I HOPE the Presidential election has been decided by the time this post goes live. The last thing we need in America is more hanging chads!
Today I want to talk about political beliefs and the extent to which you share them.
I live in Ohio, the state that COULD DECIDE THE ELECTION dun dun dun. I’d much rather frolic on the beach than listen to the endless political commercials.
But I am passionate about politics. I have strong opinions about who I want to win this election. Yet I stifle myself from sharing my political views in both careers as a psychologist and author (psycho author). Why?
1. Therapy is about the client, not the therapist. My political views don’t really matter. The only times I self-disclose are when those disclosures could benefit the client, and my opinion about politics probably isn’t central to our therapy goals. So I listen, nod with understanding, and sometimes *grr* inside.
2. Marketing my books is not about me spouting political beliefs, mostly because I don’t want to alienate half of my readership or author buddies. I believe our personal philosophies shine through in our work, but I don’t want to be too overt about it. Frankly, I’ve hidden quite a few Facebook friends who post their political agenda non-stop.
Thank goodness my swimming buddy Eric and I vent about politics all the time, or I’d explode!
Authors: How passionate are YOU about politics? To what extent do you share your views? Why?
And now to continue with “The Next Best Thing”. Author Darcia Helle challenged me to answer questions about my work in progress On Best Behavior (The Conduct Series #3).
* How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I started writing On Best Behavior about a year ago and I’m still not done (though at 84,000 words I’m getting closer to the finish!) However, in the past year I completed a HUGE edit on my YA novel Streamline, which launched in March, 2012. I also tend to edit as I go, extending the first draft time-frame.
* What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The genre is romantic suspense. I’ve received reader comments about how unique this series is, so it’s hard to compare it to other stories. Maybe the Black Ops, Inc. series by Cindy Gerard? But her heroes are more alpha than Grant Madsen. I don’t know many books featuring a psychologist heroine either. If you do, please tell me.
To those of you doing NaNo, best of luck to you! And to the rest of us, keep trucking.
Jennifer Lane Books 