EMAIL ADDICTION
I'm still in Phoenix with my daughter. I'm loving the time with her, but there's a problem: I can't connect my laptop to her cable modem. She has no wireless router. I'm seriously considering buying her one so when I come I can sit on the overstuffed couch in comfort and still get my fix. As it is now, I have to physically get up, set aside my laptop and come to Kara's office to check my email. That sucks!

How many of you out there are email junkies? I'm waving my hand high. I think we should form a group to help with our addiction. Okay maybe not. The first thing you have to do to overcome an addiction is WANT to kick the habit. I don't want to. Sad isn't it? Think of how many books I could get written if I wasn't checking my email constantly. When I'm on a tight deadline, I adjust Outlook to check every half an hour instead of every minute, but I find myself obsessing after about fifteen minutes and clicking over to see if anything has come.

What is the nature of this obsession? I've been pondering it a little this week, and here is what I've come up with: I'm a mom. I worry about my chicks. I mentor and mother some other writers and subconsciously I think if I don't "fix" things, my friends will suffer. Ridiculous isn't it? It's not like I'm advising on something earth-shattering. I'm talking about writing, for pete's sakes! The other thing is I adore hearing from my family at WestBow. What if one of them emails me with some exciting news or even just a "hi we love you" sort of email? I want to be accessible to them too. WestBow is a fabulous house, and I love my family there. My goal is to be the easiest author they work with. I want to get the emails from them as quickly as I can get them! The other thing is that writing is a lonely business. I'm lost in another world, one I'm creating, and my email anchors me back to real life. It gives me community right in the comfort of my own living room.

So on second thought, maybe I don't want to form a group to conquer my addiction. Email junkies of the world, unite! No more will we take slurs on our favorite pastime, no longer will we hide our heads in shame and mumble about how much time we spend on email. Spending time with friends is never wasted.