Monday, March 10, 2014
Recently, the lovely and talented Mackenzie Lucas invited me to take part in this Writing Process Blog Tour, which has been crisscrossing the country (and crisscrossing genres) for about the last year. I’m really thrilled to participate, especially because I just started reading Mackenzie’s book Essence
So here we go!
What am I working on?
I’m currently finishing up edits on my romantic suspense novel Her Badman Hero. It’s about a woman who gets kidnapped during a bank robbery, and the man who not only saves her life, but captures her heart. This will be my first new release in about four years (yikes!) and I really hope that readers like it.
How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Hmm, that’s an interesting question. There is a lot of wonderful romantic fiction out there, and every author puts her own unique touch to the stories. One thing that fascinates me about fiction (and real life) is that there are a lot of surface differences to human beings, but underneath that outward disparity, we all pretty much want the same things. We want happiness, health, love, peace of mind. The characters in my stories – like the people that I know in real life – are trying to overcome obstacles, conquer fears, and create their happily-ever-after.
Why do I write what I do?
Like many writers, I write stories that I’d like to read. When an idea grabs me, or a character comes to life in my head, I’m just not going to be happy until I’ve written the idea, told the character’s story and tied up the loose ends. I love romantic stories because they deal with the best in human nature: the part of us that is loving, hopeful, fun and beautiful. Love stories are about transforming heartache into joy, and what’s better than that?
How does my writing process work?
Well, I wish I had a neat, professional-sounding answer to that question, but to be honest, here’s how it seems to work for me:
I try to write the end first, because I find that it’s helpful to know where I’m going, and to have something to work toward. Ahem. That’s what I try to do. What I really do is write the first scene, get very excited about it, then try to write the next part… and fall flat on my face. After a while, I get up, start writing… and then fall flat again. This process repeats a multitude of times, and then eventually the book gets finished. It’s messy, and it’s not very pretty, but so far that’s pretty much how it goes.
It’s true, however, that with each story I learn more about my own writing process. One day I hope that I can finish a novel without causing my nose to meet the pavement at such a high velocity.
Next Week
On Monday, March 17, our blog tour has two exciting stops. Hope you’ll visit them!
Meredith Bond is the author of magical Regency-era romances. She loves creating worlds full of dashing, noble heroes and beautiful heroines. Check her out next Monday, and see how Merry works her magic!
Michelle Carlbert is a television journalist who’s just starting to dip her toe into the delicious pool of fiction writing. Michelle has written for such prominent online magazines as TV Equals and SheKnows. Curious about how she does it? You can find out next week!
Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you enjoyed it.