I have to admit that I’m pretty lucky when it comes
to the physically challenging side of writing.
I often hear of fellow writers struggling with high blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome, insomnia, and the numerous other ailments that seem to come along with our trade.
Occasionally, my back gets a little stiff when I sit for too long, but otherwise, I can’t complain. I’m a health nut by nature, so I eat well and I make time for exercise every day.
Sounds great, right? Let me assure you it hasn’t always been this way.
Instant Success was a Blessing and a Curse
Although my physical health is in a much better place these days, I tend to struggle with the emotional side of writing. I started telling stories in 2010.
Honestly, I didn’t know I possessed the gift of the written word until I got an out-of-the-blue idea to give storytelling a try. One day I plunked myself down on my living room couch, started jotting down a plot, and a new career was born.
For nearly two years, I worked full-time, mothered two kiddos, and crafted three romantic suspense novels (that I’ve ended up turning into a long-running series). I joined Critique Circle and did what I could to make each story shine.
Then in October 2012, I crossed my fingers and put all three novels up for sale on the major retail sites. To my absolute amazement, they went bestseller the next day. Instant success ended up being a blessing and a curse. The pressure was officially on and that’s when everything changed.
The Marketing, Social Media, and All Started to Become Crushing
In February 2013, I quit my day job as a paraprofessional in pure bliss that I got to stay home and follow my passion. Each day I would get the kids off to school then sit down and type away.
Except it wasn’t bliss after all.
Quickly I forgot to count my blessings and instead constantly compared myself to my fellow writers. I agonized over the reality that I wasn’t prolific. It takes me months to write my novels. My stories are in-depth, full-length monsters that average well over five hundred pages, which is not industry standard.
The marketing, social media, and all of the other pieces that come along with being an author started to become crushing as well. And let’s not forget my Type-A perfectionistic streak.
Before long, I was fifteen pounds underweight, wearing a heart monitor for chronic heart palpitations, and suffering from migraines. Right around that time, I started having a lot of gynecological issues and I wasn’t sleeping.
That’s What Successful Authors Do, Right?
As if that wasn’t enough, my family and I decided to move out-of-state to Raleigh, North Carolina.
We bought a large home in a fancy neighborhood. Because that’s what successful authors do, right? They have big houses with rooms that have beautiful furniture in them but sit empty because there aren’t enough people in your home to actually utilize the space.
And trying to keep the place clean? (I have two Saint Bernards.) Give me a break! Plus, that pretty house came with an even prettier mortgage that I now had to write more books to pay for.
Long story short, I started burning out.
I Felt Like I was on the Verge of a Serious Mental Breakdown
By 2016, my steady two-books-a-year pace was down to barely one. I had no social life (not one single friend), I could barely get out of bed, and just turning on my computer gave me the most horrendous panic attacks. I was clocking sixteen-hour days and barely writing five to ten pages during those long hours because it was nearly impossible to focus.
My hair started falling out, I cried all the time, and I felt like I was on the verge of a serious mental breakdown.
Lucky for me I found Brenda, the world’s best life coach. For over a year and a half now, we’ve been working together, and I’ve finally grasped the concept that where I’m at in my creative journey is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I was so focused on who I thought I was supposed to be that I forgot to be who I was. I’m Cate Beauman who writes one or two full-length monster novels a year. I’m not prolific. I’m not industry standard—and that’s totally okay.
Balancing Writing with My Other Passions in Life
My family and I have since moved out of our large, fancy house. We live in a much smaller, simpler home that’s just right for us.
I don’t write nearly as much as I used to and I’ll soon be using my creative gift in a different way. I’m back in school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, earning my certificate to become a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach.
In just a few months from now, I’ll be helping others on their own journeys to becoming the healthiest, happiest versions of themselves, and I’m so excited.
I can’t imagine not writing another story. There are adventures that still have to be told, but they’ll be patiently waiting for me when I’m ready. For now, I have another passion to follow.
* * *
Multi-award winning Romantic Suspense author Cate Beauman is well known for her full-length, action-packed Bodyguards of L.A. County series. Currently, Cate is hard at work on Secrets Hidden In The Glass, her twelfth novel and the first installment of The Carter Island Novels, which she plans to share with her eager readers in October 2017.
Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. For more information on her and her work, please see her website and Amazon author page, or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Stained glass artist Callie Davis is in desperate need of a vacation. Burnt out and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, she’s fleeing the pressures of her career and is taking refuge on Massachusetts’ tiny Carter Island. Callie yearns for long, lazy days and pretty walks on the beach—blessed solitude and an escape from the complications of her life. Then she bumps into gorgeous Nate Carter and everything changes.
Sheriff Nathan Carter couldn’t be happier now that the height of the summer season has finally come and gone. After four endless months, tourists have packed their bags and headed for the mainland. The quiet days of autumn are about to befall the town—the way Nate and his fellow Sandersonians like it best.
But nothing ends up quite the way Nate expects when he meets the beautiful blonde with the big blue eyes. Callie’s pretty smiles hide secrets—deep, dark mysteries that could cost them both their lives if they continue digging into the past and cross a killer’s path.
Available at Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, and Barnes & Noble.
Thanks for your own personal story. It made me feel human again, but also excited me about your book! I will have to check it out.