The Writing Process Blog Hop

My Writing Process

I was tagged by Julie Particka (sometimes known as Seleste Delaney) for this writing processes blog hop—and at a perfect time, too, because just yesterday I finished reading her new release Fall With Me and loved, loved, loved it!

I’ve participated in this particular blog hop before, but I decided to accept this invitation because my writing process has changed in the last year. I used to be a complete “pantser” (check out my post on Marie Lavender’s blog for my post on writing mysteries as a pantser), but that has changed in the last few months. Keep reading for more information!

1) What am I working on?

I am, as usual, working on a whole pile of projects. I am finishing up edits this week for a contemporary romance novella that will kick off a series I’m writing for Entangled Publishing. I’m also working on a sequel to Legally Undead, which is coming out on May 27 from World Weaver Press. I have next week scheduled to finish up a stand-alone vampire romance that I’ll submit to publishers soon. And I’m working on sequels to Waking Up Dead and Fairy, Texas. Finally, I’m polishing up a proposal for a steamy series set in the New Orleans French Quarter.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

That’s a tough question. I think that in my urban fantasy and paranormal mysteries, my narrators tend to be snarkier than in many other works of the same genre. In those books, I let the smart-alec in my head out to play. In some ways, I’m still finding my voice in my contemporary romance novels—but some of that snark still comes through, I think, though in the novella that’s due out this summer, it’s the hero who’s the funny one. And one of the things that I’m enjoying most about writing in contemporary romance (a new genre for me) is the chance to both conform to and depart from the conventions of the drama–when I’m editing, I like to see the way my work weaves around the traditional elements, much like a vine climbing a trellis. The tropes and conventions of contemporary romance provide a framework, but the way my story is woven through and around that framework is individual, unique.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I started out writing paranormal mysteries and urban fantasies because that’s what I loved to read. From there, though, it was a short step to contemporary romance, and I’ve discovered that I love writing romance just as much—I didn’t anticipate enjoying creating non-paranormal worlds as much as I do! I’ve been lucky enough to work with amazing editors who have helped me develop my fiction-writing and have encouraged me to continue writing and publishing.

4) How does my writing process work?

I used to be a complete pantser—someone who wrote by the seat of my pants without much idea of where I was going next. That was an important stage of my development as a writer—it enabled me to actually finish several novels! But my amazing editor at Entangled asked me to provide her with complete, detailed synopses before I ever started really writing the novels. So now, I write specific synopses that detail all the major points of the story. Then, I work on writing scenes that lead up to and follow from those major points. Sometimes the points change—I don’t always know exactly what my characters are going to do!—but having the map makes it easier to fill in the blanks.

In terms of my daily process, I do my best to write at least 1000 new words a day, five days a week—not much for a full-time writer, but because I also teach a number of online college courses, have a young child, and am involved in editing and marketing other works, it tends to be about the most I can reliably manage. I write on a laptop in a home office set aside for work, and when I get stuck, I go for a walk or take a bath. When I’m horribly stuck, I switch over from typing to writing longhand for a while.

So. That’s me. Now I need to get back to working on all those other projects I was talking about. And from here, I nominate the following authors to give you a peek into their writing worlds next week (please check out their sites and books!):

Melanie Karsak

Katie Hayoz

John Guzzardo

Before you go, check out my latest release, due out on May 27 from World Weaver Press:

Legally Undead, available May 27 from World Weaver Press

A reluctant vampire hunter, stalking New York City as only a scorned bride can.

Elle Dupree has her life all figured out: first a wedding, then her Ph.D., then swank faculty parties where she’ll serve wine and cheese and introduce people to her husband the lawyer.

But those plans disintegrate when she walks in on a vampire draining the blood from her fiancé Greg. Horrified, she screams and runs–not away from the vampire, but toward it, brandishing a wooden letter opener.

As she slams the improvised stake into the vampire’s heart, a team of black-clad men bursts into the apartment. Turning around to face them, Elle discovers that Greg’s body is gone—and her perfect life falls apart.

Be sure to add Legally Undead to your Goodreads bookshelves: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18366353-legally-undead

______________