Coffee and Conversation with the #RomanceGems

It's time for Coffee and Conversation with the Romance Gems! So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join us for some fun.

This month's topic is: Describe your writer’s space. 

It’s a new year, and many of us have expressed a strong desire to write more and finish projects we’ve planned. We’re all writers, so that typically means we spend A LOT of time writing and/or thinking about writing related things. So…where’s your favorite place to work? Is it a designated spot in your home? What’s it like? Is there anything special you keep there? Or, perhaps you move around or write in public places? Tell me!


“My writing space is my leather recliner next to the fireplace. I grab my laptop and a beverage, and settle in to write my books. It's warm in winter and cool in summer and I love the coziness.”
~ Karen Whiddon 

Karen Whiddon's cozy leather chair

“One of my bedrooms is my office. I share it with my cat and her litter boxes and food. There’s nothing pretty about it. To write, I use a MacBook Air on a computer desk. That is also shared with the cat.” ~ Jan Scarbrough

Jan Scarbrough's office manager

“While I have a lot of author friends who choose to write away from home in places like Starbucks, that’s not me. I do my best writing in my home office. At a desktop computer—not a laptop. I am blessed that my home office is a sunroom surrounded on three sides by windows, two of which overlook a wooded area. My office has everything I need from a cozy loveseat to stacks of shelves of research books, printers, and file cabinets. My Herman Miller Aeron chair allows me work long days without pain. Yes, I am blessed.” ~ Cheryl Bolen

Cheryl Bolen's sunroom office

“I thrive in total quiet, which is why, as a kid, I loved the library so much. As an adult I still find I need to have the environment around me noise-free, especially when I’m writing. My favorite place to create is in my home office. It’s in the attic behind 2 doors – and believe me, I close them behind me every time I’m writing! I have a big window that overlooks my forest property situated above my desk that I look out and daydream through while I write. Nirvana. Noiseless; people-less; solitary. Love that!” ~ Peggy Jaeger

Peggy Jaeger's "noiseless, nirvana" attic office

“I have always been fortunate to have a dedicated office in my home, although I did (reluctantly) share the space with my day job when I had one. How happy am I to have it back to being exclusively for writing! The room is painted my favorite color, lipstick red. I have framed book covers on every wall space not occupied by bookshelves, and a large window looks out into my jungle of a yard. I’m not very organized and at one point my darling room got into a state where I didn’t want to be in it. Enter a professional organizer who spent a day and a half on what became my best investment lately in my writing future. Now I love my office again and happily spend all day here weaving my tales.” ~ Kathleen Lawless

“I have a small summer camp in New England and an apartment in St. Augustine that I split my time between. Each place has a desk where I keep all my writing stuff. Pens, paper, my planner, goals list, and of course, my laptop. That last one is what I need for writing. I love to be outside, so I typically take my laptop outside and write either looking at the duck pond in New Hampshire, or at the river in Florida. Can you tell water and nature are my inspiration?” ~ Kari Lemor

Kari Lemor's St. Augustine water view office

“My office at home is in a spare room that is dark, has a terrible view and is quiet unless the laundry is going. I don't need to gaze outside for inspiration...just inside my own head, so a view and comfy reading chair etc are not required. However, I do have framed copies of my book covers lining my walls. Sometimes I need to look at them to remind myself that I really can finish this book because I've done it before. Many times.” ~ Bonnie Edwards

“We moved into a new house 6 years ago, and I was so excited to get an office! However, my office is now the kids' gameroom, and my desk their homework desk. I was writing so much in our room, my husband bought a desk that folds down from Ikea so I don't have to write in bed anymore. My workspace is a yoga ball for a chair, a folding desk, and my nightstand. And I love it” :) ~ Laura Hunsaker

Laura Hunsaker's bedroom workspace

“My favorite place to write is at a cafe. It forces me to get up, put myself together, and get out of the house. I'm an extrovert so I find that if I go too many days without social interaction I start to lose energy and wind up in a downward spiral. Besides, leaving the house makes it harder for me to procrastinate. If I'm at a coffee shop, then the call of dishes, laundry, and Netflix aren't as distracting. That being said, one of my New Year's resolutions is to save money. I've been trying to commit to using my home office at least two days a week.” ~ Satin Russell

Satin Russell's home office

“I have my own office space!!! Yea!!! I didn’t realize how much I missed having an office of my own until we sold the house and went RVing for 3 1/2 years. Right now, I’m promoting my new book and about half finished with another so my office is in shambles. I can find what I’m looking for but I doubt anyone else could.”
~ Karen Kelley

“My writing space is much like my brain, slightly, (okay, fine, more than slightly) cluttered, and facing the window... because every easily distracted person should have something distracting in their line of sight, right?! I've even attached a birdfeeder to the window to attract all the little birdies (and a pesky squirrel or two). It's not the most conducive spot for working, but I love it!” ~ Elsa Kurt

Elsa Kurt's writing space

“One of my favorite places is my writing space my family calls my “pink cave”. The computer desk is a Vee that fits into a corner of my tiny office. Beside it is my matching dark cherry desk. For my eyes’ ease, I use a television screen as my monitor. Behind me, bookcases hold books for research and genealogy, my friends’ books, and mine. Hanging over my desk is a three-shelf glass-front cabinet holding a few collectibles. The walls are covered with memorabilia and pretty prints. The room is cluttered but I love working in my personal sanctuary.” ~ Caroline Clemmons

“When we retired and figured out we were going to sharing the house, one of the first things we did was to make part of our detached garage into a "she-shed." It's here that I write and sew and find alone time whenever I need it. I love my husband for many things, and understanding my need for that is one of the biggest.”
~ Liz Flaherty

“Much like me, my favorite writing space is a bit eclectic. I love working in our three-season screen porch, which looks out over our wooded property. Lots of camp-style, comfy furnishings, odd decorations collected during our travels, bird feeders off the back, and dogs. Always dogs! This is an older, warm weather pic, but you’ll get the idea. There’s even a wood stove for chilly fall mornings and more “treasures” on the walls now. Add a big iced coffee and my laptop, and I'm good to go! The vibe is awesome and perfect for my laid-back style.”
~ Kathryn Hills

Kathryn Hills' camp-style writing porch

Okay, it's your turn to join the conversation! Add your comments below or send via email through the "contact us” link on the bottom of the left sidebar. You can also make suggestions on what you'd like to discuss here in the future.

Thanks for joining us!

~ The Romance Gems ~

Hurry!

Only a few days remaining on our January Giveaway!

Ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, January 31st

Enter HERE!

Or, visit our Monthly Giveaway Page

January Prizes

Grand Prize: $20.00 Amazon Gift Card

2nd Prize: $15.00 Amazon Gift Card

3rd Prize: $10.00 Amazon Gift Card

4th Prize: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card

Best of luck to everyone!