Welcome to Stitch Read Cook's weekly feature!!
A Day in the Life of.....
This is where us bloggers & fans get a glimpse inside the days of our favorite authors!
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A native Northwesterner with the pale skin to prove it, Stefanie Sloane credits her parents’ eclectic reading habits—not to mention their decision to live in the middle of nowhere—for her love of books. A childhood spent lost in the pages of countless novels led Stefanie to college, where she majored in English. No one was more surprised than Stefanie when she actually put her degree to use and landed a job in Amazon.com’s editorial department. She spent more than five years reading for a living before retiring to concentrate on her own stories. Stefanie Sloane lives with her family in Seattle.
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First I want to thank Aislynn for inviting me. It’s great to be here and I’ll check back throughout the day to answer any questions you may have about me or The Saint Who Stole My Heart, the fourth installment in my Regency Rogues series that releases April 24th, 2012.
Warning: there is nothing exciting, titillating, adventurous, or gasp-inducing about my life. At least not most of the time. Occasionally? Yes. What follows is not one of those days. Proceed with toothpicks to prop open your eyelids and a venti quad shot nonfat, sugar-free vanilla latte. Trust me. It works.
6:30am
Alarm goes off, as they are want to do. Spend ten minutes in abject denial of my situation before lurching from bed, tripping over dogs, and disappearing into the closet. Spend five minutes berating myself for not having the foresight to install a Murphy bed in said closet. Accept my fate and move on to choosing black yoga pants, sports bra, and sporty t-shirt (standard issue urban soccer mom wear).
6:46am
Rouse children from bed. Weapons of choice: water gun, bright lights, and dogs trained to first jump on unsuspecting, sleepy child, then slobber and lick until there’s screaming.
6:56amTrundle downstairs with children and dogs in tow. Feed dogs for a job well done. Feed children for my own sanity—if their mouths are full, they cannot talk. Am not a morning person. Only sounds permissible at such an ungodly hour are the soothing hiss of the coffee pot and the low crunching of an english muffin.
7:00am
Mr. Sloane arrives on the scene. He is a morning person. Much cheeriness and optimism is tossed around until I suspect a Disney film is being produced in my house. Copious amounts of coffee are consumed to ease the pain.
7:30am
8:30am
To the gym. Or walking the lake. In theory. More mulling of writing with some industry gossip and general whining mixed in.
10:00am-ish
Shower. Wish for the umpteenth time for a personal stylist and makeup artist. Settle for some semblance of brushed hair and hastily applied products.
11:00am-ish
Can no longer avoid dogs. Take them to the dog park. Much sniffing, running, humping, and wrestling follows. The dogs. Not me. Just to clarify.
12:00pm
Return home with one exhausted Labrador and a slightly tired Terrier. Eat lunch while checking email, producing some promo work, and tackling my word count for the day.
3:00pm
Pick up children from school. Drive children to activities. Keep children from killing each other. Cook something (anything) for dinner. Mr. Sloane comes home from work—still cheery—and handles the bedtime routine. Email here, FB there, here a tweet, there a tweet, everywhere a tweet, tweet.
9:00pm
Drag tired Labrador out for a walk. Attempt to keep up with the Terrier. Return home for TV time with Mr. Sloane, often followed by one or two more pages of work.
11:00pm
Lights out. And the rest is none of your beeswax.
Now, how about you? What’s the best part of your day?
Tell me and you’ll be entered to win the first three books in the Regency Rogues trilogy AND a brand-spanking new copy of The Saint Who Stole My Heart!
This is open INTERNATIONALLY!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The best part of my day is when I finally get home after a long day at work and get to snuggle on the couch with hubby, the kitties and a good book (hubby is usually watching some sport that I'd rather not watch). It's our time together yet doing the things we each like. :)
ReplyDeleteMy day is pretty much along the same lines, except I homeschool my children (for the time being), and my hubby is a drill instructor so his schedule varies. My favorite time of the day is when (if my husband works nights) I get to cuddle on couch with a glass of wine and write/edit or read without interruptions. If my husband has morning's, my favorite time is in the afternoon when I get to go to the gym and work off all the pent up aggression, caused by hours of chasing and cleaning up after two kids, my husband, and three dogs.
ReplyDeleteIn bed at 11 and awake before 7 makes me sad. I'm a needs at least 8 hours to function kind of person and anything less usually results in some sort of blood shed.
ReplyDeleteBest time of day for me are the days when we both manage to get home in the evenings (I work retail and he is in the Air Force and often we are on opposite schedules) and we curl up with the pups and watch tv together. That is also when we talk and catch each other up on our days and sometimes the week.
Love me some snuggle time on the couch! Especially with the pups!:)
DeleteGosh, your day sounds suspiciously like mine... except for the dogs :-)... Doncha hate a chipper morning person? I'd like to shove a sock in my husband's mouth (have actually stood behind him with said sock balled up in my hand, heart pounding, thinking , REALLY?? am I REALLY gonna do this? Why YES, yes I am. Lucky for him he chose that moment to turn around and looked from my face to the sock and back, gave me a big ole' smirky grin, a wink and a kiss goodbye!)
ReplyDeleteBut ah- the best part of my day- just after I get the kids on the bus (no easy task, both are total care special needs, and I have to get them both ready, by myself, separate buses that often come at the exact same time, opposite driveways .
So after they're gone- from 8am to 10am is ME ME ME time for reading and/or writing and I dare the Mister to come home early from work (as he often threatens)... 8-10 is still technically morning is it not?!? And my sock is easy enough to pull off Mr. Ashley! remember that sir!.
Thank God we have husbands who know when to duck!:)
DeleteFor me, it's when my daughter gives me a good-night kiss. :)
ReplyDeleteAwww, this made me smile. What a good mom you are!
DeleteHm...best time of the day...Well, it surely isn't doing all the housework. Nor is it cleaning up after the two cats (whether it's something they've got into that they shouldn't or literbox duty). It's not when said cats practically trip me for food--repeatidly.
ReplyDeleteBut for those brief moments towards night when I can cuddle on the couch with a book and one of them (usually my more "mellow" kitty) curls up by me or on me. Peace and quiet + a good book=heaven! :) Until she ruins it by trying to claw my leg to reach my book. *sigh*
Enjoy!
TBQ
TBQ's Book Palace
Your idea of heaven is exactly the same as mine! Give the kitties a hug from me!:)
DeleteHi! :) Well, given it's on my mind right now... naptime. No, I do not have any children, I just simply mean my naptime. LOL And given work has not called me like so many Wednesdays before this one to say not to come in... no naptime for me later. Sigh.
ReplyDeletePS - I haven't picked up any of your books yet, but sure have wanted too! :)
Lois
Oh Lois, do I miss it when my girls napped. Talk about a perfect excuse for a snooze!
DeleteI love right before sleep, laying in bed and reading a good book. Cheesy I know but it's my time and the dog can drool and the fiance can drool but I'm lost in a magical world :)
ReplyDeleteHa! Laughed out loud at this one. And I know exactly what you mean--both about the time right before sleep and about the drooling dog and man!:)
DeleteMy day starts at 5:30 am. But the best time starts at 7am when my 18 month old Grandson comes to my house. The first thing he does, he reaches up for me and I pick him up. He has this big smile on his face and he pats me on my back and gives me one of his big kisses..Love it...
ReplyDeleteOh, I remember those days with my girls. There's nothing like a toothy grin from a child.:)
DeleteMost days, the best part of my day is the quiet when all 5 children and my husband are gone to bed, the dishes are done and I get to sit down with my coffee and read before bed.
ReplyDeleteOn Monday, the best part of my day is sitting with my husband and cuddling while we watch Castle--it's our Monday Date Night.
Carrie, my husband and I do the same thing on Monday nights!
DeleteBest part of day?? Is it too cheesy to say the time when the hubby and I can both sit down and have dinner together at the end of the day? We wind down and get to reconnect and I tend to forget all the stress of the day. No matter what kind of day it was, we always end up laughing over our dinner plates.
ReplyDeleteSharon, it's not cheesy. It's romantic. And smart. In today's crazy world it's so important to take the time to connect. Good for you and your husband!
DeleteOh my goodness! I have to admit I laughed when reading this! I love the whole rousing children out of bed part because my kids are the same way! My best part of the day is when all the kids are snuggling in bed asleep and I am reading with my ipad with the hubby!
ReplyDeleteElaine, try the squirt gun! It works every time, I promise!:)
DeleteLove the post! Best part of the day for me...hmm, when my boys go to sleep and there is quiet in the house again :) Then I can read and not be interrupted fifty million times with questions.
ReplyDeleteDon't you get tired of questions? Oh, wait, don't answer that!;)
DeleteI am a morning person but at 9pm you are much more chipper than me. By then, I am curled up with a pillow over my eyes :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of the day (during the week) is at 5:30 when I arrive at work and not another sole is in the building. I am the most productive that 1 hour in the morning. (YES that means I get up at 4am) :)
Felicia, 4am? I don't think I even have a pulse at that point. You're Wonder Woman!
DeleteLove the post - especially your "wake up" treatment!
ReplyDeleteBest part of my day is the early morning before any kids or husband wakes up. It is quiet, clean and stress-free. I try to get up at least an hour before anyone else to have some "me" time on the computer, read or go on a walk.
Once the kids are up, it is fast forward until we drop for bed!
This getting up before everyone else idea is one I've got to try. Fingers crossed!
DeleteThe favorite part of my day is either right after dinner when I get to snuggle on the loveseat with hubby and watch tv together while the boys are quietly enjoying their games or watching tv with us or right when hubby and I get to go to bed for the night and cuddle before crashing out.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I have NEVER been a morning person and I don't ever foresee that changing so I absolutely dread when hubby wakes up every morning anywhere between 4:50am-5:30am and proceeds to pop out of bed like a jack-in-the-box and get ready to leave for work in 10 minutes flat. I also dread waking the boys up for school in the mornings because we have one who pops right up and another who thinks he must do anything and everything BUT get ready for school until I am standing over him with a menacing glare.
I guess another part of my day that I savor is the hot shower! A full 15 minutes of uninterrupted heat, quiet, peace, and pampering (this is even better if I can convince hubby to wash my hair for me which he does on occasion). Some days this is the only time that I get any sanity restored!
LadyRed, the shower is the best! If my kids come in and try to talk to me I simply gesture at the running water and tell them I can't hear a word they're saying! Drives them off every time.:)
DeleteThe best part of my day is late evening - 9:00 p.m. to midnight. It's quiet in the house usually; I can think & work without interruption.
ReplyDeleteQuiet really is a gift, isn't it? I never realized how much I needed it before my kids, multiple dogs, etc. But it is absolutely necessary for my sanity.
DeleteI always get up a half hour before everyone else so I can enjoy my first cup of coffee in peace before the chaos starts.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a morning person either. :)
Beebs, that is genius. I'll give it a go and see if it curbs my snarling.;)
DeleteWell, it doesn't stop the snarling but it does prevent bodily harm. :)
DeleteChrystal, I too suffer from the "sports only" TV programming.:) Men!
ReplyDeleteOh Dawn, my hat is off to you. I fear my head would explode if my children were home schooled. Or theirs. One or the other!:)
ReplyDeleteAWESOME Giveaway!!!! I've been dyyyyying to read Stefanie's books :)
ReplyDeleteThe best part of my day is going home and when I first walk through the door, how my dogs are soooo excited to see me. They cry and have to kiss me all over. It doesn't matter how my day went, just going home and getting the "MOM'S HOME!!!" treatment lifts my spirits every time.
ZOMG, the doggy meet-n-greet at the door is the absolute best! And I love your avatar! Those little patty-paws--as my girls like to say--are precious!
DeleteLOL... Thanks! That's Sam, my baby... this pic was taken when he was 3 months old and was waking up from a nap w/ my bf. He stretched out his paws right when I took the pic. We call it his paparazzi pic.
DeleteBest part of the day is early, early morning -- when I am the first one up and it's my time to read e-mails and check Facebook and browse through the internet.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm lucky, I can also squeeze in a few chapters of the romance novel I'm reading before my eldest wakes up.
Congratulations on the new book!
Tin, thanks so much for the congrats. And I have got to start getting up before anyone else so that I can suck down some coffee and morph into someone slightly more cheerful.:)
DeleteTerrific giveaway. The best part of my day is dinner time because my family always eat together. It's when we relax, convervse and simply enjoy each other's company with good food. Coming in close is the time just before I sleep when the house is quiet and I have some time to read.
ReplyDeleteNa, I totally agree about meal time for the family. It's somewhat sacred, isn't it? Something about sharing a meal and your thoughts with the ones that you love.
DeleteMy favorite part of the day is the morning when i cook breakfast for my mom and dad before i leave for work. And the night time when my mom cooks and v njoy the dinner together. Thanks for the giveaways and would love to win those books. :)
ReplyDeleteZehra, what wonderful family time!
DeleteThe best part of my day is the morning. I know it sounds corny but after I wake up and check the phone, blah blah blah, I start to review my day ahead and try to keep on the positive side. It's a clean slate before me and I set my pace and mood. The decisions I make from the get-go dictate what is going to happen. Beyond that first review of the day, my next favorite part is work. I get to see different people everyday, go a different place everyday, I have a mobile office (my car) so I have the proverbial corner office (lots of windows and natural light), I can listen to whatever music I want (no Musak or whatever is least offensive to the majority of the co-workers), etc. I really have it pretty nice!
ReplyDeleteOk, your attitude is infectious. I feel more positive just reading your comment. Thank you for reminding me that life is pretty awesome!
DeleteMost definitely it is when I go to bed while husband is usually still sleeping on the couch (no snoring to contend with that way) with my purring cats and a good book. Thanks for a great giveaway!
ReplyDeletecatslady5(at)aol.com
Catslady, I've got a snorer too! Good thing he's so handsome.;)
DeleteThe best part of my weekday is walking in the door to my house and knowing I'm free until the next morning. The best part of my weekend days is getting to sleep in .
ReplyDeleteBarbed1951 at aol dot com
The best part of my day would be time spent with the family, both 2 legged and 4 legged, LOL. However, I really love the time that I spend curled up with a good book.
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to not being a morning person. This is made worse by difficulties with sleeping due to pain & insomnia. I have always been more of a night-owl anyway.
June
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
The best part of my day is in the evening when I come home from a long day of classes. Since I live alone and my family is 9000 miles away, I curl up with a romance novel and transport myself to a difference place while remaining where I am:)
ReplyDeleteryjosy@yahoo.com
The best part of my day is after supper, everything put away, dishes done, and it's time to relax. Time to choose: watch tv;watch a movie;play a game on pc;read a book. Most of the time the book wins! And,that's when my dog comes to me for her daily petting and loving, a wonderful,relaxing way to wind down after a busy day! jhetara@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteMy hot tea in the morning by myself before all the kiddos get up.
ReplyDelete~Steph
soklad82@hotmail.com
Hi Stefanie! Early congrats on your release. The best part of my day is spending 2 hours at the gym. Don't laugh. I get 2 hours of alone time in a crowded place listening to an audio book instead of music. I get to catch up on books I've been dying to read or old favorites as well as stare at good looking men. I just feel bad for the people around me when I'm snorting and giggling my way through 50 minutes on the elliptical. They're just jealous because they don't have as much fun as I do at the gym. lol.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of my day is easily coming home from work & being greeted by an excited beagle, then the DH. Yes, in that order. The dog gets a LOT more excited than he does, lol!
ReplyDeleteThe best part of my day has to be when I have a shower. That sounds creepy, but seriously, it is. I put on whatever music I want and wash away the days nonsense under a stream of hot water. Very cathartic!
ReplyDeleteHave a good one!
Nat.
I like the mornings when I am sure that I will get an amazing amount of stuff done during the day.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of the day is dinnertime with the family.
ReplyDeleteThe best part of my day is when I crawl into bed with a good book and re-runs of Frasier .
ReplyDeletebook-obsessed[at]hotmail[dot]com
Stefanie, At least you send everyone away on most mornings. I am in the last year of home schooling my son which thankfully since it's one-on-one doesn't take me all day. My favorite time is when everyone is in bed at night, I get to read while the whole house is quiet. Good luck with your upcoming release!
ReplyDeleteI like mid-morning. The day has settled down & I feel like I can breathe.
ReplyDeleteEarly morning after I wake up.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a morning person...never have been. My kids knew not to approach mommy before she downed her first cup of coffee! Smart kids! I think I enjoy the late afternoon best. Sun is getting ready to set, dinner is cooking, the family gathers....life is good then.
ReplyDeleteI am a morning person. Considering I have to be to work by 5am. My favorite time is when my kids get home. I have been so use to having one home that it is too quiet without them here. At least when they are home I know where they are at and I am not worried about them. Wondering if they are okay or not. In a way my kids are my entertainment. (besides my reading)
ReplyDeleteI love your first three books I read in this series. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next.