Maggie Clare's Blog, page 8

Happy Halloween!

October is a month with five Mondays, so that means this post will appear on tabithalordauthor.com and msmaggieclare.com. It also happens to be Halloween, and I’ll be spending the evening alone. Ray is out of town for work, and the kids now all live on the opposite side of the country. But, instead of throwing myself a pity party, I’m going to dress my tiny dog in a cute costume and give out candy to the neighborhood younglings. Then, I’m going to pour a glass of wine and binge watch something o...

Vulnerability and Courage: Two Sides of the Same Coin

Dear Maggie,

Do you ever worry or get nervous when other people read your work?

Sincerely,

Nervous in Newport

Dear Nervous,

When I first started writing, and had to let other people read my stories, I was definitely nervous. What if I really had no talent at all? Was I kidding myself? Did I have the resilience and mental fortitude to manage the criticism and constant rejection that came along with the writer’s life?

Nine years later and I’ve just released the fourth book in the TSI romantic suspense ...

Have You Heard of Kindle Vella?

Dear Maggie,

Have you heard of the new Kindle Vella platform. If yes, are you going to upload any stories there?

Sincerely,

Waiting in Wabash

Dear Waiting,

I’m so glad you asked! I currently have a live story on the Kindle Vella platform. For those of you who haven’t heard of Vella yet, it’s Amazon’s newest writing and reading platform. Here’s how it works…

Writers create an account and upload ‘episodes’ of their story. Readers can access the first few episodes of that story for free, and then they ca...

The End

Dear Maggie,

Do all your books have a happily-ever-after ending for the main characters?

Sincerely,

Sappy in Sarasota

Dear Sappy,

One of the rules of romance writing is the happily-ever-after ending. Readers are willing to go along for the ride, suffer misunderstandings, endure loss, hurt, and drama as long as they know the happy ending they crave will be the pay-off. It a quality I really love about the romance genre.

As a writer of romantic suspense, I tend to put my characters through the ringer ...

Eeny Meeny Miny Moe…

Dear Maggie,

Of all the leading men in your TSI series so far, do you have a favorite?

Curious in Columbus

Dear Curious,

What a difficult question! I truly love all my leading men, even though they’re very different from one another. Teagan Tate, who we first meet in Sing for Me and who stars in Moving Target, is a flirty, outrageously funny, uber-talented musician. He’s also intuitive, generous and a steadfast friend. His Aussie accent really makes him over-the-top sexy.

Cam Taylor, star of Lost an...

Another Month With Five Mondays!

Not only is this the last Monday in August, but it’s a month with five Mondays, so you’ll find this post on both Monday Musings and Dear Maggie. It’s also the first Monday we’ve woken up without any children currently living at home. Strange and bittersweet, for sure!

Last week was a whirlwind of activity. Our first stop was SoCal, where kid #2 finally screened his senior project more than two years after graduating from film school. We got to have dinner with all four of our children and their...

When a Character Demands a Story

Dear Maggie,

Has a minor character in any of your books ever demanded a story of their own? Did you write that story?

Wondering in Woodstock

Dear Wondering,

Yes! I’d originally planned only five books for the Tactical Solutions International romantic suspense series. Before I put pen to paper, I’d identified the main cast of characters for each story, had a feel for their personalities and histories, and outlined the major ‘suspense’ arc for all of the plot lines. Then, shockingly, while in the mid...

Fun in the Sun

Dear Maggie,

Are you productive in the summertime?

Hot in Honolulu

Dear Hot,

Yes… and no. For me, summer is a busy travel and book signing season. Instead of inward leaning, my work life tends to expand outward for a while. But it’s also the season when I try to recharge my batteries. I appreciate the longer days and the sunshine. I want to feel the slower pace that comes along with the heat. But what does that mean for my productivity and writing? Well, I think about my creative life in terms of s...

Some Like It Hot!

Dear Maggie,

How do you decide when to include sexy scenes in your romance novels?

Sincerely,

Sizzling in Santa Fe

Dear Sizzling,

Romance is different from erotica. With erotica, readers expect sex, and a lot of it. With romance, they expect a relationship. In a romance novel, the emotional intensity of intimate scenes should be a focus. You can absolutely write explicit sex scenes if you’re so inclined, but it’s not necessary. The bedroom door can remain slightly ajar or wide open.

Whatever I’m wri...

Have You Lost the Plot?

Dear Maggie,

Have you ever had the plot of one of your stories turn in a direction you didn’t anticipate? How did you handle the detour?

Sincerely,

Tangled in Tacoma

Dear Tangled,

Yes, for sure! That can be a fun or stressful moment in the writing process, depending on my mindset at the time. I am a loose outliner, meaning before I begin writing the story, I’ve worked out the major plot arcs and sketched out the main and supporting cast of characters. I have an idea how the story should end, and I’v...