Today’s AuthorsTalk is with the utterly amazing Heather Young-Nichols! If you didn’t catch our review of her latest book Up for Grabs be sure to head over and do that now!

Heather is going to tell us a little about her thoughts on Writer’s Block and how to fight it!

What’s all this about writer’s block?

I’ve heard this concept bandied about. “I haven’t written anything. I’ve got writer’s block.”

What is this unseen thing that stops writers in their tracks? The kryptonite to their Superman-like power to put words on the page at breakneck speeds? Something that completely blocks all words from flowing in their brain?

I don’t have the answer because I’ve never experienced it. I have never had a time where I literally just stared at a blank page and couldn’t put a sentence together. I’m not claiming that it doesn’t exist at all but have often wondered if it isn’t a case of the writer getting in their own way. Too much pressure to produce making it impossible to actually produce. The need for every word you write to be gold making them stop all together. A self-fulfilling prophecy maybe? I don’t know.

Sure, I have times that I “don’t feel” like writing and if at all possible I just don’t write because everybody needs a break now and then. If I just need to get those creative juices flowing, I’ll grab a book or even re-read whatever I’ve already written in that story to get me back into it.

But sometimes not writing is just not possible. There are word count goals we place on ourselves and deadlines others give us. If that’s the case we can’t just sit back and wait for the muse to find us. We have to lasso that muse ourselves or continue on without it.

What to do then when you don’t “feel like” writing or “nothing’s coming to you”, or at least what do I do?

 

I sit my ass in the seat and write.

A while back I read a “how to” of writing by a guy whose name I don’t remember. It was just something he posted on Facebook. But the answer to every single question or problem in regards to writing was “Sit your ass in the seat and write.” I took that shit to heart because really how else is anything going to get done?

Yeah, the words aren’t always going to be the best you’ve got but honestly, they usually aren’t right off the bat. That’s why we have the editing process. Just put it down there even if it reads like “See Jane Run”. That’s fine. Because when you edit you can have Jane running like Usain Bolt, and hopping over hurdles, attacking a bear, all while wearing heels and not a hair out of place. It doesn’t have to be great as soon as you write it.

So instead of worrying about writer’s block, I sit my ass in the chair and write.

One of the most fun things I’ve done was NaNoWriMo last year and I’m doing it again this year. I sat down and wrote 64,000 words in 15 days. I don’t even know how I did it other than I decided to do it and it got done. Though I will admit to being scared to go back and read it because of how horrible it was going to be. But I did that a few weeks ago and yeah, it needed edits, they always need edits, but it was pretty good. I surprised myself. I have to chalk this up to not worrying about whether it was good or not, not getting in my own way and letting the story flow from my fingertips.

Maybe someone will want to publish that story, maybe they won’t. And maybe I’ll just do it myself because I love that damn story so much. Regardless of what happens to it, I didn’t let the idea of something that could hinder my writing get in my way of making it happen.

Heather Young-Nichols is the author of Up for Grabs, a new adult contemporary romance from Swoon Romance about a girl who is desperate to stay in college and goes to some extreme measures to ensure it happens.

She loves books and coffee and lives in Michigan where, in the dead of Winter, she tries to remember that she actually loves the snow but would rather lounge on a beach somewhere warm.

She chose the perfect college and found the perfect guy.

She has a plan to keep them both … but it won’t be perfect.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

iTunes

Kobo

Title: Up for Grabs

Author: Heather Young-Nichols

Series: Not yet…but I’m begging for it!

Published by: Swoon Romance

Date published: May 6, 2014

Genres: Contemporary

Book Length: 179 pages

Steam Rating: Steamy

Main Characters: Flannery & Cain

Add to GoodReads

Buy on Amazon

“Up For Grabs is hot, sweet, romantic, hilarious and just a plain out perfect and fun read!” ~Becca

When Flannery Tate left home for a college halfway across the country in Michigan, she’d only planned on getting an education. But when Cain Dorsey walked into her life, she had no choice but to fall for him. However, what’s a girl to do when her scholarship well runs dry? Return home? Get a job?

Flannery gets creative. She decides to sell the most precious and valuable thing she can – her virginity – to the highest bidder. When Cain discovers her plan, their world crumbles. Will they be able to move past her betrayal and find a way back to each other? Or, is this the beginning of the end? UP FOR GRABS is a story of love, heartbreak and truth

This is a hard book to talk about without spoiling anything! I guess the basics that you need to know are this:

• 100% epic love story
• It’s hilarious!
• Well developed and addictive characters.
• A story line that held me hostage and wouldn’t let go!
• I WANT MORE!

Yep…that about covers it! Up For Grabs is hot, sweet, romantic, hilarious and just a plain out perfect and fun read! Head on over to Amazon and get your copy now!

If you want more check out my video review above!

Heather Young-Nichols was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan and graduated from nearby Saginaw Valley State University with a degree in sociology. The only thing that rivals her love of reading and writing is her love of baseball. When not with her husband and three kids or the cat that likes to bite, she is working to bring the characters in her head to life.

Don’t forget to check out our Monthly Giveaway page to see what else is included in this awesome giveaway!

Heather Young-Nichols is giving away an E-copy of Up for Grabs as well as some swag!

What would you give up to be with the person you loved?

Heather will be stopping by tomorrow to do our very first AuthorsTalk post, don’t miss out on her take on Writer’s Block!

Title: Up for Grabs

Author: Heather Young-Nichols

Published by: Swoon Reads

Date published: May 6, 2014

Genres: Contemporary New Adult

Book Length: 179 pages

Main Characters: Flannery Tate & Cain Dorsey

Add to GoodReads

Buy on Amazon

What’s a girl to do when her scholarship well runs dry? Return home? Get a job? 

Flannery gets creative..she decides to sell her virginity to the highest bidder.

What’s the best way to pay for college? Think you know? Guess again. 

When Flannery Tate left home for a college halfway across the country in Michigan, she’d only planned on getting an education. But when Cain Dorsey walked into her life, she had no choice but to fall for him. However, what’s a girl to do when her scholarship well runs dry? Return home? Get a job? 

Flannery gets creative. She decides to sell the most precious and valuable thing she can – her virginity – to the highest bidder. When Cain discovers her plan, their world crumbles. Will they be able to move past her betrayal and find a way back to each other? Or, is this the beginning of the end?

UP FOR GRABS is a story of love, heartbreak and truth.

Heather Young-Nichols

Heather Young-Nichols was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan and graduated from nearby Saginaw Valley State University with a degree in sociology. The only thing that rivals her love of reading and writing is her love of baseball. When not with her husband and three kids or the cat that likes to bite, she is working to bring the characters in her head to life.

Adam leaned back in his chair with his feet propped up on mine. I kicked his hoofers off so I could sit.

“No coffee?” He doesn’t try to whisper or anything.

I thought the class rather enjoyed the twice a week comedy we provided. They watched us close enough but could also have been trying to decide if we were a couple. We tried that once. Just a kiss but I imagined that was what kissing a blood relative would’ve been like. So, it didn’t work out. It wasn’t an unrequited love kind of thing either. He’d laughed equally as hard as I did. Then he hooked up with Lara Sanders, the village bicycle in West Hall.

“Overslept.”

“That stinks.” I knew he was messing with me by the tone of his voice. The next thing I heard was loud slurping as he emptied his very large cup of coffee. He even did a satisfied “ahhh” at the end, the rotten son of a bitch.

Turning just enough for him to see me, I gave my absolute best dusty eyeball. “You suck.”

“You can have mine,” the warm voice beside me suggested. Cain Dorsey was offering me his coffee?

“I can’t take your coffee.”

“Why not? I don’t have cooties. Plus, I haven’t had a drink yet. Take it.” He reached the cup out so that I could smell the roasted goodness lurking beneath the plastic lid. The black silk seduced me with one sniff.

Trying to stifle the smile that was breaking out across my face, my natural talent for witty come backs disappeared. I was thinking that maybe his cooties wouldn’t be so bad to catch anyway. My stomach tingled slightly under his gaze.

“Take the fucking coffee so we’ll be able to stand you,” Adam interrupted and I reached back with a playful, yet significant, smack to the top of his head.

In the end, I took the coffee. It felt so good going down and the effects started immediately. I felt more awake and sharp.

“Oh god,” my eyes rolled back in my head in a slightly orgasmic way. Yup, I loved coffee that much. “I think I need to marry you.” I said to Cain without thinking. So used to sparing with Adam, it didn’t occur to me that Cain might not take my comments as intended.

My nerves calmed when he broke into a hearty laugh, filling the entire room and drawing Hendrick’s attention.

He didn’t seem to notice the added attention. “If I’d known it’d be that easy … ”

Find Heather Online

Facebook Fan Page                    Twitter                    Heather’s Website

Heather is giving away a copy of her novel, “Up for Grabs”

for Dylan’s July New Adult Giveaway!