I’ve always found the mornings to be a great time to write. It’s the time before the distractions begin, before the pressures of daily life intrude, and while the morning light is soft and rejuvenating. Add a cup of coffee to the mix and voila! It’s a great time to write.

Before dawn cracks, I’ll do my writing between 4am and 7am ET. I’ll break for breakfast and take a walk, then I might work on book marketing. Afternoons, I go out to lunch with friends or run errands. Then I’ll answer email until it’s time to quit work for the day.

My most creative time is between midnight and three a.m. For some reason, if I get my second wind around midnight, my body thinks it is daytime. I’m also fairly creative in the early afternoon, but invariably, about three p.m., my body clock winds down.

My best plotting happens in the early morning hours, between six and nine, when the world is still hushed and full of possibility. After that, I trade my detective’s notebook for administrative tasks and the ever-present demands of social media.

Definitely first thing in the morning. After caffeination and breakfast, of course. It’s always been like this for me. My best ideas come when basic needs are met and I can give 100% to the manuscript. I have total focus. If I wait until afternoon to work on writing a chapter, it takes twice as long and it’s less than half as good. I have always been protective of those early hours. They are my bread and butter.

Early in the morning. Best thing I can do is walk with my pen & paper and take notes….

That often depends on the amount of sleep I got the night before. Usually, it’s morning, but I’ll periodically get a creative spurt late afternoon or even several hours after dinner. Neither my creativity nor my muse wear a watch.