Romance Weekly's Authors answer questions about serious and non-so-serious aspects of writing. Enjoy! This week the questions come from Kate Robbins! ![]() 1. How much of yourself do you write into your characters? Or do you write characters completely opposite to you? None are completely the current me but each character has some aspect of me. Even the villains or antagonists have some trait of mine. Well, except for the ghost I'm currently writing. 2. Has your writing helped you see events in your own life clearer? When I started writing, I accessed issues I had locked away. Immersing myself in the scene and the heroine's viewpoint, I realized I had held resentments. Dredging up negative emotions and pouring them into my characters helps me release them. 3. Have you written a character with more of your personal characteristics than any other? What are they? All of my heroines are partially me. The one character who is most me is Caitlyn from my paranormal romance which is on the back burner. She is strong, independent and sensitive. She's way nicer than I am, not nearly as sarcastic. She's like the zen me. Hopefully soon I can share her with the world. Next on this blog hop is Leslie Hachtel, author of historical romances. Drop in to discover if her sexy heroines are borne from her personality. ![]() From my paranormal novella Guarding His Heart, one of the awesome Wiccan Haus series. Trevor Greene, injured again while protecting a charge, recuperates at Wiccan Haus. His leg wound almost healed, he's relaxing by the pool when the island's head of security Rekkus arrives with a message about his new assignment. He's to protect Cassidy Sinclair, the teacher he saved. She thinks he's dead and Rekkus reveals Cassidy's diagnosis of being mentally unstable. Trevor waited while his companion drew out the tension. “Well, she says she saw the man who dove in front of her and the boy materialize out of thin air. Of course, neither that man—who died—nor the dead assailant is around to corroborate her story. In fact, neither body was ever found.” So, what do you think? Is Cassidy crazy or did she see something a little outside the norm? Come back next week for more! Romance Weekly's Authors answer questions about serious and non-so-serious aspects of writing. Enjoy! This week the questions come from...me! 1. If someone could observe you writing without you knowing they were there, what strange practices might they catch you doing?
Gesturing with my hands, mouthing words, squeezing my eyes shut. The worst is when I'm in the car alone. I carry on my characters' dialogue aloud. Strange, I know. It just helps to hear the words out loud. They carry more impact, I guess. Besides, the words belong to the characters, not me. I'm just the conduit. 2. Other than a creative outlet, how does writing benefit you? Writing relieves stress. If someone ticks me off, I save it up and spew it into the story. Sometimes I make a character like a real life person and torture them (not literally). Very therapeutic. Like a voodoo doll on paper. It's also a creative outlet. I need to write or the voices in my head don't leave me alone. Once the characters' story is on paper, that's where they exist and some other folks move in. And I get all the adventure I want and need without the angst and danger. 3. How do you feed your muse? Peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches. No, just kidding. I read alot of thrillers and conspiracy adventure books. What I call men's fiction. I also watch what I call geek TV. Shows on the History, Military History, Smithsonian, Destination America and SyFy channels. Whatever catches my fancy. Much of it inspires facets of my plots or characters. Hop along now and visit the beautiful Katherine Givens, writer of historical romances. Don't forget to enter our massive giveaway through Rafflecopter. ![]() Thanks to the lovely and talented Kim Handysides who asked me to take part in the Writing Process Blog Tour. She writes contemporary romance and is currently working on a series. The first, Stolen Kiss, is about a Boston princess and a hot blue collar mechanic. Sounds awesome. Can't wait for it to be released! ![]() Now on to the Tour. I have accepted the challenge of answering questions about my writing process. Here goes. What are you working on? I am editing a submission to Wiccan Haus, a shared world series with several authors. I am privileged to be one such lucky writer. Imagine Fantasy Island for humans, shifters and all types of people with paranormal powers. The staff remains the same, but the guests have their experiences and leave. It's amazing and fun to write these novellas. I am deep in the editing process of my military novella which made it through the trial by fire of my critique group. Each one of them helps me hone the characters and plot through their unique viewpoints. I love them! Finally, I am working on my ghost story, the first full novel and hopefully the first in a series. It's going slow, because well, I have kids and a husband and this annoying day job. ![]() How does your work differ from others of its genre? My characters are a bit older than average, usually mid-thirties to early forties so they have a different world view and richer history. I also don't like perfect people. Not in looks, not in personality. There is no true perfect man or woman. ![]() Why do you write what you do? I write paranormal and contemporary. Most of the contemporary involve military or former military members. I grew up in an area with bases and posts of every branch of the military so I have high regard for our men and women who serve our country. I write paranormal because I grew up wishing I could wiggle my nose like Samantha and make things fly through the air or say and spell and the broom would magically sweep the floor. Magic is fun and mysterious. I understand that power can corrupt so there is a battle in my stories between good and evil (or misuse of magic). ![]() How does your writing process work? I wish I were one of those scheduled, sit down and put my hands to the keyboard and let the words flow kind of people. I'm not. Period. I'm a dreamer. The story comes to me and I write it down. I have a mercurial muse who frequently allows characters through who I'm not ready to meet yet. I have a sneaking suspicion she can be bribed.
![]() From my paranormal novella Guarding His Heart, one of the awesome Wiccan Haus series. Trevor Greene, injured again while protecting a charge, recuperates at Wiccan Haus. His leg wound almost healed, he's relaxing by the pool when the island's head of security Rekkus arrives with a message about his new assignment. He's to protect Cassidy Sinclair, the teacher he saved. She thinks he's dead and Rekkus reveals Cassidy's diagnosis of being mentally unstable. Every muscle in Trevor’s body tightened as he processed this new information. “You met her. What do you think? Does she need a psychiatrist?” What will Rekkus say? How will Trevor safeguard a disturbed woman who thinks he's dead without sending her over the edge? (photo credit: http://www.islands.com/gallery/best-islands-to-live-on-usvi-photos) Romance Weekly's Authors answer questions about serious and non-so-serious aspects of writing. Enjoy! This week's questions come from Amy Jarecki. ![]() 1. When did you start writing, and why? I wanted to write heroines who were more mature, imperfect and flawed. Like me and most women I know. My heroes are tough, sexy, and have to overcome their own demons to earn happiness and love. I get to live fantasies and adventures through my characters from the safety of my writing desk. ![]() 2. What do you like best about writing? I get to live vicariously through my characters. Drama, murder, intrigue, emotional turmoil. Everything that gets your pulse racing but you don't really want to be in the middle of. And of course, the roller coaster ride of falling in love and the wondrous sex with each couple are exhilarating. Also, the time travel and globetrotting I get to do as research and while translating the story from my head to the page lets me go where I want when I want. ![]() 3. If you could go on a writing retreat, where would you go and for how long? Well, my writer's group (Chesapeake Romance Writers) hosts an annual long weekend writers' retreat which I live for. But ideally? A summer in Ireland, Scotland and Wales (one month each) where a group of writers stay in castles, manor houses and villages would blow me a way! My other ideal locale would be somewhere in the Middle Keys of Florida. Again, a whole summer in paradise would be paradise! Hop on over to the always delicious J.J. Devine to take a peek inside her author's mind. ![]() From my paranormal novella Guarding His Heart, one of the awesome Wiccan Haus series. Trevor Greene, injured again while protecting a charge, recuperates at Wiccan Haus. His leg wound almost healed, he's relaxing by the pool when the island's head of security Rekkus arrives with a message about his new assignment. He's to protect Cassidy Sinclair, the teacher he saved. Only she thinks he's dead. Trevor has a hard time wrapping his mind around this twist of fate. “That’s not my call. There is this one thing, Trevor.” Rekkus's mouth twisted as if he didn’t know how to say what needed to be said. “The problem is that she’s been in a mental ward.” What put her in the psychiatric ward? How can he guard a crazy woman? Come back next week for Rekkus's response. Romance Weekly's Authors answer questions about serious and non-so-serious aspects of writing. Enjoy! This week's questions come from Leslie Hachtel. ![]() 1. Do you prefer to write futuristic, contemporary or historical romances and why? I prefer to write contemporary. Writing futuristic requires a lot of world building. Historical requires accurately representing the time period in every way: dress, language, customs and social structures. When I write contemporary, I can focus on the characters and the plot. I have mad respect for historical, sci fi and fantasy writers because they have to create a world that is realistic to today's readers. ![]() 2. What is your favorite time in history and how and why does it inspire you? The 4th and 5th centuries AD in the British Isles, the Celts had an unusual civilization where men and women had great equality. The legends and mythology of the Celtic gods inspire my paranormal stories. I think my Welsh ancestry innately connects me to these mystic people. ![]() 3. How has your life experience contributed to your writing? Since hindsight is 20/20, I use the many mistakes I've made and experiences I've shared to infuse depth into my characters. Everyone has loved and lost and everyone has skeletons in the closet. Everyone. Sometimes shining a light on those artifacts reveals a different kind of truth. Sometimes the daylight dispels those ghosts of the past. It's what makes writing so cathartic. ![]() Hop on over to always marvelous Meggan Connor's blog to take a peek inside her author's mind. She's one of those amazing historical romance writers! ![]() From my paranormal novella Guarding His Heart, one of the awesome Wiccan Haus series. Trevor Greene, injured again while protecting a charge, recuperates at Wiccan Haus. His leg wound almost healed, he's relaxing by the pool when the island's head of security Rekkus arrives with a message about his new assignment. He's to protect Cassidy Sinclair, the teacher he saved. “I can’t guard her. She thinks I’m dead.” Weak, but it was one reason he shouldn’t be protecting her. Besides the staff on the island and the chairman’s own security team, nobody knew he was alive, and for now, the chairman had decided to keep it that way. How will he handle the situation when she thinks he's dead? Come back next week for more. |
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Shifters & Spice (e-book 99 cents!) AuthorRomance writer. Paranormal and contemporary. Mother of two and wife of perfect husband. Love the environment, travel and reading. Subscribe:Archives
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