Welcome Guest-Monkey Blogger Julia London!
Today The Plotmonkeys are thrilled to host the hilarious, USA Today Bestselling author JULIA LONDON! 
I (Carly) first met Julia one hot summer day on the Levy Tour Bus while traveling the great state of Ohio in pursuit of Walmarts and books to sign. Our joint friend and Julia’s agent, Jenny Bent, called me and said, my client Dinah needs someone to hold her hand on the tour. Will you help her? Dinah turned out to be Julia London (gotta love our pseudonyms that confuse people) and I needed much more help and hand holding than she did. But we had fun and signed books and once authors spend hours on a bus together, they can turn to each other for anything. Please welcome the talented Julia London!
These Books Do Not Write Themselves: a Day in the Life of a Professional Writer:
I am very stoked to be at Plotmonkeys! It’s such an honor to share my book with everyone here. So much work goes into writing a book that when it is published, I feel like I need to get out there and shepherd my baby through all the noise to the readers who want to read it. It’s like I tell my husband—this is a tough business. He always rolls his eyes when I say that, but I remind him of my near melt down over deadlines associated with The Perils of Pursuing a Prince. But he doesn’t understand—life hands you so many obstacles that sometimes, it feels like you are trudging through knee-deep mud when trying to write a book.
Consider an average day in my writing life (as scientifically recorded one Wednesday in March):
7 am: Wake up to dog head-butting the bed because he is hungry and/or needs to go out. 
(Warning: When considering obtaining a cute puppy with sweetsweet puppy fur, be forewarned: Puppy will grow into stinky, smelly old dog who demands his breakfast at daybreak every day).
8 am: Dogs fed, coffee made, letters Carolyn Hax laughed at (losers), horoscope scrutinized for hidden indication of impending career suicide.
9 am: In p.j.s, in front the computer, surfing email, celebrity news, obscure little links to funny You Tube videos.
9:30 am: Dogs demanding walk. Inner Martha Stewart demanding you get off your fat ass and sweep up the dog hair. Inner you thinking maybe you ought to at least brush your teeth.
10:30 am: Dogs walked, dog hair swept (miGOD how can they shed so much!), 
teeth brushed. Now screwing around in the back yard watering plants and thinking about swimming.
10:45 am: Swimming.
11:15 am: Snack time!
11:30 am. Email checked again for any late-breaking info. Internet horoscopes surfed for something a little more exciting than the one in the paper.
12:30 pm: Blogging for the day completed. Except for periodic check-backs to see if anyone commented on my comment so I can comment on their comment.
12:31 pm: Lunch time!
1:30 pm: Lulled into false sense of security and believe there is plenty of time to complete WIP. Do a little research into next project. Why waste time on the project they’ve paid you for? They’ve paid you for it – what’s the rush?
2:00 pm: Force legs numb from sitting to get up and move to gym. 
3:30 pm: Back from gym, showered, refreshed, ready to start the day. Okay. Chapter One.
3:31 pm: Snack time!
4:00 pm: Quick check to see if Oprah has any child molesters, cheating spouses or Jennifer Anniston.
5:00 pm: Chapter One. He saw her across a crowded ball room, her hair shining beneath the glow of one hundred beeswax candles in crystal chandeliers. Her eyes sparkled with amusement… Anh. Lame opening. Wonder how other authors have hooked readers. Surf the net to find out.
6:30 pm: two paragraphs written. Husband wondering what is for dinner. Inner me has been wondering since last snack. Time to investigate.
9:00 pm: Panic sets in. Not enough pages accomplished today!!! Cannot make deadline at current rate of production!!! Ohmigod must check into hotel to be away from these constant distractions and interruptions!!! No one understands how hard this job is!!!
10:00 pm: Finish surfing email. Okay, back to work. …Her eyes sparkled with amusement and he…and he….AND HE…..
12:00 am: Vision too blurry to see. But two hours of solid work—not bad, considering all the stuff that had to be done today. But tomorrow…tomorrow I will really get on it. No, seriously.
12:01 am. Snack time!
Now see? If you pick up a copy of the THE PERILS OF PURSUING A PRINCE (on sale April 17), you will know how hard I worked. That book was practically written with my blood, sweat, and tears. You can actually see blood on page 162. Or maybe it’s ketchup.
Want to know more about the book and series and see a cool book trailer? Go to Want to enter a drawing to win cool gifts and free books? Check it out my contest page.
What is your greatest distraction when writing or working? Office mates? TV? Snackspetskidshusbands? What do you do to get away from the constant distractions and interruptions!!?
Julia, I am just plain exhausted from reading about your hectic day *g*
I work with the public so sometimes the biggest distractions are people who stop by just to chat. I am not good at the whole small talk thing, and when I’ve got stuff to do, it’s hard sometimes to be engaged in conversation, but at the same time, I know the chatting is good for building relationships, so I grin and bear and believe deep in my heart (at least I try to!) that it’s a positive thing.
And then there’s the internet. (Un)fortunately my employer (aka Big Brother) has forbidden blogs and Yahoo groups and YouTube so I have less to tempt me to the, ahem, dark side. Pretty much Amazon and my personal emal (where all my Yahoo msgs go LOL) Man, it’s tough being good….
Comment by Stacy ~ — April 10, 2007 @ 6:29 am
Geez, where are my manners?!?! Good morning Julia, and welcome to Plotmonkeys. I’m thrilled to see you here, and I enjoy the Goddess blog you have going. Good stuff
Comment by Stacy ~ — April 10, 2007 @ 6:31 am
WELCOME to PLOTMONKEYS!
Loved your day. Sounded like my day without the late night writing, LOL. Lately my biggest distraction has been kids and home issues. I am sending them back to school today, I told them NOBODY is allowed to get sick or stay home, I cleaned my office, caught up, and I am ready to go. I hope.
Comment by Carly — April 10, 2007 @ 6:42 am
Welcome, Julia!
With all those distractions, I don’t know how you get any writing done. If you would like, I could send you one of my dogs, to keep yours company.:doggie: Then maybe I could get something done instead of let one out, back in, sit down, let the other out…..
Although I am jealous that you actually go to a gym.
Have a good day. I have to go throw boxes of books around and unpack them and shelve them for the ungrateful customers who can’t be bothered to put them back instead of just shoving them somewhere on a shelf.
Comment by ev — April 10, 2007 @ 7:54 am
Welcome Julia!
I loved your Carolyn Hax reference - I read her all the time while in DC. It is amazing all of the distractions that can occur in the course of a day. When I’m not at work and home writing, my two biggest are the Internet and little household stuff that make procastination easy. I wish I could use the gym as an excuse. 
Comment by Yolanda — April 10, 2007 @ 8:25 am
WElcome Julie!!! I would have to say my biggest distractions at work would be the phone ringing(always right when you get in the middle of something important) and the internet. My bosses are pretty good about letting us go on the web, so sometimes it’s just easier to search the web during the day. Plus we have cable internet at work and it’s still faster than mine at home. Have a great day and good luck getting through your distractions.
Comment by Liza — April 10, 2007 @ 8:38 am
HI Julia
I was just reading bout your day. Mine starts llike your with my pooch nosing my hand to get me up in the morning.
You might want to try and electric broom for the dog hair. :doggie: That is what I have used for years and it is wonderful. No stirring the doggy hair into the air like a broom will do.
I got my postcard in the mail from you a few weeks ago and I have my calendar circled for the release of The Perils of Pursuing a Prince.
Comment by Gigi — April 10, 2007 @ 8:42 am
Welcome Julia! Your post was too funny. I related on way too many points! My distractions? Kid 1 (he’s 11), kid 2 (she’s 6), kid 3 (he’s 3) and hubby (he’s way older than the first three, but he acts as bad as all rolled into one). Oh, and did I forget my 78 year old mother? Anyhow, if only no one had to eat/wear clothes/go to school/bathe/play sports/spend family time/go to doctor/take medicine, I might actually be able to really get into this writing thing. As it is, I take one day at a time, pray, and always break to watch Dr. Phil for aforementioned cheating spouses, child molesters and/or celebrities.
Comment by Kimberly Raye — April 10, 2007 @ 9:02 am
I read my email (from several loops now), check out my friends blogs, think about writing my own, all the while my wip is up and waiting for me to start working on the next scene.
Come back and visit us again soon.
Comment by Vicki — April 10, 2007 @ 9:09 am
Oh wow, these emoticons are so fun!
Hi everyone! I am so happy to be at plotmonkeys. I made a slight change to my usual schedule–I have not yet checked email so I could come say hello.
I also have a confession to make. I honestly do belong to a gym. I honestly do go…on occasion. I’m afraid my blog makes it sound way more regular than it is. But I could not account for those hours during my scientific study :-)
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 9:10 am
HI Julia.. great to see you here.. love the poochie, but im a dog fanatic..:doggie: whew what a day you have… and i think i have it bad with 2 dogs, 2 cats, oh right now im fostering a mamma cat and 3 new kittens again, getting 3 kids on the bus, hubby off to work.. then i have outside chores, then i have 2 hours before i head to work..lol..
at least i dont have to squeeze in writing.. just reading…lol..
the book looks awesome… love the cover..
im off to your website to check it all out…have a great day everyone.. id been wearing shorts to work, and now i hear we are expecting up to 9 inches of late season wet heavy snow tonite… yuck..
Comment by Jolene — April 10, 2007 @ 9:20 am
Anyone with more than two animals is nuts — no offense, Jolene
— but how do you do it? My two fatties have started that in and out business in the middle of the night. grrrr……
Stacy, I used to work in an office and a woman would come by every morning, without fail — “Got a minute?” Oh how I dreaded those words! A minute was no less than 15. And she was the type that used a lot of words to make a very small point, so my eyes would glaze over, my mind would be racing with all I had to do, and I would end up agreeing with stuff I never even heard, :o. Talk about distracted!
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 9:35 am
My biggest distraction is my computer. If I want to get ANYTHING done in my house I have to leave the computer off. As soon as I turn it on . . . my day is shot. Whether I’m checking e-mail, reading about what our authors need done or what I can’t get anything done. And we thought that everybody having a home computer was crazy.
Missy
Comment by Missy Andrews — April 10, 2007 @ 9:36 am
welcome, Julia….my biggest distraction is my kids (I have three boys). Geez…love them, but I always feel like a cook/waitress/dresser/etc. My oldest has autism, so he needs a little help, but my youngest two just keep me busy. Love them, though and wouldn’t trade them for the world!
Comment by katie — April 10, 2007 @ 9:40 am
Hmm, I am a book addicted. When I am reading a good book is hard to concentrate at work specially if I am at the office. I just want to finishes the read so bad. I just fight with myself that’s all I do and sometimes I sneak
the book and read a couple of chapters and then I go back to work
Comment by barbarav — April 10, 2007 @ 9:50 am
Welcome to the jungle, Julia!
It’s great to have you here! 
You pretty much summed up my day, as well. I do have to say, though, that the internet is my biggest downfall. I can spend hours and hours searching the internet for stuff I don’t need! Then there are all the fun blogs to read, books to order from Amazon, websites to check out, etc. The internet is EVIL, I tell you!!!
I love your books and THE PERILS OF PURSUING A PRINCE sounds like another fun read! I’m also looking forward to your next contemporary, AMERICAN DIVA.
Comment by Janelle — April 10, 2007 @ 10:54 am
how do i do it? i have no idea..lol.. i work every day at my kids school in the kitchen so i only work like 3 hours a day.. that helps..
i foster and evaluate for my local humane society.. i think the most pets i have had in the house at one time was 14.. 3 of my own and a lab with 10 puppys..lol..
i love animals and i wouldnt trade the love i get from them knowing they have been rescued and saved.. and knowing that they are on their way to loving homes..
with that said.. any tips on taming the feral cat i have in the kennel?? lol
Comment by Jolene — April 10, 2007 @ 11:01 am
Welcome, Julia! I am so encouraged by reading about your day. It sounds like I have all the makings of an author instead of a wannabe author.
I have cat fur instead of dog fur, and I actually leave my house to meet hubby for lunch everyday (since he works 60+ hours a week and 2 out of 3 weekends, if we don’t do lunch sometimes I don’t see him at all, so that wacks off 2 hours in the middle of the day), about the time I get home from lunch my son gets home from school, etc.
Aside from all that, the computer is definitely my biggest distraction, which is terrible since I need it to write, and it automatically connects online as soon as its turned on (and I can’t disconnect because then I wouldn’t have the handy dandy dictionary stuff).
My other distraction is reading. I’m addicted to books so I get stuck between reading and internet surfing. Is there a reader’s annonymous?
Got my calendar marked for the 17th and thanks for stopping by!
Comment by Myrna L Stall — April 10, 2007 @ 11:35 am
Oops - forgot I’m at my parents house - #18 is from Jodie…sorry.
Comment by Myrna L Stall — April 10, 2007 @ 11:36 am
I guess working at home is a double edged sword…the good thing is you make your own schedule, the bad thing is you make your own schedule…lol
Is the Perils of Pursuing a Prince, part of a series? Because if it is I need to start at the beginning.
Comment by Tina Martinesi — April 10, 2007 @ 11:38 am
Yep, I’m right there with you guys — books, the evil internet….and here’s a really bad habit that is creeping into my day — daytime television. I am hooked on Guiding Light! I mean, it just started a few months ago — it was on before some tennis tournament and I saw it a few times. Then, at my gym, its always on. And now….now I can’t turn away from Springfield. I can credit it with having kept me on the elliptical for an entire hour one day. Woo-hoo!
Janelle, thanks! I hope you like American Diva.
Tina, Perils is indeed part of a series. The first is The Hazards of Hunting a Duke, and the third, The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount, will be out in October. But they stand alone — they don’t have to be read in order. And I’m having a cool contest for Perils (see above).
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 11:59 am
Hi! Julia and welcome. Boy.am I exhausted reading about your distractions. You never realize how many you have in a day until you start to list them. I tried to do the same until I was distracted. So I gave up and went back to my biggest distraction of all - READING!
Comment by Carol — April 10, 2007 @ 12:38 pm
Welcome Julia,
Can’t wait to read your book! It looks great! I love your day.
I get distacted at work by the Plotmonkeys, computer games, and of course the kids! The kids that have created all this paperwork comein to create even more paperwork. It’s a vicious cycle.
Thank you so much for joining us.
Have a great day!
Comment by Debbie — April 10, 2007 @ 12:45 pm
So here is today’s distraction–I take my car into have the oil changed late yesterday. They gave me a loaner. I went back to pick up my car today. The guy brings my car around and hands me the keys. I give him the keys to the loaner. I get in, drive off, go home, start surfing the internet. I get a call. “Ms. London? You forgot to pay for your service.” I never even went IN to the office! What was I thinking? I will tell you what I was thinking — I was thinking, “hmmm…wonder what I can have for lunch? There’s that great cafe over here…”
So clearly, food is my greatest distraction. Or giant bottles of wine, as Carly can attest. :cocktail:
:doggie:
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
Tell us a bit about the last / third Thrillseekers book, Julia! I loved the first two …
Comment by Carly — April 10, 2007 @ 1:24 pm
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
Well Julia, I just ordered The Hazards of Hunting a Duke. I know you said they don’t need to be read in order but I have this obsession about reading books in the order they were written…lol So I should be done with the first in time for the release of the second
Comment by Tina Martinesi — April 10, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
I don’t work but I am a house wife/mom so the kids are my biggest distraction if i ever need a break i go to the bathroom and take a bath for like and hour or 2 lol
Comment by nancy — April 10, 2007 @ 2:15 pm
oooh American Diva sounds good too! I love American Idol so this is too tempting for me to pass up.
Comment by Tina Martinesi — April 10, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
Tina you are making me ecstatically happy
Thanks so much for ordering my books!
Nancy, I cannot imagine having kids around. I can hardly manage with the in and out, in and out, in and out of two stinky dogs. My hat is off to you (
— in lieu of hat off to you guy)
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 2:50 pm
Lol Julia, I think I make Amazon ecstatically happy too
Although I have to admit I was sad to see that American Diva isn’t due out until August:cry: I hate waiting lol
Comment by Tina Martinesi — April 10, 2007 @ 3:10 pm
Welcome Julia, Thanks for sharing your day with us. Your “diary of distractions” is priceless. You gave me a good laugh, hopefully you don’t consider that an insult.
Housework, I just don’t have time & I hate doing it anyway but it keeps calling me, I keep ignoring!! Must do something soon before the dust covers everything & I can’t find what I am looking for!! 
At the moment I am retired but have to face job hunting later this month. I am single so the only distractions here are all my books, the computer & of course all the TV programs I just have to watch!
Your book American Diva sounds good. Is it connected to any other books? Guess I should go check your website but I need some lunch first!
I hope you visit us again here someday as I loved being entertained with humor. :love2:
Donna M
Comment by Donna M — April 10, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Welcome, Julia,
Your days are so interesting, & very busy–LOL! Thanks for a good laugh.
Patricia A.
Comment by Patricia — April 10, 2007 @ 4:30 pm
I’m sorry, I stepped away. I had to find out who the father of Anna Nicole’s baby was. Larry Birkhead! (knew it). Yes, Patricia, my day just got more interesting- I skipped Oprah today in favor of the breaking news on Anna Nicole.
I think I’ve almost covered all the emoticons.
Donna M — I’m glad you liked the blog! Yes, American Diva is the third and last book in my thrillseekers anonymous series. The first two were Wedding Survivor (Rita finalist), and then Extreme Bachelor.
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 5:41 pm
Spent my afternoon post-carpool the same way. Who’s your Daddy, LOL.
OK someone please tell me how to use one of those Blogger/keep track of pages things on a self-made mac webpage?
Comment by Carly — April 10, 2007 @ 5:47 pm
I obviously can’t, Carly…I am just getting over emoticons
I have to go to a meeting tonight so I must sign off. Thank you SO MUCH for the fun day with the monkeys and the warm welcome! I’ve had a wonderful time here and I hope you will invite me back :-). Thank you Carly, Janelle, Julie and Leslie. And thank you all you wonderful monkeys! Have a great week~and don’t forget about Perils next week (shameless last gasp at a plug). Julia
Comment by Julia London — April 10, 2007 @ 6:01 pm
Welcome Julia! Can’t wait for the new book. The Goddess blog is so great.
Comment by Stacy S — April 10, 2007 @ 8:04 pm
I get distracted at work by cellphones and computer.
Carly, im about to purchase an Apple laptop… any recommendations for which one?
Comment by Elisa V — April 10, 2007 @ 8:06 pm
Hi Julia! Not sure if you’re still popping in to see if anyone commented on your comments so you can comment back…but i wanted to say hello and to tell you how VERY sorry I am that I wasn’t here to greet you properly. I feel like a horrible hostess…I was dealing with a move from hell and had no internet access.
Anyway, thank you SO much for visiting. I LOVED YOUR BLOG and can relate to it completely! Isn’t it amazing how many of us have that same need to distract ourselves from what we’re supposed to be doing? lol! Snacks–check. Dog–check. Email–check. Youtube–check. Blogs–check. Research–check. The only thing you have that I don’t is the gym, as evidenced by my cottage cheese butt. Then again, with 3 kids, I have another type of distraction, too.
Thanks again for visiting!!
Comment by Leslie — April 12, 2007 @ 12:26 pm