We Can Do It! Liz Borino Shares All

Liz Borino is here to share her tips for getting more done. 

Celeste Jones: Are you a full time or part time writer?

Liz Borino:  I like to say I am full time everything because of the amount of hours I work, but not the pay I receive (yet).

Celeste Jones:  What other responsibilities do you have to juggle along with writing? Children? Aging parents? Exercise? A disturbing number of pets? Critiquing for other writers?

Liz Borino: I just finished my master’s degree in English, so for a long time I was juggling schoolwork and writing. Now it’s my editing ‘day job,’ job hunting, and my migraines, which make staring at the computer screen difficult.

Celeste Jones: Do you have a set schedule for when you write? If so, what is it?

Liz Borino:  I try to write in the morning and late afternoon as those are my most alert times of the day.

Celeste Jones: Do you have particular productivity goals for each day or week or just go for it?

Liz Borino: Yes, but what they are depends on my deadline. If I need to finish a manuscript in a “crazy short” amount of time, I will make an outline and decide how many scenes have to be completed each day meet said deadline. One thing that is important for the way I work though is the word scene and not word/page count.  I don’t often decide how long a book will be, I figure out what needs to be in it and let the charactersdecide how many words they will take to tell it. Sorry that was a derailment. Anyway, if my most pressing deadline is for the day job, then that takes priority.

Celeste Jones: What is a typical day (if such a thing exists) like for you?

Liz Borino:  No such thing. As I mentioned above, my schedule/goals depend on the most pressing deadline.  I can say that I wake up every day between 5:30 and 6, take a shower, eat breakfast, and poke around the internet until around 7-7:30 when my brain engages enough to do things that matter. I tend to focus promotion, phone calls, and emails during my off-peak times (late morning or night) when possible.

Celeste Jones:  Do you work on more than one manuscript at a time?

Liz Borino: Yes. I generally have one each stage: pre-writing, writing, and editing. But I have a problem actively writing in two different worlds at once.

Celeste Jones: Do you use any special writing programs like Write or Die?

Liz Borino: I love Scrivener! It works well with my ADD style thinking. I don’t need to write the book in order because I have scenes organized for every chapter. I never used to outline, but it has made writing my last few projects so much easier.

Celeste Jones: What about promotion? Do you have particular time when you visit blogs or use other social media? How do you monitor your time?

Liz Borino:  I visit blogs around my books’ release dates, but I try to have a consistent social media presence so people don’t forget about me. Time management is the most difficult aspect for me. Because I truly want to be everywhere, yet I know I can’t.  Even more than that, though, I haven’t always seen ROI (return on investment) for the most time consuming tasks, like blog tours. So, I’m going to try scaling back for my upcoming releases and see how that works.

Celeste Jones: What about your blog? Do you have a set schedule or just blog when the mood strikes you?

Liz Borino: I’m going to be honest. This is one area that I am terrible at. I know I should blog consistently, but I just don’t make the time for it.

Celeste Jones: What tips or pointers do you have to share to help others be more productive?

Liz Borino:  Know yourself and work with your strengths, as opposed to fighting your weaknesses. For example, if you don’t work well at night, stop trying! Save nighttime for the other tasks that surround being an author. Also, study the industry.  If one method of promotion is consistently shown to work better then put your effort that. Busy does not equal productive.

Celeste Jones: What books are you working on now? What are your goals for 2014?

Liz Borino: Angel’s Hero will be released on February 26 and its sequel, Angel’s Truth, on March 12. I have books scheduled to be released in April and June, as well. I would like to have at least as many come out the rest of the year, but that will be dependent on my job hunt and financial capabilities.

Celeste Jones: Anything else you’d like to share?

Liz Borino:  No, but thank you very much for having me.

Angel’s Hero

Blurb: CIA Agent Aaron “Angel” Collins trusts a few things unquestioningly: His gut, his eyes, and his husband, Jordan, an Army Captain.  So, when Jordan’s commanding officers deliver the news of Jordan’s death, and two of his resources disagree, Aaron must decide if he can let Troy Hart into the circle to assist in his quest to find out the truth.

Captain Jordan Collins receives news of his death while sitting battered and disheartened in an Afghanistan prison. He is forced to reevaluate who and what he can rely on to stay alive and maybe make it home to Angel. Unfortunately, someone in the US government is making that difficult. Angel’s Hero is a suspenseful tale proves the resiliency of the human spirit, and keeps your heart pounding long after the last sentence.

Website:  http://bit.ly/HKPBD6

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liz.borino.1

Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1a0qkvb