GUEST BLOGGER: Author Christine Murray

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Thanks so much to Dwight for being nice enough to host me on his blog! :)

Many people say that they want to write a book, but that they just don’t have the time. Their job is too demanding, they have kids, friends, families and a dog. They have bills to pay, health issues, and perhaps worries about the future. Where in the craziness of modern life are they meant to find the time to bucket a huge amount of energy into pursuing a dream that they’re not sure will even come to fruition?

I’m not belittling these doubts – they’re very real for a lot of people – but the one thing that a holds more people back than we’d like to admit is the fear of failure. Because if we don’t pursue our dreams, we can always imagine that they were indeed possible for us before life got in the way. On the other hand, if we go after the dream and it turns out to not go our way then that’s it. We may have to admit that we might not have what it takes. And that’s a scary thought.

Holiday season is a time for family and togetherness, but it’s also a time for taking stock. Another year has passed, and it’s a time when lots of us assess how near to our goals we are – or how far away we still are. This time last year barely anyone knew that I was writing a book, and yet here I am twelve months later self-publishing so much as the validation of a publishing house. It’s a scary time, but I’m so happy to be doing it. I think if we want to achieve our dreams we have to re-evaluate our definitions of success and failure. Success isn’t about impressing other people, it’s about being able to live the life you want and doing the things that give you fulfillment. This sometimes means going the less direct route, such as self-publishing or finding an unconventional back route into the career that you want.

Maybe this New Year the real habit that needs to be kicked is the fear of failure – it may be the only thing coming between you and the life that you really want.

Book Blurb:
ALEX is a journalist who has always dreamed of working for a glossy women’s magazine. Instead, she finds herself working for Dublin’s most notorious tabloid newspaper, rewriting press releases and covering for her colleague Jodie, a well-connected neurotic who still hasn’t figured out how to use an apostrophe
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ROSE thinks that she has life sorted. She loves her job as a teacher in a disadvantaged school, and has just moved in with her gorgeous actor boyfriend, Daniel. The only clouds on her horizon are a headmaster with a passion for new-age team-building and a stack of envelopes that she refuses to open but can’t quite bring herself to throw out.

SHANNON feels like she’s stagnating. When she graduated at the top of her class from drama college everyone thought it would be just a matter of time until she got her big break. Instead, she pays the bills with parts in small plays and some low rent television shows. Now she’s in her thirties, is it time she gives up on her dreams and get a proper job?

When a scandal shakes up the lives of all three women, will they manage to stay true to their dreams? Or will the betrayal of one man change their plans for good?

Bio:
Christine Murray is a journalist and writer from Dublin, Ireland. She has a passion for both coffee and cocktails and thinks the espresso martini might be the most underrated invention of all time. She lives with her husband and chocolate Labrador in semi-organised chaos.

DWIGHT NOTE:  Thanks to Christine on the launch of her new book STORMS IN TEACUPS!  She lives all the way over in Ireland.  But thanks to blogging and the international author community -- we are buddies. I will be doing a guest post on her blog in January...   http://christinemurray.blogspot.com/