And the winner is...

Congrats Sarah M. Eden for winning this week's drawing! 

Message me at anwaevents at gmail dot com with your address and I'll get Donna's book sent out to you.

If you're feeling sad about not winning Donna's book, have no fear-- here is a message of inspiration from the author herself!

Chasing the Muse by Donna Hatch

 Sometimes the muse pours rich blessings down on the heads of us poor mortal writers, and sometimes they remain elusive and silent. Trying to write when your muse is silent can be a frustrating and seemingly futile endeavor. However, even the most uncooperative muses can be coaxed out of hiding by using a few simple steps.

First, go into a state of calm through prayer, meditation, or simply taking a few cleansing breaths. This helps clear away the noise in your head so you can write with clarity and purpose.  It also helps tap into your creative side and acts as gentle beckoning to the muse.

Then, whether or not your muse speaks, give yourself permission to write complete and total useless dribble that you will delete later. It's okay if you end up deleting everything you wrote when you edit your manuscript, it really is. The very act of writing or typing can jump start your creativity which will eventually lead to good writing later in the day or week. Also, the knowledge that there's no pressure to write something brilliant can turn off that often crippling self editor, thus allowing true expression to materialize.

 Finally, put your fingers on the keyboard, or around a pen if that’s your method, and start writing. Don't go back and proof, and don't correct anything you write. Let go of your concerns about whether there is enough or too much description or if what you just said is cliché. That can all be fixed later. Just write. Some of it will need correcting and editing--or even deleting--and that's okay. But some of it will be brilliant, and writing in that true creative zone can often reveal unknown and surprising details about your characters and even your plot.

So breathe, give yourself permission to make mistakes, and write!

Donna Hatch is the author of the award-winning Rogue Hearts Regency historical series. You can find her at www.donnahatch.com