Thank you to Shirley McCann for inviting me to the “Writing Process” Blog Hop. Shirley is a founding member and former President of Sleuths’ Ink Mystery Writers. She is the author of several books including her newest, Anonymously Yours. You can find her answers to the blog hop questions and get to know her at http://shirleymccann.blogspot.com ....
1) What am I working on? Whew...sometimes it feels like ‘What am I NOT working on?’ Because I have so many projects I find it hard to make myself focus. Still, my main project for the past month and into this month, April, is getting the next book in my Take Ten Tales series ready to launch. Undercover Love & Other Tales should be out on Amazon by the end of April. It is a collection of ten sweet romance short stories (there is the usual bonus story, too). A second project, not receiving much of my time, is getting a book-length manuscript a bit more polished and updated. An editor requested the first chapter and synopsis and I’ve been super slow in getting it done and to her. That book is a romantic suspense under a couple of working titles -- Kilroy Was Here, or Cakewalk.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre? Geez. Well, unlike Shirley McCann, who said in her Blog Hop answers that she doesn’t write about vampires and shape shifters, those creatures or others could show up in my stories--or not. Generally, I consider much of what I write as cross genre. I love suspense...and romance...and odd things. Maybe that’s why I have three books of short story collections which vary from mystery/suspense (Death of Bigfoot & Other Tales) to horror/suspense/paranormal (Truth or Dare & Other Tales) to sweet romance (Undercover Love & Other Tales)?
3) Why do I write what I do? I must. I have always wanted to be a writer, an author, ever since I can remember. My favorite childhood books were Black Beauty, Swiss Family Robinson, and the Golden Book Encyclopedia. Then throw in TV westerns with John Wayne as the ultimate hero, Star Trek with Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk and their out-of-this-world adventures, and my teenage crush Magnum P.I. and I guess that explains why I write what I do.
4) How does your writing process work? I get an idea. I think about it. I write. I rewrite. I put it aside to cool. I read it again. I self-edit. I get someone else to read it. I rewrite. For the short story collections, I hire an editor to go over my stories. I rewrite. I publish. Most often I write in my office at home using my laptop computer. Sometimes I will take my recorder on a walk and tell it my story. That is transcribed as soon as possible after I get home. I generally write tale by tale. If I have a deadline, I am pretty disciplined and write several hours at a time. Mid-morning to late in the afternoon is usually when I write. I will occasionally use a pen and paper, but that is mostly for brainstorming.
You can find my books listed on Amazon.com. Simply click on the covers at the top left. Keep watching, Undercover Love & Other Tales will be out ASAP. Thank you for reading my blog.
Call to Action:
On Monday, April 14th, please continue enjoying the “Writing Process” Blog Hop by visiting:
Lisa Wells at http://lisawellsauthor.blogspot.com/ and
Tierney James at http://www.ptierneyjames.blogspot.com/.
You can find Lisa Well's titles at Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and at The Wild Rose Press.
You can find Tierney James' books An Unlikely Hero and Zombie Meatloaf on Amazon.com.
