Who has the best life set up?

[tartantulips]

I'm looking for some inspiration.

I met a lady the other week who writes four books a year and earns about £11k a month. She has published 26 books in total and churns them out.

She moves country every four months chasing the sun around the world and sits every morning on her balcony overlooking the sea with a coffee writing for four hours every day. She spends the rest of her time with friends, reading, volunteering and fulfilling her hobbies. She has lots of friends in the four countries she flicks between, but sometimes she goes somewhere new. She has just met the love of her life, who has a similar flexible lifestyle to her.

From what i've been able to work out she must be 33/34.

She has no presence online and uses a fake pen name and meeting her you would never know. She is humble and kind.

She is living my absolute dream.

Do you know anyone with an amazing life set up?

No, I don't OP. But I think "amazing setup/life" is subjective. Some might find being enthralled in a career they enjoy and are passionate about more rewarding than working 4 hours a day. But I don't know. Depends on your personality and what you like. It's very personal

My set up as it stands I would say is comfortable. I suppose it can be seen as a privilege that I can afford to work 2 days a week, without worrying too much about money (though by no means live a life of luxury) but for the most part, can walk into the supermarket and buy what I fancy, without worrying about going into my overdraft, for example

I don't holiday often or go abroad. I'd like to, but would be something I'd need to save up for. Again, something I can do. So I suppose would be seen as a luxury as well. Own my own flat. 2 bed, needs some work doing to it, but liveable. City central, so can walk most places without needing a car. I'm 35

But then someone else might see that as a living hell who knows

I love my life.

It's certainly not perfect and by MN standards I make very little money but I work part-time, do the job I love and my MH and marriage have never been better.

OP, your friend writes FOUR books a year? It would depend on what type of books, I.e basic children's books is just about achievable, but for novels/works of any substance, its not achievable. I expect this is self published.

My OH is an author, with one of the world's largest publishing houses, and its taken TWO years of drafts, edits, marketing, sensitivity filters, art work, re-writes etc to get his latest novel out.

And no, his life isn't glamorous at all.

Oh what do you do? Sounds perfect

Op what kind of boooks does this woman write?
Non fiction or fiction? I would love to hear more

What are her books op????

My aunt used to be married with brunei royal family.

I’m from indonesia and when i was a kid (10 yo) i still remember my aunt take my family abroad with private jet. Always stay in suite room hotel. Everytime she wants to go shopping the entire shop need to close just to accommodate her. All my family living our best lives when she is married. She support my grandma and my mum aswell. So we are pretty rich back then despite my mum single parent and not working. I remember for my 8 birthday she gave me a pony. Her husband have flat in mayfair. My aunt with her husband like to stay in london for holiday. In the year 2000 i remember i visit her here with my family and we stay in the savoy for 2 weeks. What a life!.

but she is depressed, really unhappy with her life. Her husband is unfaithful. She can’t expressed herself freely. She cant have friends with anyone she likes anymore. Because if you are royal you have to be friend with your circle aswell. She always said she living like a bird in a golden cage. In the end her husband want to take another wife bit she is refused and she asked for divorce. Now she is divorce, she got settlement from her divorce but not extravagant. She is still rich but not afford to support my family anymore. She is much more happier now.

Also curious about this.

When I visited Thailand years ago, I met a few people who worked in their home country for approx 6 months and made enough money to stay in Thailand not working for the rest of the year. In an absolutely beautiful place, knowing lots of people there. That seemed like a pretty great set up.
Now, I've got struggles in my life (really chronic health stuff meaning I'm housebound and in pain a lot). If if wasn't for that, my life would be perfect! Why? Amazing partner and amazing son who are both healthy, happy home with lots of laughter, part time well paid fulfilling job, cheap mortgage, great friends, living in stunning part of the world near the sea. No one bullying me, hassling me, supported in my choices. So those are the factors that make you happy I think. I'm very grateful for all that. And pray my health will return. But no one has everything, do they? Everyone I know, and some who I have envied, have hard things in life they deal with- deaths, health, crap jobs, abusive partners- it's just we don't see every facet of most people's lives.

Good for you @autocollantes. Best wishes for your new, non-skivvy life!

I find it very hard to believe that she only writes for 4 hours a day and churns out 4 books a year. Have you read any of them? I'm assuming they must be Mills and boon type books, apparently some of their writers do earn very well.

I mean on the surface it sounds like a great set up, but I'm not sure I could write what I'm assuming is vacuous escapism and feel fulfilled in my career.. she's probably sold out for the money and would have little real respect from other professional writers. But maybe I'm wrong...

The fact she has no online presence does make me wonder if she is being completely honest with you though...

I have the perfect life, for me. It doesn’t involve moving from place to place to ‘follow the sun’ or anything like that (thankfully 😊) , but it does consist of everything I have ever fantasised about, and it’s an enviable lifestyle, the type of life I wished and dreamed for as a little girl.

No one has a perfect life. And those that do seem more miserable than the rest of us. In the words of Beyoncé - just got to make lemonade from lemons 🍋

LaPerduta

that about it, few to many weeks with working, probably 7/7 less is ideal

go travelling for a few weeks

I write books as a side hustle - shite crime fiction. Have churned out 6 since May 2020, have made about 25k from it - still prefer my real job though!

That's wonderful. It's hard, right? I write non-fiction.

Wow! I realise you won't want to out yourself, but could you give an example of a similar writer? I'm guessing you self publish.

She is self published on amazon and writes spicy romance and erotica

I'm a teacher. And very good with money!

OP thanks
I will look into that but £11k a month still seems amazing.

LaPerduta ah, they could not pay me enough to deal with kids! 😂

@EmmaH2022 along the lines of JD Kirk etc