Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Blog Roll ~ Learn More About Me and My Process

Happy Monday!

I was invited by Benjamin Moore to participate in a Blog Roll. It's always fun to talk about the writing process, and what I'm working on, so I was happy to accept. 

Benjamin was asked to participate by Christa Yelich-Koth. I met both of them at the Southern California Writers' Conference in San Diego. This is a wonderful conference that is held in San Diego every February. If you've never been, and have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it!

In this blog roll writers answer five questions about themselves, then introduce three more writers, who in turn roll the questions to three more.

1. What am I working on right now?
I'm currently writing book 4 in my Time for Love series, 15 Minutes. This book details the relationship between Brock, a self-made man who raised his brothers and his parents' death, and Victoria, a spoiled debutante who wants nothing more in life than to be a trophy wife. It is such a blast for me to write a character who readers have hated in the first three books, and try to get them to not only understand her, but to root for her HEA. 
I'm also finalizing a short story that I'm contributing to a Mermaid Anthology. A group of authors are putting it together in hopes of a December release. All proceeds will go to charity. It's a lot of fun to combine my love of contemporary and fantasy, like I did when I wrote Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale

2. How does my work differ from others in the genre?
I like to write about realistic situations, not just kids going to college and living on campus. In fact, only one of my New Adult books takes place at college. I love those books too, but not all people attend college, and I think there is a market for these books as well. I experienced a little bit of everything at that age: I attended a University, went to Community College, worked various jobs, and eventually entered the military. I try to incorporate a little bit of everything into my writing.

3. Why do I write what I do?
I love writing about relationships. In my YA books I focused on the friendships, siblings, and relationship between parents and children. I also incorporated Romance, which is a fundamental theme in everything I write. 
In my NA books, I've focused on the relationship between the couple, but there is always a supporting cast of friends. I love to write about multiple characters and interweave their stories into each book, that is why I think writing series is so much fun.
Like I said, I love to write about realistic situations. I also try to come up with story ideas that mean something to me. I've written about a single parent, child abuse, domestic violence, cheating, and separation, but I've also covered lighter topics. 

4. How does my writing process work?
I basically get an idea, then sit down and start writing it. I write in sequential order, but I don't outline. I let the story flow through me as it comes. Sometimes I get ideas for the direction I'd like the story to go, and I jot those down in a notebook, but I don't sit down with a concrete storyline. 

5. How does my writing process not work?
I don't have an outline set up, so sometimes the story ebbs and flows. Some days I sit down and write a couple chapters, and other days I don't write a word. I just take it as it comes and don't put pressure on myself. After all, I do this because I love it, so I don't treat it like a task or chore, I look at it as an outlet.

Well… that's me! Check out the three writers I picked to see how they answer these questions.

1. Kristi Strong is a fabulous writer and wonderful friend, stop by her blog to check out her work.

2. Nikki Jefford is a sweet friend and amazing writer, check out her answers to the five questions. 

3. Leigh Talbot Moore is an amazing writer and friend, check out her blog. I especial like her post on being an Independent.

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