Guest Blogger: Delilah Marvelle

Please welcome multi-published romance author, Delilah Marvelle to the blog. Her first book in The Scandal Series releases January 1 with HQN. Book 2 releases February 1. Book 3 releases March 1.

Here's Delilah: I have a confession to make. Despite people thinking that I'm all bells and whistles and oh-so-comfortable and outgoing with people, in truth, I'm not.

No one who is a writer is. We live in our heads and enjoy our own company. That's a fact that we should not only acknowledge but accept about ourselves. If you can't acknowledge it or accept it, then you have a problem. Kind of sounds like an AA meeting, doesn't it? Well...in a way, it is. It's difficult to realize that being shy is, in fact, a problem if you're an author. Back in the old days, when all an author did was write and occasionally show up for book signings, that was acceptable. These days, with online chatting and twitter and heaven knows what, your readers do expect you to not only make yourself available but be happy about it, lol.

In some ways, the internet is a shy author's greatest asset. It allows a shy author to appear quite outgoing. Don't let it trap you into thinking you've found your way out of your AA meeting. Because even though yes, you're interacting with people online, you are still only listening to your own voices in your head.

So here's one simple rule you should always try to apply. It's called EQUAL TIME. What is equal time? It means for as much time as you spend online, make sure you also spend that equal amount of time with people in person. Be they readers, writers or just plain Joe. Because the reality is, we can't be writers and write stories about real people if we don't give ourselves an opportunity to observe and spend time with real people. Log the amount of time you spend online and see if you log that same amount of time with people outside of your family.

You'd be surprised how the shy author in you will sneak away from real people. And if you're hiding away from real people because you are by nature shy, you are missing out on opportunities to be the sort of writer you deserve to be. Equal Time amounts to equal writing. Hope my little rule helps you along your path.

Delilah Marvelle spent her youth studying various languages, reading voraciously, and playing the pianoforte. She confesses that here ends the extent of her gentle breeding. She was a naughty child who was forever torturing her parents with countless adventures that they did not deem respectable. Confined to her room on many occasions due to these misadventures, she discovered the quill and its amazing power. Soon, to the dismay of her parents, she rather enjoyed being confined to her room and finished writing her first historical romance (which was a heart stopping 800 pages long...) at the age of 14. And yes, she is still 14...at heart.

You can find out more about Delilah on her website and her "A Bit o'Muslin Blog."