If you've found your way to this post, no doubt it's because you followed the link from Meredith Daniels, creator of Devotion, Georgia, and the Southern Honor series. If you've found your way here through some other windy, twisty and very interesting route ... Congratulations! That's the way all the best stories happen, so welcome to the inner mind of an author.
That's sort of the point of this meandering literary offering. This is one stop on what I hope is for you a fun-filled ride of exploration into how and why writers write. Each author on this blog hop answers the same four questions about their current works in progress, their process and how they go about getting the voices out of their heads and onto the screen or page. You can go backwards or forwards in this journey, following the links and threads to see what makes writers write.
Like many writers, I think, my love of writing sprang from my love of reading. There's something uniquely special about breathing life into a whole new world, giving birth to captivating characters and putting them into some pretty amazing situations.
1) What are you working on?
Three things, actually.
One is Hidden Jewel, the third book in my Jewel trilogy with Siren Publishing. Stolen Jewel, Book 2, came out in January, and it's a followup to The Family Jewel, my most popular futuristic erotic romance. Hidden Jewel features warrior Isvan te Jerran - the grown son of my heroine in The Family Jewel - teaming up with his lover, former sex slave Coren Riker, and spy Nerissa to crack a slave ring.
One is Hidden Jewel, the third book in my Jewel trilogy with Siren Publishing. Stolen Jewel, Book 2, came out in January, and it's a followup to The Family Jewel, my most popular futuristic erotic romance. Hidden Jewel features warrior Isvan te Jerran - the grown son of my heroine in The Family Jewel - teaming up with his lover, former sex slave Coren Riker, and spy Nerissa to crack a slave ring.
Two is Three Wanton Wishes, Book 2 in my Love in a Bottle series with Samhain, which started with Three Wicked Wishes. In Three Wanton Wishes, my genie Jane aims to get a devoted single dad together with his daughter's sweet, exotic nanny.
And three is Hounds, the rewrite for my Young Adult novel featuring werewolves and hellhounds. (Yes, I swear I'm still working on it!)
2) How does your work differ from others in the genre?
I like to think the humour in my writing sets it apart from others - and, yes, I know we all like to believe we are perfect little snowflakes, no two alike. Even though my characters get into some pretty terrible situations, I like to help them find time to laugh. I know I do when I write certain scenes or dialogue, and I hope my readers are laughing right along with me.
This one's easy: I write what I love to read. Space, starships, hunky heroes and smart women. Magic and mystery, genies and wishes. Even werewolves and mermaids and rock stars, oh my! All with love and out-of-this-world passion, and adventure and fun, fun, FUN!3)Why do you write what you write?
4) How does your writing process work?
Trickier ... I know how I'd like my writing process to work. I'd like to be able to plot my book from start to finish, schedule a regular writing time every day, blow through those revises and edits, and never, ever get waylaid by life's little challenges like cooking, cleaning, the day job and, oh yes, making sure my family doesn't forget me because they never see me emerge from the writing cave.In reality, I almost always start with the kernel of an idea. It could be a character I want to write a story for, but it usually begins with a situation and answering the question: What if? What if the Little Mermaid found out her prince was an ass, and went back to the loving arms of her yummy merman? (Oh, yeah - forgot to add that to my list of works in progress, though all I've written so far is the bare bones of an outline.)
I take my idea and power-write in bullet points as much of it as I can think of in one sitting, which usually involves start, finish and some major plot points in between. Sometimes it involves the rough details of my main characters, although they usually evolve out of the scenario. From there, it's pantser all the way. When I start writing, it's always best if I write straight through, without pausing to reread what I've written. If I get stuck, I try to skip ahead to what I know in my mind should happen after whatever was giving me a hard time, then come back to it later. If I reread what I've written before I finish, I get sucked down the self-editing rabbit hole. It happens much more often than I'd like.
On the plus side, I usually only write one draft, then do a run-though to polish it up before submitting it. I wish I could produce far more books than I do, but there just aren't enough hours in the day. I still love it, though, when I can get lost in world-building and exploring those new realms with my characters.
Wow. I can honestly say I never intended to write this much. See, that's what you get when someone is asked to talk about themselves. Yak yak yak! :lol
With that said, I hope you enjoy my writing world as much as I do.
Now, I'm passing the blogging torch to Maia Strong. A Joss Whedon fan and writer of galactic adventure - a writer after my own heart. Check her out!
Raina
:)
