The Great Juggling Act by Sherri Shackelford

I think being a mother is great training for being an author. I'm constantly juggling overlapping projects and I *usually* feel like I'm losing control over at least one of those projects. I have a book coming out in February and I'm enjoying the little nuggets of progress along the way. Right now I have a back-cover blurb. In a month or two I'll have a cover, and another month or two after that I'll have an actual copy of the book. 

During that time, I'm working on the third book in the series. While that book is sitting with my editor, I'm busy plotting another three-book series. At some point I'll have to put a sudden halt on the new project and revise the old project--while promoting the new release. Sounds like being a mom, doesn't it?! Juggling school, sports, dentist appointments, religious education, and on and on--while still trying to cook dinner, clean the house and raise decent little human beings. 

And I usually feel like I'm failing at one or more of those things at all times! But, as Billie Jean King famously stated, Pressure is a Privilege. 

My favorite quick dinner recipe is nicknamed Pesto Pasta in our house:

16 oz (or thereabouts) package of bow tie pasta

3-4 eggs

1/2 cup prepared pesto sauce (more or less to taste)

1/3 cup packed-in-oil sundried tomatoes (more or less to taste)

1-2 tbsps olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

fresh parmesean

salt & pepper

Fill your pasta pan with water and add the eggs, once the water boils add the pasta and cook as directed. (The eggs will cook with the pasta and save time)

While the pasta and eggs are boiling, heat the olive oil in the skillet and cook the chicken until golden and cooked through. (Season with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning mix--my family likes Nature's Seasoning by Morton.) 

Drain pasta and peel and slice the hard boiled eggs. Mix the pesto into the pasta and add the sundried tomatoes and cooked chicken breasts. Sprinkle the eggs and some fresh Parmesan over the top. the meal looks elegant and time consuming--but it's not :)

Coming in February, The Marshal's Ready-Made Family:

A Marriage of Necessity 

Gentlemen don't court feisty straight shooters like JoBeth McCoy. Just as she's resigned to a lifetime alone, a misunderstanding forces the spunky telegraph operator into a marriage of convenience. Wedding the town's handsome new marshal offers JoBeth a chance at motherhood, caring for the orphaned little girl she's come to love. 

Garrett Cain will lose guardianship of his niece, Cora, if he stays single, but he knows no woman could accept the secrets he's hidden about his past. The lawman can't jeopardize Cora's future by admitting the truth. Yet when unexpected danger in the small town threatens to expose Garrett's long-buried secret, only a leap of faith can turn a makeshift union into a real family.

A wife and mother of three, Sherri’s hobbies include collecting mismatched socks, discovering new ways to avoid cleaning, and standing in the middle of the room while thinking, “Why did I just come in here?” A reformed pessimist and recent hopeful romantic, Sherri has a passion for writing. Her books are fun and fast-paced, with plenty of heart and soul. Write to Sherri at P.O. Box 116, Elkhorn, NE, 68022, email at sherri@sherrishackelford.com or visit sherrishackelford.com.