In Arkansas, spring means it's 75 one day, then a plunge to 28 with sleet and snow, then back up to 65 in a 48 hour period. In April. Over the years, I've shared an office with my husband or had a corner in the living room for my desk. Until this spring.
We just finished a major remodel and room addition. My new office is complete minus a bit of trim. The door that goes into the rest of the house isn't installed yet, but eventually, I'll be able to close myself off when I'm on deadline. Even without the door, my space is on the back of the house and secluded enough that my family can watch TV in the great room and I can't hear them.
I finally got to make curtains out of the pastel seashell fabric I bought twenty years ago. I painted the walls a soothing seafoam green and I can strew seashells and beachy decor until my heart is content. My indoor/outdoor cat has his perch in the window and continues to be my muse after making a full recovery from a coyote attack last spring. Don't worry, he doesn't get to go out at night any more.
I also have an exterior door that leads to my outdoor office now - a screened in porch. All I need is a desk out there, some tools and building supplies cleared off, and the gas company to move our propane tanks to improve my view. My old fashioned wood screen door makes that awesome clapping sound when you go out. And there's a small pet door so my two outdoor cats can enjoy my screened porch too. They're both scaredy cats and don't wander far enough for coyotes, but they feel safe in the enclosed porch.
My space is slowly coming together, just in time for inspiration to strike. It's always bittersweet when a series ends. My latest release and the final title in my Texas Cowboys series is Counting on the Cowboy. But I'm itching to start a new series in my new office space.
Question: Do you have a space of your own? Answer and I'll put you in the drawing for my blog tour. Lots of books up for grabs along with a hand-crafted memory board according to your design.
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian
cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since
her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the
non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus
does.
She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural
Arkansas
where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo
announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare
time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing
craft projects.
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No, I don't have a special place of my own!
ReplyDeleteMaybe there's a she shed in your future, Shelia.
DeleteI'm not going back into my office until I have time to do spring cleaning. Could be summer before that happens.
ReplyDeleteAck, about the coyote. We were camping this past weekend and in the middle of the night let the dog out to do her business. A minute later, we heard the coyotes sing. Both my husband and I ran out in our nightgowns to get Lucy. Scared us to death! We have coyotes in our neighborhood too. And, a kitty.
My cat was missing for eight days, Pamela. I looked for him everywhere including our shed. It has a cat door and I used to feed them there, but something else started eating, so their food is on the back porch and I take it in at night. I looked in the shed countless times for Charcoal. I finally mourned him and cried over him. On the eighth day, my husband went to the shed for something and found him. He had a broken back leg and a ruptured muscle in his hip. He's all patched up now with a slight limp. He wants out so bad at night, but I won't let him. Last night, he was crying to go out. The coyotes started up and he slunk under a table.
DeleteShannon, I love your office. I've shared an office with my husband for 17 years. He is winding down his business so he only spends about an hour in the office each day, so now it's mostly mine. When he was working full time, I usually did my writing in the evening after he had left the office.
ReplyDeleteHey Merrillee. My husband and I tried sharing an office for a while. He's a pastor. He can talk and watch TV while he works on his sermon. So when were in the same office, he was chatting me up. I can't write with chatter. I had to dump him and move to the living room. About that time, he went full time at the church and they put in an office for him there. He asked if I wanted the office at home to myself, but I felt like it was too big for just me and we should make it a den instead. We did need a den and I love having a pretty sitting room and a separate room for the TV and the clutter of family gathering. My office was in the living room away from the TV, so it worked. Until I had a summer deadline. With our son out of school and him constantly walking through my office with his friends, I had a hard time writing. I love my new office. It's hard for me to stay in it when my husband and son are home because I feel so secluded from them. But I'm sure I'll make use of it the next time I'm in a deadline crunch.
DeleteLovely office, Shannon. Looks so homey that I want to come visit you. And what a yummy book cover!
ReplyDeleteThanks Leigh. Everyone has said it's cosy and soothing. Feel free to come for a visit any time. Definitely yummy and definitely my favorite cover so far.
DeleteI have an office near the kitchen. It can be distracting when people are around but when nobody else is home and all is quiet I love to be in my office working. I love your space. Pretty and very fun
ReplyDeleteI hope you can shut the door, Terri. I'm looking forward to getting my interior door up. I love seashells and have a large collection. I'm glad I finally have a place to put them all.
DeleteNope, no private space just for me, so for devotions, hide out in my bedroom. Still have to plug my ears sometimes!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I should have done last summer, Patty. Get earplugs.
DeleteI have a study off my bedroom, but I also have a screen porch just like yours (with the same exact door) off my kitchen. I'd much rather be there if only the weather would cooperate (SC is having the same as yours).
ReplyDeleteP.S. I've already won one of your books.
Awesome Linda. There's just nothing like a screened porch. Especially in the south.
DeleteWe bought a house a little over a year ago & I got my own space!!!!! I've NEVER had my own room before :-) Now my husband can't complain about all the books I have because they are in their own room where I can close the door. Of course, I have to share it with my grand-girl when she's here but I've vowed not to have so many toys that it overwhelms it. She even has a bottom shelf just for her books :-) We even bought a small loveseat & recliner to make it more homey...I never knew what I was missing until now!
ReplyDeleteI love your space Shannon! Living on the Oregon coast, I can appreciate your beachy theme :-) How fun & I pray you get lots of writing done in the future.
Thank you for the giveaway chance too!
Sounds perfect, Trixi. I love that your passing your love of books on. I was a library rat as a kid. My mom still goes weekly. I'm trying to decide what kind of seating I want. I have the wicker chair, but it's not really comfy. I'd like to put it on the porch and have a comfy chair in the office.
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ReplyDeleteYes, I have my own space in my quilting room.
ReplyDeleteI love quilts, Sherri. I have two favorites that each of my grandmothers made. One I sewed the top from pre-cut squares and my dad's mom quilted it. The other one was made by my mom's mom. It's from our old clothes. I love pointing out Daddy's shirt, Mama's dress, my swimsuit from when I was a kid. Their both frayed now, so I don't use them so I won't have to wash them.
DeleteFor years my office was in the playroom so I could keep my youngest in sight. Then we moved, and I graduated to a tiny office in what had been a wet bar off our living and dining area. In the next house, I set up office space in the laundry room. Finally, we moved into a huge house with a bedroom for a maid. That made an excellent office. It was very private and quiet. The house we're in now has a dedicated office built in, right next to the covered deck, and for the first time ever, I have real office furniture. Only took me 30+ years to get here!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed you could write in the playroom, Arlene. When my son was young, I only wrote when he was sleeping. And sometimes I had to nap right along with him. I'm glad you've always carved out your space and glad you have a real office now.
DeleteLOL. I learned to type sitting sideways so Joseph could play in the knee hole of my desk, and when he slept, I slept. In those days, I was sleeping in 3-hour increments so I could take care of all the kids, my husband, the house and meals, and still meet my deadlines. My life changed drastically when Joseph finally went to kindergarten!
DeleteThat's what I call determination.
DeleteYour office is lovely, Shannon. I love the kitties. I think I need a new office cat. A room with a view always helps with creativity!
ReplyDeleteHey Lenora, I'm honored that you love my office. And my cats. My view will improve once those pesky propane tanks get moved.
ReplyDeleteI use my bedroom as an office and sometimes the screened porch. I love the seafom green color of your office.
ReplyDeleteYay for screened porches, Ann. I've wanted one for as long as I can remember. Seafoam is one of my favorite colors.
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ReplyDeleteYou got two goofy responses about call girls! Better delete them! Ack!
ReplyDeleteWe have three bedrooms for the two of us! I get one whole bedroom for my cliset space and all crafty stuff!
Your space looks so welcoming and cozy! Love the color scheme!
I saw those, Paula. But I'm not an admin, so I don't have access. I meant to let someone know. Thanks for the reminder.
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