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First, let me say thank you to the Butterscotch Martini Girls for having me as a guest blogger today. And a special thanks to Brit for letting me take her normal Monday blog spot. Thanks, sweetie!

Okay, now a little about me:

I’m Eden Robins. I’m currently published through Cerridwen Press. I like to write paranormals, science fiction, dark fantasy and straight contemporary romances. I also write nonfiction inspirational and if I have the opportunity to write a Modern Day Fairytale here and there, I’ll jump at the chance. I like to listen to alternative or hard rock when I write, but usually prefer silence when I edit. Go figure.

I love the magic of both the sparkling blue ocean and the deep earthy forest, but if I had to pick one it would be the forest. The whispering of pine trees as they sway in the wind brings me unbelievable peace. I love dogs, pugs in particular and am the proud owner of two-Mimi and Jasmine. I really enjoy dancing. I’ve even taken some ball room dancing lessons, but would still not call myself a talented dancer. Yet I have a blast trying! I’ve been taking kickboxing classes for about a year and a half and I thrive on the energy that brings. I’m also a part time faery queen, just visit the Romantic Times Booklovers convention site to learn more. Last, but definitely not least, I’m a mom. Love it, live it, work hard at it.

I’m published in all of the above and am loving every minute of the ride. Okay, almost every minute. But that’s the nature of the beast, isn’t it? As a matter of fact, that’s the nature of life. The yin and the yang. The good and the bad. There can’t be one without the other. That’s balance.

Grrrr….there’s that word again…Balance. It’s one I ponder and obsess over time and time again. I’m trying to find that right fit, where the “weight” of one part of my life stays even with the other.

You’re probably wondering what I’m talking about, so let me explain…

On one side of my computer I have pictures of my children and family and on the other I have reviews, author quotes and some contest wins. Seems odd, yet both inspire me, each in their own way. I want my family to be proud of me, of who I am, of how I live, of what I do, and of what I accomplish. On the other hand, I also stay motivated by looking at the progress of the work I’ve done and the industry’s recognition of that. Both are motivators, both affect my life and my work.

Here’s my conundrum. Family and work, family and work, family and work. I want to give both their due, but it isn’t always so cut and dried. Wish it were. Some days I really wish it were. My family is so important to me. I want it to stay close, harmonized, healthy, loving and productive. My writing is also important to me. I want it o stay harmonized, healthy and productive as well.

But I still juggle both clumsily-sometimes leaning too heavily toward one or the other and losing a ball or two along the way. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to drop any of the balls. Ever.

That, I’m beginning to believe is where the problem lies. Constant perfection isn’t possible. Perfect balance isn’t possible all day, ever day. It just isn’t realistic to think otherwise. So once again, I’m relearning a lesson I thought I had learned. It’s simply this. As either a writer or simply a human being,  perfection is not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it’s something that just might crack me up if I continue to believe the notion that I can live up to it.

No, perfection is not the answer and perfect balance is not always possible.

So what’s left?

Well, me of course. Perfectly imperfect me. But that’s not what’s ultimately the most important point of all of this. What is important is what I strive to do as me. I need to strive to be the best family member I can be. The best mom, partner, sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, etc. that I can be. The best I can be. Not the most perfect, but the best I can be. This also means that I need to strive to be the best writer I can be. Not perfect, not without flaws, just the best darn writer, write with my blood, guts and soul that I can be.

Perfection is not me. It’s not something I will be able to live up to in a balanced life. But being the best I can be-now that is doable. That is possible. And that is a goal in itself which I feel will bring balance to my world.

So watch out family–watch out world! The best darn family member/author who writes with her blood, guts and soul that I can be is coming your way!

Okay, now I feel ready to start my week.

How about you?

Eden 

Eden Robins

Dark, Dangerous and Decadent Happily-Ever-Afters  www.edenrobins.com  http://www.myspace.com/edenrobins

AFTER SUNDOWN: ILLUMINATION Coming in 2008! BENEATH A CHRISTMAS MOON December 2007   

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Butterscotchmartinigirls guest blog

Hey, Brit, Isabella, and all my martinigirl friends - thanks for inviting me to stop by and chat with all your fans. I’m really gonna miss seeing you ladies at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire this year! Do think of me shivering in the Cold North while you’re basking in the sunshine eating those fantastic chocolate-covered strawberries.

All of you out there within driving distance to the Chocolate Affaire, do try to attend. Besides chatting with lovely and talented authors, and buying chocolate in all its forms, there’s non-stop live music and tons of craft booths selling all kinds of wonderful things.

Now, it’s confession time…

Do you know, I’ve never had a butterscotch martini–or, actually, any kind of martini.

Yep, that’s right. Truth is, I’m a total pathetic wimp when it comes to alcohol. One drink and I’m looped. Two, and I can’t walk straight. My husband doesn’t mind this in the least. Says I’m a really cheap date, lol.

Let’s see – some other random thoughts…

Music - I like The Killers, My Chemical Romance, and Green Day. I don’t go out of my way to listen to music from my high school and college days (ie Oldies that are older than I like to admit), but I like hearing them when I run into them. I don’t care too much for country or rap. I enjoy some hip hop, if it’s not too whiney or repetitive. I like classical music, but not jazz.

TV - I don’t watch a lot of it any more, otherwise I’d never get my books written! But I became majorly addicted to LOST in the past couple years. I’m looking forward to the new season starting in a couple weeks, though I hear it’s going to be shortened because of the writers’ strike. Other than that, I’ve introducing my kids to my TV addictions of the past on DVD. X-Files (we’re up to the seventh season, just before Mulder went on the lam), and Star Trek - went through the entire Original Series, and now just getting into The Next Generation. We’re also working our way through Seinfeld.

Kids: I got three of ‘em. Insanely, they were born within four years of each other. Pretty much, the not-so-little-anymore ex-rugrats suck up all my free time.

Husband: Still on my first  We met when I was eighteen & he was twenty, and got married six years later. He was an Officer and a Gentleman, I was a Navy Wife. After a couple years of that, we left the military and started having kids. We celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary last autumn. Yes, now the mathematicians among you can now figure out how old I am!

Pets: My dog is the best. She’s a sweet nine year old liver-spotted Dalmatian, Maia. She’s very sweet, and gets me off my butt for a walk most days. She comes over when I’m typing on the computer and head-butt my hands off the keyboard. She loves all people, especially kids, but hates other dogs and the UPS guy. Currently, we also have two hermit crabs in residence. My son’s asked for every kind of lizard imaginable, but I keep saying no to any animal whose food has to be alive.

Housework: minimal

Cooking: Ditto. What with each kid in different afterschool activities, we do a lot of take out at my house.

Hobbies: Reading, of course. My very favorite thing to do. (Well, maybe my second favorite ). I also like movies - new and rented. I like gardening, both flowers and vegetables. I grow heirloom tomatoes, started from seed, every year. And basil and sweet peppers. My favorite flowers are sunflowers. I grow a dozen different kinds.

Exercise: Supposed to be good for you, right? Take that with a grain of salt! I know more people with sports injuries than I can shake a running shoe at, so my motto is: don’t overdo a good thing. I walk my dog, and ride indoor and outdoor bicycles. I avoid running, aerobics, or any form of yoga like the plague. I’ve tried all of them, and have come to the conclusion that all three make me look and feel like an uncoordinated klutz. That thing about Tuesday’s child being full of grace? Well, I was born on a Tuesday, so I know it’s not true!

Shopping: Hate it, hate it, HATE IT. After one hour in a store, my brain starts to glaze over. Unless it’s in a bookstore. Then you can’t get me out of the place.

Best things about being an author? Getting emails from readers who really connect with my stories and characters. Hanging out with other authors, (the most fabulously creative people I know!) and getting lost in discussions of our characters and plots. Oh, yeah, and seeing my name on the book cover. That never gets old.

Book I’m currently hawking? DEEP MAGIC, out this month (January) from Dorchester Lovespell. Deep Magic is the second in my Druids of Avalon series, after The Grail King. The series follows a band of Druids, ancestors of King Arthur, as they reclaim their sacred home on the isle of Avalon, and delve into forbidden magic that will shape history in the ages to come. My first book with Dorchester, Celtic Fire, is a “prequel” to the Druids series. Brit was so kind to post the cover and blurb here a couple weeks ago.

Up next: Immortals: The Crossing (October 2008). Very soon, I’ll be submerging myself in deadline hell for this one.

All the best! Thanks for reading to the end.

Joy

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