Romance Writer's Weekly- Three Burning Questions Answered (February 25, 2014)

Romance Weekly's Authors answer questions about serious and non-so-serious aspects of writing. Enjoy!

1. What is your writing process like? 
Seriously? It depends. Some ideas hit me and I can't do anything until I get the basic plot elements down. Some stories hit me and I can't do anything until I write the first two or three chapters then jot down the plot points. Some stories live in my head, running like a TV series in my nighttime and waking dreams. 
The actual writing? Depends on where I am and if it's more feasible to write in my ever present notebook. I'm an old soul who loves the way the written word looks on paper. At times, it almost feels like automatic writing the way the story pours out of me. Most of the time I compose on the computer in my study.


2. Do you listen to music to enhance your writing? 
I use sound and music for inspiration, to really get me into the mood of the scene. There's a great website (www.calm.com) for zen and meditative music that I use to tune out of my surroundings (kids, etc.).  I love movie soundtracks to tap into my bank of emotions. The Act of Valor soundtrack tears my heart out every time while anything Jimmy Buffett makes me happy. I love iTunes Radio, especially the Celtic and New Age channels.

Of course, a great video provides a visual that stirs the creative juices...

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3. What two songs best describe your overall body of work?  
"Voices Inside My Head" by the Police which is self-explanatory. "Better Life" by Keith Urban because, well, I adore Keith Urban and it's all about a man pledging to make a better life for the woman he loves. I don't write about the uber-rich playboy because how many women are going to run into one of those? To me that's fantasy. Even though I write about paranormal beings, they are still pretty grounded about who and what they are and the characteristics that unites all of them are honor and love.
 
Find out how other authors are inspired. Hop on over to J.R. Richardson's blog and discover this awesome author's musical choices for writing intriguing paranormal characters and stories.