I’ve discovered that something really funny happens when you write a book part-time. It’s no surprise that writing a novel requires some creativity followed by a huge amount of discipline, and as part-time writers go, some have very different approaches. For example some people write in the early morning hours, some (like myself) write at night when the day is done, some write in fits and starts, and some even do it by writing the ending first. Don’t ask me how you write a book by starting with the ending, I still haven’t figured it out.

But for those like me that write in the evenings, something very interesting happens from time to time; you get tired. In fact sometimes you get so tired that your brain begins shutting down when you’re trying hard to think through an important scene or dialog. But the funny part is that sometimes, you actually fall asleep. And believe it or not, it’s not merely the falling asleep that makes it funny, it’s the waking up!

Several times, while writing my second book Shadows, I fell asleep in the middle of an important scene…which was then followed just moments later with me suddenly waking up and wondering out loud “What the hell did I just write?!” Imagine falling asleep during a conversation only to wake up startled and wondering what you just said to the person. Did it make any sense? Was it offensive? Was it even in English?

It’s a strange experience, but here’s the funniest part of all. Nearly every time that I woke back up wondering what I just wrote, it was almost always…good. Yes, good. Granted it’s just a short sentence or two, but how that happens I have absolutely no idea. Now imagine that scene from the other perspective, as a witness, watching as someone suddenly jerks them self awake and stares at their screen in a panic. That’s got to be funny as hell. Fortunately no one has caught me at it yet, but then again having three girls in the house makes me think it’s just a matter of time.

Someone please tell me I’m not alone.