About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.

The Secret to Making time for Writing



With all of the other things that need to be done to build your author platform, how do you make time for actual writing?

It’s a question I’ve struggled with. Being a work at home mom, I am constantly chasing down two toddlers who can wreck a living room faster than you can blink. They’ve dumped every bin of toys, upended the train table, and knocked over all the books on their bookshelf in the time it takes me to make a quick potty break. Yeah… kids are fun! There is no such thing as down time during the day when they won’t nap at the same time either. Daily chores, playtime, feeding time, and tandem naps means my day is swamped with domestics.  That leaves precious little time each night, when those adorable little terrors cherubs are fast asleep in their beds, reminding me, after a day from hell, how sweet they can be.

I get roughly 4 hours from the time the littles are in bed until I pass out at the keyboard. I used to be able to handle all-nighters, but after celebrating my 30th birthday a few times, I find it harder and harder to make it past midnight. So, with that time crunch in mind, making time for writing, marketing, and social media-ing (notice I separated marketing and social media… Think back to previous posts on the topic.) is a careful balancing act.

I’m not telling you all of this for sympathy. I am showing you that if I can do it, so can you. Take a look at the side bar. See all those titles? Many were written and published during multiple pregnancies and while enduring teething, sleepless nights, and fighting many bouts of writer’s block.

The secret? It’s nothing really. Commit yourself to 500 words a day. 1,000 if you are feeling really frisky.

Doesn’t sound like a lot, and in reality, it isn’t. But, it adds up over time.


Average sized novel is between 60-80k. Writing 500 words a day (which should take no more than an hour to do. Just free write, first draft style, word spew) takes 120-160 days. If you write 1,000 words a day that’s 60-80 days for a first draft. See how easy that is? Just commit yourself to a small goal every day and you will find your story begins to take shape and you still have time for other things.