The writing process of R.E.Mullins

THE WRITING PROCESS OF R.E. MULLINS

When asked, I quickly jumped at the chance to take part in a blog series involving an author’s writing process. I was pleased to be included. It wasn’t until later I found myself asking. Do I even have a writing process?

What have I done and what am I working on?
Well, I’ve published one book, another is in production to be out later this year, and I’m working on the third. Surely, there is something I can contribute…

How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Right now, I’m writing a series of vampire/romances. The Blautsaugers (old Bavarian word for bloodsucker) live in Amber Heights, Missouri along the Amber River. They belong to the strongly regulated Nosferatu sect of vampires.
My vampires are essentially humans with an extra chromosome or two. These additional links on their DNA chain gives them the vamp characteristics of blood diet, longer life, ability to mesmerize humans, extra strength, speed, and healing capabilities. Due to their extended life span, they mature very slowly emotionally. The vampire’s tween years start in their forties and last until they reach their majority at one hundred years of age.
Just as humans have devised ways of functionally staying up all night, my vampires have the capability to work during the day. Using proper precautions, they can normally move about in sunlight. (Didn’t you know sunscreen and sunglasses were originally invented by vampires?)
Family dynamics and affairs of the heart remain the same whether human or vampire. Things are never easy and the heart has a mind of its own.

Why do I write what I do?
I’ve always been an avid reader. While working in a medical laboratory, a storyline presented itself. What would happen if a phlebotomist were turned into a vampire? She could use the lab as a means for getting blood…I sat down and began writing. A co-worker would read a chapter at a time and constantly encouraged me. By the time I stopped, I’d written a 93,000-word document. I gave several friends thick notebooks filled with the copied pages, got their feedback, and then didn’t know what to do.
I searched out the local chapter of Romance writers and attended a meeting to ask that very question. Instead, I found myself met with frank disbelief. What did I mean I wrote an entire novel without prior experience in short stories, magazine articles, or writing contests? I left feeling I’d behaved presumptuously…I hadn’t paid my dues.
The manuscript, shoved into a cardboard box, gathered some dust before I discovered the Wild Rose Press. I hesitantly followed the submission guidelines, got a call from one of their editors, and it was published. I’m leaving out how I had to rewrite it twice during the heavy editing process.
That’s the story of how IT’S A WONDERFUL UNDEAD LIFE was written.

BLURB
It's been a rough couple of years for Cailey Kantor. Facing her first Christmas alone and bad financial news, she prays for an angel to fix her problems. Instead, a sadistic, sociopathic vampire, with the goal of starting a vampire war, attacks her and forces her to drink blood stolen from the Nosferatu Gabriel Blautsauger.

Gabe must complete Cailey's turning or she will die. In doing so he risks losing his yet unfound soulmate. But something about the lovely mortal speaks to his heart. Once her transformation is complete, he and Cailey find themselves embroiled in a battle that could cost them all they hold dear.

Faced with lies, abduction, and betrayal Cailey wonders if the vampire she is falling fangs over heart for is in it for love or if she's just a means to stop a war.


How does my writing process work?
First it is essential to have a furry writing companion. My dog is always ready to listen to me read him different versions of my rough drafts. He's always attentive and never judgmental. When the words are flowing, I can sit at the computer all day long. When the words stop, I take my dog for a walk, flop onto the couch and stare into space, whine to anyone who will listen, and live in my head until the voices come back.
I’ve tried outlines, timelines, and other techniques but sometimes my characters refuse to bend to my will. They are certainly a headstrong bunch. For instance, I’d no idea a demon was going to pop up in my second book. VAMPIRE IN THE SCRYING GLASS is currently going through preliminary galley at Wild Rose Press. It is due out later this year.

Here’s a sneak peek at the blurb:
From the first moment he laid eyes on her, Rafe Blautsauger loved Morgan Maguire. Yet the lovely mortal must never know as love between human and vampire is strictly forbidden by the Nosferatu council. Unable to stop, he keeps to the shadows while protectively watching over her. Soon he begins to suspect she has secrets of her own. Hailing from a long line of witches, Morgan turned from her magic when, as a child, her first casting went horribly awry. Now a sequence of events set in place before her birth sends her scrambling to regain her power. Vampires and a set of malevolently glowing red eyes hunt her.

[image error]
buylinks: http://www.amazon.com/Its-Wonderful-U... www barnesandnobl.... www.thewildrosepr... www.bookstrand.co... Contact info: www.facebook.com/... https://www.goodreads.com/REMullins