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An Ex for Christmas by Lauren Layne

An Ex for Christmas

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✨Behind-the-Scenes: Author Life✨
Tomorrow is move day, which means today is the last day with this view ... and this desk! I’m doing the unthinkable and going without a dedicated desk in the new apartment. I feel a little weird admitting this, considering I’m a full-time author, but ... I just don’t use my desk very often. Or at all. I like the looks of a desk, I love the *idea* of a desk ...
But the reality is, I write most often from bed, the couch, or somewhere out and about in the city (thanks, @spaciousapp!)
And with Manhattan apartments being so tiny, it just doesn’t make sense to have a piece of furniture that doesn’t get used! Instead, @anthonyledonne and I are swapping our desks for a proper dining room table. In my head, the table will double as workspace and eating-space. In reality I will probably sit there to write exactly never 😬

🥂 Yep. 🥂
Friday is MOVING DAY, and even though I feel just about as organized as I can be pre-move, I’m all sorts of restless today. I’m in that “limbo” stage where I can’t settle down and get motivated or focus on anything because I know I’m two days, everything’s going to get turned upside down anyway.
I tried to fix my mood. I tried exercise. Healthy eating. Meditating. Journaling. Throwing myself into new writing project. My “blah” mood only continued, as did my frustration with myself that I couldn’t snap out of it.
Then @anthonyledonne brought me a glass of champagne, and I realized I’ve been approaching everything all wrong. I’ve reframed to celebration mode: cheers to our last couple nights in the building that’s been our home for 4 years, and cheers to the promises of a fresh start! 🍾🥂🍾

Anyone else have to repeat, “this is pampering, you are pampered, be grateful,” when at the salon? No? Just me and @jlemmony who play the Imperial March on salon day?
I’ve never been one of those people that can’t sit still, but for some reason, Zen patience is never to be found when it’s time to cover up the grays every month. I start LITERALLY squirming in my chair like I’m a 4 year old who can’t wait to go outside and play. Thank goodness I have the newest @sarahmaclean book to read!

Like most dads (the good ones, anyway), this gentleman has played a huge role in shaping my life. I was a VERY shy kid, and though he allowed me to be quiet, being timid (as was my nature) wasn’t an option. He encouraged my sister and me to try everything at least once. Food. Sports. Hobbies.
I remember him coming home from some outing, handing me boxes (this was 💾 days, people!) for the computer programs Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing and Adobe Photoshop and telling me to learn both because “typing and graphic design was the future.” I was 9, but he was right. I was typing 100 words per minute before high school, and MAN does that skill come in handy for my current novel-writing pace 😉 Plus, I design websites as my side hustle, so I guess that early design exposure paid off in its own way as well!👩🏻‍💻
My dad often gets asked if he wishes he would have had a boy to balance out having two daughters, and I mean this in the best way possible: I don’t think he would have treated a boy much differently. I mowed the lawn (badly), played catch (really badly), and got to set off my own fireworks (it was legal, I was supervised!) All with a 🎀 holding my ponytail in place.
Growing up, it never occurred to me that there was a glass ceiling, because I think my parents hoped/presumed my sister and I would crash right through it on our way to being whatever the hell we wanted to be. My dad raised me (and Sissy there on the left!) to work smart, play hard, tolerate zero BS. Because of him (and my mama!) I knew it was possible to play with Barbies, and later, wear mascara, and still be an independent badass. I’m forever grateful 💙💙💙
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there, especially mine (I call him Pooh, as in Winnie The, not 💩) as well as my amazing, supportive father-in-law Tony (T-Dawg).

💻 #writetip Wednesday:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Forget the writing, pour the wine.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
🥂 🤷🏻‍♀️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
That’s right, kids, top-notch writing advice here that you won’t find anywhere else 😂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Really though, life is short, and time goes by SO fast. Work hard and push yourself, but make sure you take time to take a deep breath and treat yourself to something lovely.

I stumbled upon this quote the other day, and at the risk of oversharing, it felt like a wake-up call meant just for me, at the moment I REALLY needed it. I generally make an effort to distance myself from people who always want to complain (usually under the guise of "venting"), and realized that in recent weeks, *I'd* become that person who comes into every conversation with a weary sigh, a snarky comment, or a complaint. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I WAS WHINING. 🤭 Whoops.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Since seeing this quote a few days ago, I've made a conscious effort to pause before complaining, ask myself if there's a SOLUTION to what's bugging me. If so, I go do that, instead of verbalizing my vent. If there's not a solution (sometimes in life there just ISN'T), I consciously let it go. I've felt more motivated, a little kinder towards others, and just ... HAPPY.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Wanted to share the quote in case anyone else had found themselves in a similar funk! 💕🌸💐🌺

After limping over the finish line of a grueling deadline, this weekend has been all about self-care (watched The Office reruns all day Saturday. Literally. All day.) as well as catching up on neglected home tasks, like organizing the master closet... Where I found THESE beauties hiding under a set of spare sheets. How fun is the German edition of TO HAVE AND TO HOLD!?

I will probably get in trouble for this, but is this not THE cutest? Bailey is scared of the tripod that @anthonyledonne uses for food photography 🙄 He was trying to show her it wouldn’t attack, and she threw her head over his shoulder 😍

Stress Level: Maximum 🚨
• • •
Friendly reminder to protect your time better than I have these past couple weeks. It’s okay to say no to stuff you don’t have time for and didn’t plan for.
That quote, “If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will”? #truth
Send wine. Or makeup. Or sleep. Or a deadline extension. Or a time machine 😬 #authorlife #butreally

Most of the time, being an author involves a LOT of sitting, muttering to your fictional characters, and having to write “shower” on your daily to do list so you don’t forget. And then there are days like yesterday where you spend 3 hour lunches with friend and career role model @authorjenniferprobst (the epic success of her THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN is one of the reasons I got my first book deal!) followed by the @amazonpublishing BEA cocktail party where they have your books on display 🥂🖤🥂

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