Last week, the fabulous author of The Watcher, Lisa Voisin, tagged me in this fun hop. Lisa is a complete sweetheart, and when she asked if I wanted to play along, I jumped at the chance. I have a weird fascination with peeking inside other author’s processes.
I hope you enjoy it, too 😉
Be sure to click the link above to read all about Lisa, and her amazing book, then next week hop over to Heather Self’s blog and learn all about her, The One, and The Dark.
Now for my extremely interesting answers…Be sure to read to the end, where we have a giveaway!
What are you working on right now?
Right now, I’m actually editing Seven Day Fiance, the second book in my Love and Games adult romance series for Entangled Bliss. This book publishes in October, and I’m so excited about it. I have a total crush on the hero!
As soon as I’m finished with that, I dive right back into writing My Not So Super Sweet Life, book three in my YA series. Never a dull moment around here.
What experiences have influenced you?
Every experience I’ve had influenced my writing in some way. My embarrassing mistakes as a teen make their way into not only my YA novels, but the back story fodder for my tortured heroines (he he). My husband teaches me every day what real love, real romance, and a real happily ever after looks like. Having my children has influenced how I write families in my stories. They may not all be perfect, but I love to show strong, close-knit relationships with unconditional love and support.
Growing up in New Orleans deeply impacted my adult series. I love introducing the world to the Louisiana I know, the food and culture that made me the happy, crazy nut I am today. 😉
Why do you write what you do?
I write Young Adult because it was what pulled me back into the joy of reading for pleasure again. I did it when I was younger, but sometime during college I stopped. Reading Twilight totally broke me of that bad habit, and I inhaled that entire series three times before moving on to devour the YA shelves at my local library.
I love writing about firsts….first kisses, first love, first heartbreak.
I write New Adult because that was when life changed for me. College shaped who I am. My late teens, early twenties is when I came out of my shell, experimented and made mistakes, stumbled and found my path, and found my husband. Unique challenges are presented during that time when you’re first on your own, and I LOVE exploring that with my characters.
I write Adult because this is my current experience. I write romance because I love being swept away in a story that leaves me happy and swooning at the end. Life is too dramatic as it is, I love having that guaranteed HEA, and stepping into a world where love really can conquer all.
And I write all these with a fun, humorous, and flirty flare because that’s me. I like to laugh, smiling is my favorite, and to me, flirting is the ultimate description of a romance in the exciting early stages where it’s new and playful. I like those kinds of stories.
How does your writing process work?
I always begin with my characters. What their needs are, what their plans are, and what is stopping them from achieving them. I look for the perfect foil for those goals, a person who can make them grow and challenge them…and that’s my love interest. I come up with several plot points that will take them through the journey, make them grow and change by the end, and fill it with at least a few good kissy scenes, because that’s how I roll.
Then I put together a play list, pick some actors and actresses to have in mind, and I dive in. I edit as I go, and I send each chapter to my critique partners as I write, and by the time I type THE END I am ready to turn it into my editors.
So, that’s me. If you have any burning questions for me, please feel free to ask either in the comments, via my Contact Form, or on Twitter or Facebook. I LOVE talking about writing.
Leave a comment below and I’ll choose one winner for a bookmark swag pack including The Watcher and A Tale of Two Centuries!
