I love chatting with fellow work-at-home moms who share in the joys and struggles of managing motherhood, homemaking, homeschooling, business, homesteading, rest, community, and more. Today’s conversation with published author Melissa Ferguson takes us behind the scenes of a fiction writer’s life. We talk through carefully choosing your “yeses” in each season, embracing rest, prioritizing family, and learning things the hard way in business. Whether you have a dream of writing or some other endeavor, this practical look at how Melissa gets it all done will inspire you along the way! In this episode, we cover: Reaching the breaking point of overwhelm and finding the right solution for you A day in the life of a homesteading, homeschooling, work-at-home mom Weighing which opportunities to say yes to in your season of life A peek behind the curtain of the publishing world and what it takes to get a book deal Best advice for a new or aspiring author The importance of choosing the right representation as an author What it takes to find success as an author and joy in the process Practical strategies for raising children that love to read View full show notes on the blog + watch this episode on YouTube. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this show possible! ABOUT MELISSA Melissa Ferguson is the bestselling author of titles including Meet Me in the Margins, How to Plot a Payback, On the Way to Christmas, and upcoming release, The Perfect Rom-Com. She lives in Tennessee with her husband and children in their growing farmhouse lifestyle and writes heartwarming romantic comedies that have been featured in such places as The Hollywood Reporter, Travel + Leisure, Woman’s World, and BuzzFeed. Join along her journey with over 800,000 other followers at @ourfriendlyfarmhouse. RESOURCES Pre-order Melissa’s newest fiction title The Perfect Rom-Com Check out Melissa’s romantic comedy books here Sign up for Melissa’s newsletter at MelissaFerguson.com Looking to earn an income from your YouTube channel? Join my YouTube Success Masterclass today! Explore all of my course offerings including sourdough, sewing, blogging, and YouTube CONNECT Melissa Ferguson of The Friendly Farmhouse | Website | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | BookBub | Pinterest Lisa Bass of Farmhouse on Boone | Blog | YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | Pinterest Do you have a question you’d like me to answer on the podcast? A guest you’d like me to interview? Submit your questions and ideas here: bit.ly/SFLquestions.