A Day in the Life of Debra Marvin and a Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in A Day in the Life / 28 Comments

 

Friends, I am so happy to introduce to you Debra Marvin. Okay, you probably already know her, but today you’re going to get to know her a little bit better! She’s decided to share her world with us today. Now, truth be told, her and I have already spent a day together. Two of them actually, in her cozy truck traveling from NY to CFRR last year. It was a blast! I had never met her prior to that in person, but I have to say, I felt like I had known her forever. She is so sweet and likeable! So thankful for the opportunity to spend time with her like that which is why I am so excited to have her here today sharing her world with all of you!!!

 

A Day in the Life of Debra

 

 

Thanks for hosting me, Jessica. Especially as you sort of know me enough that you might have had second thoughts. My quick bio: I live to travel (with a gnome when possible) and enjoy my friends and family. I’ve tried to always write a setting that I’ve personally visited which is a great excuse to get out of town! I won’t mention peanut butter and my obsession with fabric.  __oh. I just did__

Better get on with the business at hand.

 

While I can’t speak for all authors (especially those of you with the feather boas and bon-bons – Yes, Barbara Cartland of the 1970s, I’m talking to you!), I’m going to give ‘a day in the life of an author’ the way I see it. By the way, the weekends are my real writing time, but then what would be the fun of that? Fifteen hours at the computer. No fun at all. Seriously. A very short blog post!

 

My assistant!

Weekday Morning:

#Fictional – I rise, rested and refreshed at five.  By six a.m., I’ve done a bible study and exercised and my assistant has brought me coffee.

#Reality – I’ve lain (or is that laid or layed) awake between one and four thinking about how I’m awake. Let’s go with “I reclined on my bed…”

My assistant wakes me by six to remind me that she hasn’t had any canned food since dinner. I stumble around, realize I’m too groggy to do anything but get ready for work.

 

Weekday Midday:

#Fictional – the morning’s work has gone well. Five thousand words and, while they will need editing, they are pretty solid.

#Reality – My mind is inundated with great things to enhance my story line and characters while actually writing the steps of reducing powdery mildew on pumpkins, or creating memes with black-legged ticks. Yes, I often write all day … but it’s non-fiction. Lunchtime is spent behind the scenes of the Inkwell Inspirations blog where our wonderful reviewers provide wonderful reviews!  Or, I do research, aka rabbit trails, on some obscure fact in my story that no one will ever need to know. But digging is half the fun! By now I’m so excited to get to my story tonight!

My wonderful grandchildren!

Weekday Evening:

#Fictional – After a healthy evening meal like onion omelet, I return to my computer and edit my morning’s work. Catch up on emails from my many publishers and grab an hour of streaming TV. Preferably dark, moody British crime dramas, for the purpose of clearing my mind.

#Reality – I’m completely worn out from housework, nine hours at the office, and struggling to appear interesting and clever on social media. I eat hummus and carrots, or maybe a bowl of ice cream and think about how I GOT NUTTIN to add to my story that isn’t above second grade level.  Oops. Three episodes of dark, moody British crime drama later, and I’ve FINALLY ACCOMPLISHED something. I’ve cleared my mind in time to try for sleep and I’m ready to choose my audiobook for the evening.

 

But first…I wrestle my assistant to the floor to give oral medicine she despises and spits out, and I check my author ranking on Amazon, and then thank God I get to do it all over again tomorrow and that later this week I’ll write and edit like the wind!

 

 

 

Giveaway!

Debra is offering a giveaway of  Backcountry Brides collection paperback (U.S. Only)  or choice of any of her ebooks!! To enter, just comment below with your dream fictional day!!
ALSO……..
Debra is doing a newsletter promotion in June, July and August – Any new subscriber during this time is eligible for her random drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Card!!

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP: Newsletter Signup |

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B018QCI2AS

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/Debra-E-Marvin-433266640199533

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraEMarvin

Website: http://debraemarvin.com/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/debraemarvin/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/debra-e-marvin

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14687582.Debra_E_Marvin

Group Blog- Inkwell Inspirations: http://www.inkwellinspirations.com/

Group Blog- Colonial Quills: https://colonialquills.blogspot.com/

About Debra

Debra E. Marvin is a member of ACFW, Sisters in Crime, a Grace Awards Judge, and serves on the board of Bridges Ministry in Seneca Falls, NY. She’s one of the founders of Inkwell Inspirations Blog, and is published with WhiteFire Publishing, Forget Me Not Romances, Journey Fiction and Barbour Publishing.  Debra works as a program assistant at Cornell University in upstate NY, enjoys her family and grandchildren, obsessively buying fabric, watching British programming and traveling with her childhood friends.

 

28 responses to “A Day in the Life of Debra Marvin and a Giveaway!

  1. kim hansen

    Dream fictional day is to spend a day in Blessings Georgia the fiction town Sharon Sala created.

    • Debra E. Marvin

      I like that idea, Kim! But right now I can’t think of any fictional towns. I’d definitely go back to Scotland, though. I think I left my heart there! Thanks for commenting!

  2. Kay Garrett

    My fictional day would consist of me waking fully refreshed after a good and long night’s rest (never happens between my muscle spasms, muscle and joint pains and our furbaby thinking he needs something) to find the house completely clean leaving me with a day to enjoy as I see fit (face it being a homemaker means you never have it all done and you never retire). Hubby and I love photography especially of critter and nature. There have been told of bears and a cougar on the mountain before us so in my day we would sit out on our porch with a bottomless glass of something cold to drink that never gets watered down or warm and watch as the critters of the mountain come out peacefully to our large yard for our enjoyment and photography opportunities. Once all the critters have had their fill at our feeders and our camera cards are full, we would go inside to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal that just shows up to be eaten (maybe one of our wonderful friends that are fabulous cooks sneaked in the side down and then vanished once it was prepared – hey it’s my dream world and it can happen). After satisfying our hunger, we go into the living room to watch a movie that hasn’t came out yet but that we have been wanting to see since we first heard about it while that same generous soul that came and cooked sneaks back in to clean up. After a peaceful day spent with my love, we are happy to retire hoping that tomorrow will be a repeat of today. 🙂

    Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a Backcountry Brides collection paperback!

    • Debra E. Marvin

      I really like the “meal that just shows up’. When I’m on deadline, I struggle to find something to eat unless I’ve planned meals ahead and taken half of Sunday to prepare and or cook and store. That hour of cooking and cleaning on a weeknight leaves me with no energy to write by 7pm. I love the idea of watching for wildlife. I’d be thrilled to see a bear and cougar ‘in person’… at a distance!
      Thanks so much for commenting!

    • Jessica

      Kay, I want to be in this day with you!! It sounds awesome. I love taking pictures of nature as well, but I always seem to be like a second too slow with my camera lol. Not in a dream world though!

  3. Susanne

    Dream fictional day – staying in a cabin with a mountain/lake view, and reading all day! ?

    • Debra E. Marvin

      Perhaps I shouldn’t mention that I have a lake view every day! But it’s that ‘time to look at it’ that is the problem! I think the last time I read all day was decades ago. Now I’d be even farther behind in recent releases if it wasn’t for audiobooks! And I often have my kindle fire read to me. The text to audio voices are SO much better than they used to be!

      Thanks Susanne!

    • Jessica

      Yes! Actually, I almost wouldn’t care where the location was if it meant reading all day 🙂

  4. Connie Saunders

    My dream fictional day? Lots of leisure time for reading, enjoying my yard and garden and taking time to write reviews for the books that I have been fortunate to read.

    • Debra E. Marvin

      I need a fictional week to get a start on some of the series I’ve missed! and YES REVIEWS!!! ha ha. always important. You know how much they are appreciated, I hope!
      thanks Connie. I appreciate you stopping in!

    • Jessica

      I need to make your dream day a reality lol. I think I get caught up on reviews, only to find out that I’m still missing some!

  5. Winnie Thomas

    Hi Jessica and Debra. Thanks for the fun post. I enjoyed meeting you both at CFRR last year. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year already. Debra, you were an awesome roommate! I’d love to go back to Scotland, too. It’s one of my favorite places. I don’t need to be entered for the giveaway. I already have a copy of the book.

    • Debra E. Marvin

      Thanks Winnie! I’ve already requested you as a roommate again and learned I’ve been usurped by your hubby! haha!
      hugs!

    • Jessica

      Hi Winnie!! The year sure did go by fast. I was reminded of the day on google photos, and was like wow, feels like it was just yesterday!

  6. Vivian Furbay

    My dream fictional day would by rising mid morning to sit out on the beach under an umbrella with plenty of cold ice tea and good books to read.

    • Debra E. Marvin

      That happens to me about once a decade. In fact I’ve sat on beaches more often than that, but rising mid-morning might mean I was ill. I feel like I’ve overslept if I wake at 7. bad habits.

      Thanks so much for commenting!

  7. Hi Debra & Jessica! I so enjoyed reading this post today! Ahhh, my fictional day… I’d start my day around 8am when my assistant brought me coffee and breakfast (strawberries, lightly toasted cinnamon bread, with a drizzle of honey). After my shower, I’d take a leisure walk along the beach and enjoy the salty sea breeze and listening to the waves crash on the shoreline. I would retire to my cozy library where I would be reclining comfortably on a plush couch, reading the latest book. Lunch would be at a local cafe with my husband and son. Then I’d return home to write some on my latest work in progress, while my capable staff would cook and clean the house. I would enjoy a delicious dinner with my family and then we’d play a board game of my son’s choosing. Once our son went off to bed, my husband and I would snuggle on the couch and talk about our day, and plan our next vacation.
    #Reality I work a fulltime job out of the home, cook, clean and do laundry. Enjoy time with my Husband and Son and squeeze in time for reading and blogging when I can. No staff to cook and clean. But a girl can dream!! 🙂
    (Don’t enter me for the giveaway, as I own a print copy already)

    • Debra E. Marvin

      They call that VITAMIN SEA. so healthy for you!
      good luck with that. Sometimes I wonder how we manage to get anything done!

      This has been a fun question from Jessica. Thanks for stopping in (after your walk on the beach!) I appreciate all you do to support authors and wish you the best on the WIP!

    • Jessica

      Your reality day sounds a lot like mine lol! I think I like the dream world better 😉 Maybe not every day, but at least once a week. Ha!

  8. Sherry Moe

    My dream fictional day would be rising to find my house totally spotless. My maid has breakfast ready and waiting for me. Then I spend the day reclining with a great book. ?

    • Debra E. Marvin

      I’d just love to have coffee brought to me, so I’m thinking the closest I’ll get to that is making a carafe of it and setting it next to my laptop!

      Thanks for commenting Sherry. It’s great to see you here!

    • Jessica

      Spotless? I don’t think I’ve ever woken up to that. Sounds dreamy lol.

  9. Deana Dick

    My dream fictional day would begin with me locked in a library. All the new releases from Christian authors are on the shelf, I could check them all out and keep them for as long as I wanted. My uhaul is right out front and as I check out the books, I place them in the truck. My very first book I would read is The BackCountry Brides Collection.