Today, I’m happy to welcome Jo Kessel, author of the contemporary romance, Weak at the Knees, to my notebook. She’s talking about balancing life and work, a subject a lot of us can relate to.
Balancing Life and Writing
As women, we’re taught at a young age that we can have it all, and so it came as a shock to me when I realized that this isn’t necessarily the truth. At least, you can have it all, but there’s a price to pay for it and, if you decide to work full-time, that price is spending less quality time with your children. And so for me, having a full-time career and being a Mom has never been an easy partnership. It’s been a constant challenge to achieve a perfect life/work balance, but I think I’m closer to it now than I was. Before I had children I was a full-time TV Reporter, but the hours were so long that I had to give it up after the brood came along, otherwise I would never have seen them. And so instead I started writing as a freelance print journalist which was much easier to fit around being a Mom. All the children are at school now which is a real help. I try to squeeze as much writing into school hours as possible so that I can be around for them when they get back from school to give them dinner and help them with their homework, not to mention my chauffeuring duties, taking and collecting from after-school clubs etc. Oof, being a Mom is a full-time job in itself, so doubling that with a career is bound to leave one feeling stretched. Increasingly, I’ve found myself going back to my computer once the children are tucked up in bed. There’s just so much to do and not enough hours in the day. If I want to have a social life and do things for ‘me’ as well as for the little ones (I like to practice yoga as well as go out for a yummy dinner and a glass or two of vino) then it’s sleep that goes out the window. Which is a shame because I absolutely lurrrrrrrrrrrrrrve sleep and am always feeling like I need more!
About the Weak at the Knees:
“We got so busy living life that we forgot to live our dreams.”
Danni Lewis has been playing it safe for twenty-six years, but her sheltered existence is making her feel old ahead of time. When a sudden death plunges her into a spiral of grief, she throws caution to the wind and runs away to France in search of a new beginning.
The moment ski instructor Olivier du Pape enters her shattered world she falls hard, in more ways than one.
Their mutual desire is as powerful and seductive as the mountains around them. His dark gypsy looks and piercing blue eyes are irresistible.
Only she must resist, because he has a wife – and she’d made a pact to never get involved with a married man.
But how do you choose between keeping your word and being true to your soul?
Weak at the Knees is Jo’s debut novel in the new adult, contemporary romance genre – a story of love and loss set between London and the heart of the French Alps.
Purchase your copy at AMAZON (US) or AMAZON (UK)
About the Author:
Jo Kessel is a journalist in the UK, working for the BBC and reporting and presenting for ITV on holiday, consumer and current affairs programs. She writes for several national newspapers including the Daily Mail, the Telegraph, the Guardian and the Express and was the anonymous author of the Independent’s hit column: Diary of a Primary School Mum.
When Jo was ten years old she wrote a short story about losing a loved one. Her mother and big sister were so moved by the tale that it made them cry. Having reduced them to tears she vowed that the next time she wrote a story it would make them smile instead. Happily she succeeded and with this success grew an addiction for wanting to reach out and touch people with words.
P.S. Jo’s pretty certain one of her daughters has inherited this gene.
Other books by Jo Kessel include Lover in Law.
Her latest book is the new adult contemporary romance novel, Weak at the Knees.
Visit her website at www.jokessel.com.
Connect & Socialize with Jo!
TWITTER * FACEBOOK * GOODREADS
Pump Up Your Book and Jo Kessel are giving away a $100 Amazon Gift Card & a French Gift Basket of French gift basket that includes a whole lot of goodies associated with the book, including a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a famous wine from the Rhône wine region of southeastern France!
Terms & Conditions:
By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old. One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $100 Amazon Gift Card and one winner will be chosen to win the gift basket. This giveaway begins October 7 and ends January 18. Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, January 20, 2014. Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Thank you so much for featuring my new release Weak at the Knees on your blog today. Do you know, the other day I asked my youngest daughter what she wanted to be when she grew up. Her answer? “I want to just be a Mummy!” Either that’s a HUGE complement and she thinks I’m doing a fabulous job (I prefer to think it’s this) or she can see that the constant juggle between having a career and being a Mom is too challenging, and she’d rather just opt for one!
I can’t think of a better compliment.
Thanks for hosting Jo today, Carol! Is this a blog redo? It looks fabulous here!
Thanks. I redid it a little while ago. I kinda like it too.