Tuesdays Tidbits With Kari: Featuring Army Officer & Author Jessica Scott

Life is crazy busy these days. I never realized how hard it is to juggle multiple deadlines, kids home for the summer, AND promoting yourself. I am loving every minute of it, but it seriously is true...be careful what you wish for, folks :-)

So as I am struggling to find a balance, I decided to interview Army Officer and Author Jessica Scott to see how she juggles it all.

Kari: First off, thank you so much for all you and your husband have done to help keep our country safe. I tought my like was hectic, but I truly don't know how you juggle it all: wife, mother, Army Officer. You've experienced both ends of the spectrum...being deployed and leaving your hubby and kids, but also staying home with your kids while your hubby is deployed. How do you keep it all together and stay grounded?

Jessica: Hi Kari, Thanks so much for having me! Keeping it all together is the eternal question for us moms, isn't it? One of my good friends is a stay at home mom and I'm amazed at how much she has to do on a daily basis and she home schools and is a bestselling novelist. So for me, it's just a matter of keeping life simple and remembering that everything else can fall by the wayside except my family. They're the most important thing and they are the priority. They have to be .

Kari: How do you find time to write and what's your writing schedule like? Did you find time to write at all while you were in Iraq?

Jessica: My kids don't get to do a lot of afterschool/after work activities because they have to get up so early. Dinner is often something I can throw together in 30 minutes or less. A big part of it is time management. I have to grocery shop for the week on the weekend, early to avoid crowds. I get to write after the kids go to bed, so when I sit at my computer, all my social networking/email is already done and I'm literally pounding out words. I wrote extensively in Iraq because oddly enough, there's more time over there. When you have nothing to do but go to work, the gym and chow, there is a ton of time to get things done.

Kari: I know reading can be an escape for many of us at home, but what about the troops? Did you read at all while you were deployed? If so, who are your favorite authors?

Jessica: I read a lot while I was deployed. It's one of the things that was hard to get used to being back over here was not having as much time to read. And, thanks to the incredible generosity of the romance community, I discovered a ton of new to me authors. Some fav authors are Julie Kenner, Sherry Thomas, Laura Griffin, Laura Kinsale, Allison Brennan, Roxanne St Claire, Joann Ross, Cindy Gerard, Skyler White, Emily McKay, Tracy Wolff, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook and Deidre Knight. Their books are truly great and they're on my auto buy list every time something new comes out. That list is by no means all inclusive but there are so many great authors out there that I adore, I'm sure to always forget some every time I'm asked that question.

Kari: Your War's Darkest Series is about wounded military heros. Can you tell us about book one War's Darkest Fear?

Jessica: War's Darkest Fear is currently undergoing revisions for an editor who has patiently waiting for me to get off my tail and send it to her. But it's Shane's story and at the heart of it is how we define ourselves. Some people define themselves by what clothes they wear or what they do for a living. Shane defined himself as a soldier, as a leader and then that was taken from him when he was wounded. Fear is about him confronting what his life will be if he can no longer soldier. So maybe it'll be on a shelf someday for y'all to read.

Kari: Do you ever see yourself writing in another genre, or do you think shedding light on what our military heroes go through is your calling?

Jessica: Military stories are in my heart, so I'm sure I won't completely abandon the passion behind those heros and stories. But I just sent my agent a proposal for a YA that he was over the moon for. So I have to get cracking and get that book written by the end of the summer! I hope it sells because it's a really unique take on an old theme and I've got a real passion for the story. So we'll see how that turns out!

Kari: You've been all over the place, giving interviews. What has that been like?

Jessica: Interviews are great because you never know what to expect for questions. People are always emailing and asking questions about military life. Last week when the McCrystal story broke, I was asked via Twitter to blog about my reaction to it. I enjoy doing interviews because it gives people a chance to ask questions and get to know a little more about the army life I live. Plus, it's kind of humbling to think that people want to hear what I have to say. I've always had strong opinions about things so it's flattering that people actually do want to hear them, lol! The biggest challenge I've had to date was writing for PBS POV Regarding War earlier this year. It taught me a lot about public forum and what you say and how you can be misinterpreted. As an officer, I'm alway conscientious about what I put out in the public realm. It's part of my responsibility as a soldier.

Thanks so much for having me here today! I hope your readers will stop by my blog every now and again to see what's new in this officer and author's life!

Thank YOU so much for being with us, Jessica! Good luck in all your endeavors and I will be looking for your books on the shelves soon :-)