have time to enjoy them.  For while I enjoy the shopping and wrapping, the baking and caroling of the holidays, work still has to get done in between.

Today, I start work on a new manuscript.  While there is joy in opening a new document and typing Chapter 1, I find it hard to write during the holidays.  I’ve done it before.  I know I can, and yet, for some reason the idea of sitting in front of my computer instead of toasting marshmallows over a fire (I don’t even have a fireplace!) or sledding down a hill with my son (and freezing my tush off) makes me nuts.   Which is why every year I vow to get so far ahead in my workload that I can take the days before Christmas off.  Sadly, no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to make that happen.

So this year, I have vowed to enjoy writing this new book as much as I love listening to holiday music and watching my son’s face light up when the snow begins to fall.  Of course, if you have any suggestions as to how you manage to deal with your every day work while still savoring the delight of the holidays, I hope you will share them.  Past experience tells me that I’m going to need all the help I can get!

Tis the season....

by: Joelle Charbonneau

Yikes! There are gifts to buy and packages to wrap. Cookies to bake and a toddler too excited to nap. I have trees to trim and trips to the post office to make. Oh and did I mention the gingerbread houses to bake? It’s the holiday season which is sparkly and bright. And in the middle of it all, I have to find time to write!

Two years ago, I wasn’t under deadline. My first book was under contract. The option book was written and waiting for submission. And for some strange reason, I decided to write book three. Stranger still, I made the choice to finish writing the book during the holidays. My reasoning was that if I wanted to become a multi-contract author, I should be able to be productive at any time. Which meant no matter how many halls needed to be decked or bells needed to be jingled, I should be able to crank out the pages.

Um…yeah….

That plan didn’t go so well. Did I get writing done? Sure. Did I finish that book during the holiday season? Yeah, right. Instead of making myself jolly with pages galore, I frustrated myself during a season filled with joy and love and lots and lots of to-do lists. Needless to say, the book was finished in January—long before the contract for it and the deadline for delivery appeared. But though my attempt to write during the holidays stressed me out, it made it glaringly apparent that I never want to write during the holidays again. Last year, I managed to time the completion of MURDER FOR CHOIR to coincide with the first week of December. Score! I then celebrate the holidays by baking, wrapping and going on a serious reading binge.

Talk about Joy to the world!

Sadly, this year didn’t work out so well. I am halfway through my current work in progress and while it isn’t due until months and months into the New Year, I kind of want to get to the end. I mean, I need to know who done it! Not to mention, I have a few other book ideas I’d like to play with. (Yeah—I can’t help myself!)

However, the one thing that I learned from my last foray into holiday writing is that I should be grateful for every page that I write during this crazy time of year. But more important, I need to be grateful for the time I don’t have to write—the time I spend with my family and friends. While getting those pages written is important, the people who I love and who love me are more important still. So I will sit and type when I can and when those bells need to be jingled I’ll put aside the computer and have a blast jingling them.