As a busy mom of three, I’m constantly in search of a place to have a moment of zen. My bathroom, talking extra long walks around the car after buckling a toddler in, or even sitting in my driveway after the family has run inside are just a few places I can take a deep breath and re-group.

That’s why I love the story of Amy Daws, an author and mom who wrote an entire book in a tire store. Yes, you heard me right. She found her happy, quiet spot in a tire store, of all places — and her story has the whole Internet smiling (and moms everywhere a little jealous.)

I recently finished my own book, so I know how hard it is to string two sentences together when you’ve got little kids around. And even when they aren’t there, it can sometimes be a challenge to get your “mom brain” to switch to “write brain” quick enough to take advantage of your kid-free moments.

Well, Amy found what she calls “the mother ship” when she went to get new tires one day. While at the tire store, she was able to focus so well on her writing that she wrote a ton in just a few hours. She shared all about the magical day on her website.

“I took my car in for new tires at Tires Tires Tires and magically blasted out like 5,000 words in their fabulous waiting room. It was incredible. And the scenery wasn’t bad either! Complimentary coffee that was actually delicious, comfortable seating, free cookies, friendly staff. I had found my mother ship!”

Five thousand words, free coffee, and cookies? Sounds like a dream. And for Amy, it certainly was. She found herself looking for excuses to go back — even deciding to take her friend’s and family’s cars in.

“Most of the time, I came in as a customer with other people’s cars that needed oil changes,” Amy tells Babble. “The employees were starting to give me funny looks but were too polite to call me out on it. At one point, one guy said, ‘How many cars do you have?’ It was a riot.”

But, I have to say, I can’t blame her. If I had a spot like that to write my book, I’d be there all the time with any excuse I could think of.

But, Amy did eventually get “caught” when she shared a post that went viral. Her friends and family had created a fake invoice for all the coffee and cookies she had consumed at TTT and she shared it on social media thinking it was real. She almost fell for it, until she heard from the manager personally.

“The manager at TTT messaged me on my author page to assure me that invoice was not from them,” says Amy. “It was then they welcomed me with open arms to come into their place to write whenever I wanted.”

And, that’s where the magic really started happening. After the owners discovered her secret, Amy was given a reserved seat at TTT where she can go and write anytime she wants. Writer or not … a kid-free, quiet space where you can go and think is any mother’s dream, am I right?

Amy is the proud author of 11 books, and she just finished up her last book that is going to be released this Thursday called Wait With Me. But the best part is when you hear what her inspiration was for her latest novel.

“I decided to write about what I was doing at TTT!” says Amy. “Wait With Me is a rom com about a romance novelist who sneaks into a ‘Tire Depot’ to write and falls for the hot mechanic.”

Now that sounds like a book we all need to read!

She admits she was able to write the story in just 13 days, thanks to all the inspiration she received while being in the tire store. Now, TTT is a part of her regular writing routine.

“I usually drop my daughter off at school and head over to TTT with my laptop to get a good four hours in,” she says. “Then I go home for lunch, do the admin part of my job until the family comes home around 5.”

When asked Amy about how she balances motherhood and writing, she admits that it can be hard.

“It’s a balancing act that I’m not always perfect at,” says Amy. “But I have a really fun job and I want my daughter to see how wonderful and fulfilling it is to be passionate about your career AND your family. So many people aren’t lucky to have both. I really am fortunate.”

I know that balancing act all too well, but at least Amy has the best office ever to write in.

Not only that, but her experience is resonating with many — something Amy chalks up to her willingness to be authentic.

“I think there’s a genuine realness to it that you just can’t make up,” she says.

And, as you might imagine, she wants her daughter to learn to be authentic, too.

“I love pushing my daughter to just be herself and not be shy or worried about what other’s think of her. She needs to learn to let her freak flag fly. Being weird is fun and life’s too short to not be living as the most fun version of yourself. And I always have fun at Tires Tires Tires.”

And we have to admit, we might be a little jealous of her digs.

The post This Mom Found Inspiration for Her Novel at the Tire Store — So She Kept Going Back appeared first on Babble.

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