I’m working on a story for Real Simple’s November issue and got a chance to check out some products from The Laundress in New York–an all-natural, non-toxic line of home care and cleaning products–and I went crazy for their “Home Spray.” Simply titled, this formula is the loveliest smelling thing my nose has come across in a long time (and that’s saying a lot for a pregnant woman who is scent-averse right now!). It’s a genius blend of bergamot, thyme, lavender, musk and ylang ylang, and I’ve been spraying it in my office and loving it.

Wouldn’t you just love to hang this fantastic framed print over your desk as a reminder to chill when things get tough at work? Former Bachelorette Jillian Harris (who I adore) found these and keeps one hanging over her desk as a reminder not to let stress take over. How cool is that? I need that same reminder every half hour some days! I love the calming blue color, and the tiara on top–to remind us all that we’re regal, of course. Here’s where you can purchase the prints.

We’ve had an awesome summer so far, how about you? Granted, I’ve been really busy, but that’s OK. I like busy. And, I’m blessed to be doing the work I love. It’s been the busiest summer yet with a ton of magazine work–currently juggling some terrific articles for Redbook, Real Simple, Woman’s Day and Glamour (stay tuned for future issues!), writing for Glamour.com (just agreed to do year #3!), finishing the edit process of my novel, and writing my second. Oh, did I mention we’re having another baby? I’ll be sharing boy/girl news here in a few weeks when we hear! For now, here’s a quick glimpse of summer in my casa–the slower moments with the kids. I want to remember all the silliness and beauty of these months, so here they are …

Wild pool time in the backyard …

Hoses (they are so fascinating to 1-year-olds) …

Ice pops (inspired by “Sid the Science Kid”–moms, you know what I mean)…

Sweet peas–planted them from seed and they grew into this tower of fragrant gorgeousness …

Lavender, almost in bloom … heaven.

The boys and their silly antics–here they are concocting some game with aprons (yes, that’s a kids Home Depot apron) and bibs with the chalkboard. I went with it.

Funny faces …

Hope you’re having a lovely summer, too!

One of my favorite sights, I’ll admit: all three of my guys getting a job done for me (in this case, retrieving a pair of kitchen shears I had accidentally dropped behind the range). I love being queen of the house.

I’m a sucker for compelling new women’s fiction, and when there’s an adorable German shepherd puppy on the cover, well, I’m sold! I recently read, and loved, Allie Larkin’s debut novel, Stay, a terrific story that drew me in from the very early pages. I highly recommend it and think you should order it from Amazon, or your favorite bookstore ASAP! Ask my husband, the evening Stay arrived in the mail, I was on the couch, book in hand, for hours. What a fun read! And, I met Allie a few weeks ago in Seattle at our mutual author friend Allison Winn Scotch’s reading, and I can tell you the author is as lovely and kind as the book. Turns out, Allie was sitting next to me, and we got to chatting. Allie and I are both Penguin authors, though my book is a few months behind her’s (won’t be out until June 2011, but cover designs are beginning this week, so stay tuned for some updates on my novel!). She lives in Rochester New York with her hubby and two pooches.

I recently chatted with Ali about book stuff, and here’s what she had to say:

SJ: I love that there’s a pet element to your book and that Joe, the adorable, rascally German shepherd, is a main character. I know you are an animal lover (with two pooches at home), so when you set out to write this novel, did you have your heart set on writing something about dogs?

AL: I didn’t set out to write a story about a dog. STAY started as a short story about two women, Van and Janie, discussing Van’s messy love life while having coffee at Starbucks.

I put the story aside for several years, but decided to start working on it again shortly after we got Argo (who happens to be the cover model).  Argo completely changed my life for the better. Van was so stalled in her life, and I realized that getting a dog would be a perfect way to push her forward. How I came up with the idea to have Van order a dog off the internet while drunk and watching Rin Tin Tin episodes is beyond me. It just kind of happened.

SJ: Your main character, Van (Savannah), is dealing with some serious heartache over the man she loves—having to watch him marry her best friend (ouch!). You write those scenes with such authenticity, I wondered if you’d experienced such heartbreak?

AL: I’ve never been in love with any of my friends’ significant others (unless you count the fact that in fourth grade my best friend and I had the same crush). But I experienced my fair share of heartbreak and unrequited love when I was younger.  I think it’s part of growing up–not everyone is in the same stage at the same time. Sometimes the people we love don’t have the capacity to love us back the way we need them to, and it hurts.

SJ: Tell us a little about the process for writing this novel, your first: Did the story come to you easily? Did it take a long time to write? Did you have a full-time job while writing and squeeze in writing at night?

All of the above. Some scenes almost seemed to write themselves, but then there were times STAY felt like my never ending project–like I’d be ninety-two, still trying to figure out the fate of Van and her trusty dog, Joe.

For much of the process I did have a full-time job. I wrote at a pace of eight pages a week for my writing group. Group met on Monday night back then, so I spent many a Sunday evening writing scenes I’d been playing around with in my head all week. For the final stages of the book, I was lucky enough to be writing full time. My husband put in extra time so I could stay home to write. I am constantly in awe of his belief in me. STAY couldn’t have happened without him.

SJ: I can totally see this movie on the big screen! Any film interest so far? Any ideas on who you would like to play Van?

AS: I’m always hesitant to say who I’d like to play Van. I really want readers to relate to her in their own way, instead of picturing a certain actor as they read. But I absolutely love hearing everyone’s thoughts for casting. It’s so interesting!

My favorite game is looking for Van and Janie in real life. A woman who looked almost exactly the way I picture Van served us drinks at a bar in Seattle. And in the airport last week, I saw a woman who looked and acted the way I think Janie probably would ten years after STAY takes place. I think everyone around me is thankful that I realize it would be weird to walk up to a stranger and say, “You know, you look exactly like a person I made up in my head,” but sometimes I am so tempted.

I also have to say that Julia Whelan, who read STAY for the audio book, sounded exactly like I thought Van should. I cried when I heard it the first time. It was eerie and absolutely amazing.

SJ: Finally, tell us what you’re working on now? Is there a new novel on tap? If so, can you give us a little hint?

AL: I am working on something new. Like STAY, it focuses on the complicated nature of friendships, but with completely new characters in a very different situation. I think that’s really all I can say about it right now. And I’d love to revisit Van and the other characters from STAY at some point.

Thank you Allie!

I’m a huge stationary buff, and at the risk of sounding like a big nerd, I will share that I love stamps. Love them! And, when I saw these gorgeous calligraphy stamps from Primele over at From Portland to Peonies, I decided that I have to order one, asap!

Cute, huh? Do you write a lot of snail mail? I’m trying to be better about sending letters because I love receiving them!

This is a question I get asked a lot, so I thought I’d try to sum up an answer. It’s a topic that many writer-mothers talk about. My writer friend Allison Winn Scotch wrote about it here recently. And Christina Katz wrote a whole book on the topic. It’s called Writer Mama, and you should check it out if you’re a mom and at all interested in writing.

But here’s the thing for me: I started my writing career before kids and just didn’t want to set it on the back shelf when the kids arrived. I wanted to both a.) continue writing, and b.) be a full time mom who was there for her kids as much as possible. So far, I’m making it work. Am I tired? All the time. Do I complain? Yes. Do I secretly long for the days of grade school? I’m not going to lie, yes, sometimes. My boys are 1 and 3 and I have a full writing career. I blog for Glamour.com daily (5-7 posts per day), write one to two magazine articles a week, a monthly column, and am now halfway through my second novel. Here’s how I fit this all in with the kids:

*I have a supportive husband. Granted, he likes the paychecks that my writing brings in , but he also knows that I do what I do because I love it, and it fulfills me. So, Jason doesn’t squawk too loudly when I have to write through a Satruday afternoon when he’d really prefer that we go to the beach as a family. Yes, we do go to the beach (and do other fun stuff) as a family, but weekends aren’t just 24-7 fun–I work on weekends!

*I’m not afraid to work nights. I know a lot of people who dread working in the evenings. For me, it’s when my creativity blossoms. Maybe it’s because the house is quiet and the kids are in bed. Probably. Sure, would I like to hit the couch at night and catch a few shows? Yes! But I’ve gotten ahead in these crazy, chaotic years when the kids are young by sacrificing veg-out time by working nights, knowing that working in the evenings isn’t going to be forever. The kids will be in school soon enough and life will change yet again.

*I ask for help. Let me start by saying this: I do not have a full-time nanny, just occasional babysitters and a mom (“nana”) who is an ever-present and loving influence in our house. I couldn’t do what I do without my supportive mom. I schedule interviews and important calls during times when I have nana or someone else around, and somehow, it works.

*I really, really love what I do. Perhaps what makes this all so doable (writing books, magazine articles, blog posts), is that I love it so much. I’ve been at this career for 10 years now, and I’m grateful to be someone who truly loves what she does. This makes it easier to keep plugging away when the kids have been Gremlins all day and I got 4 hours of sleep the night before. (I have those days a lot.)

*I keep a strict schedule. When you are a work-from-home mama trying to juggle it all, you’ve gotta live by the schedule. I do. On days when it’s just me flying solo, I have my mornings set with my kids–music class, play time, library visits, etc.–then back home for lunch, then naps, then 2 hours of writing/interviews, then mama hat again, then dinner prep, then bedtime, then writing again. Somewhere in between all of this I check in with my husband and say “hello, how are you.”

*I have an office adjoining a playroom. Now, many people would say, “how do you ever get anything done with the kids playing so close to your office?” While it can be a little loud (even with the doors shut), I like that my office isn’t down in a sound-proof basement or upstairs bedroom where I can’t hear the kids or be present. Even when someone is here watching them, I like to keep my ear open and know what’s going on. Call me anal (because, frankly, I am), but this arrangement works for me. Plus, when they’re behind the baby gate watching Sesame Street in the morning, guess who can catch up on email and finish a deadline? Yup! I highly reccomend an office next to a playroom (if you can swing it).

*I have a Blackberry. A lot of people warned me that having a Blackberry would stress me out. Not so! I can’t imagine life without it, actually. Here’s the thing: If you’re a mama, you spend less time sitting at your desk than most writers. You’re refilling sippy cups, changing diapers, kissing owies, you know, the usual drill. And especially when I’m out with the kids, it’s nice knowing that I can put out a fire quickly from my phone rather than wait for things to pile up for my return. Oftentimes my editors just have quick questions that are easily answered via Blackberry. I’ve emailed back about big and little things from locations as varied as Gymborie classes, music class, the park, the grocery store (which is, coincidentally where I read an email from my agent on my Blackberry telling me that I landed a terrific German book deal!).

There are probably a zillion other little tips that are escaping me at present, but these are top of mind. I’ll be writing more about writing (both magazine writing and book writing) in the months ahead, so stay tuned!

Writer mamas, how do you juggle it? What are your secrets and favorite tips?

My first bouquet of the season! I cobbled together the following lovelies from my garden to make an arrangement for my grandma (who I got to visit on Friday night) but forgot to grab it before I left (doh!), so here it sits on my desk. Its contents: daisies, red climbing roses, mint (makes a great filler!), and chamomile flowers. Currently sprouting up in the garden for future arrangements: sweet peas, roses (more), dahlias, zinnias, a ton of herbs, lavender and a gazillion other things.

I love this little tip that I read somewhere (one I’ve been practicing for the past few years): Keep a stash of little cheapie vases on hand. Buy them at garage sales, second-hand stores, etc.–the more unique, the better. Then, whenever you have a party to attend or are seeing someone you love (like my grandma), you can snip some flowers from your yard and create a really special gift with a personal touch (and, psst, it’s a lot more affordable that a bottle of wine!). Mason jars work really well as vases, too. (I’ve used them in a pinch.)

Do you have a garden?

Don’t you sorta want to start singing a U2 song right about now?

Hi my dears! I have been away from this blog for a little while–busy at work over at Glamour.com, of course, and on my book, which I’m happy to report is finished and in my editor’s hands at Penguin (and my editor in Germany, too!) where it is now launching forward in the production process. Woohoo! I worked for about three months on the revise, and I couldn’t be more proud, and thrilled, about how it turned out. Of course, I’ll have two more opportunities to review the book prior to publication next summer, so that gives me some comfort. (A writer is never done revising, right?) The book is getting a title change, so stay tuned about that. And, I’m happy to share that I am nearly halfway through my second book, which I’ll be sending to my agent next week for review. I’ll be writing more here about my process (and inspiration!) for book numero deux, so, again, stay tuned.

For now, I want to tell you about this rose …

It used to be my mom’s favorite rose bush, growing like wild every summer in the garden of the white colonial I grew up in, the house my parents built, and, sniffle, sold a few years ago. But guess what? Before the new owners moved in, I dug up the rose and planted it in my Seattle garden. OK, maybe it was a little underhanded (and possibly illegal), but here’s how I justified it: There were already a gazillion other roses on my parents 2 and a half acre property, so why would they miss this rose?

It was sad enough to say goodbye to the house, and the memories, so I had to take a bit of it with me. It is quite possibly the most fragrant rose I’ve ever encountered. So yes, I dug up that baby and carted it home to Seattle where it is thriving in my garden. Every few days I snip a new bud for my kitchen window, and it reminds me of home.