My Writing Process

I was invited to join this blog tour by the incredibly talented Jane Isaac. I loved her first thriller/mystery novel, An Unfamiliar Murder. I can't wait for the next on in the series, The Truth Will Out, set to be released in April.

I'm always interested to hear about the creative processes of others, so I'm glad Jane included me. I'm enjoying reading the other blogs in this tour.

What am I working on?

I really try to focus on one project at a time, but that isn't always the case. Right now I'm working on several books. The one I'm trying to focus on is the follow up to my historical western romance, The Rustler's Daughter. I meant it as a stand-alone book, but soon after its release, I received numerous messages asking for books about his two brothers. So, I'm currently working on Matthew's book, which I don't have a title for just yet.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Most of my work has been in the paranormal genre. That genre is saturated with great indie and traditional writers, so coming up with something original can be tough. I ran across my idea by accident. Generally, in paranormal books about vampires, they are all the same kind of vampire. They may have different abilities, but they are usually turned the same way and can be killed the same way. In my Díon series, I had a vampire from Scotland and one who was a Viking warrior, so when I started doing research on how they may be different, I found an overwhelming amount of information on creatures from all over the world. So I thought it might be fun to have each one be different. My vampire characters are created from the lore of the region they come from. It's been a lot of fun doing research.

Why do I write what I do?

I write what I love. I have always been fascinated with the paranormal, so it wasn't a surprise that I wanted to write about it. I'm also a big fan of romance. I want to write books I'd like to read.

How does my writing process work?

When I'm bored (or having trouble sleeping), I make up stories to keep my brain occupied. It might start out as a single scene that I keep playing in my head until I get it the way I want it, then I write it down, and it grows from there. I generally see the scenes in my head, like a movie, complete with dialogue. I often write scenes out of order. I always think it's going to be a nightmare when editing, but my brain must have some kind of overarching idea of where the story is going because it always works out.

Other times, I just have to write. There is no easy scene in my head. That's when the real work starts. I always say that my characters keep me on a need to know basis, which isn't a lot. Sometimes I start writing a chapter, and I have no know what's going to happen. It's both frustrating and exciting.

I never throw anything away. While I was writing the first two Díon books, I wrote two scenes that I thought I would be using in those books, but they both wound up in the third book.

I try to write every day, but with work and family demands, it's hard to find the time. I'm not as disciplined as I should be. I want writing to be fun not forced. I don't want it to be another responsibility that I have on my "to do" list.

Thanks for reading about my writing process. I nominate the following writers to share their own creative approaches with us next week:

Charity Parkerson has a ton of work published. She writes romance, paranormal romance, and erotica. I am a huge fan of her paranormal romance books. She has won numerous awards and has recently signed on with Ellora's Cave.

Roberta J Gordon is the author of Gemini Witching: Elements 101. In addition to writing, she is also deeply committed to helping new authors navigate the self publishing process.

Mireille Chester has published several books in the fantasy genre in both YA and adult. She loves to spend time immersed in worlds filled with magic. I love Mireille's writing style, and her books are full of the best characters.