Writing Process Blog Tour

Today I'm using my regular Wednesday Killer Hobbies post to participate in a special blog tour on my writing process, thanks to my friend and very talented writer Janie Emaus, who posted her own responses to these questions earlier this week:  http://www.theboomerrants.com/?p=1212.   

I'll answer the questions posed to tour participants below, then hand the torch off to the next author on my part of the tour. 

So, here they are: 

1. Why do I write what I do?

The simple answer is: because I love it!  Or, maybe more to the point, I have to.  Writing is part of me.  It's what I do.  And as I mentioned last week, I believe that "Reality is only for those who lack imagination."  I write fiction.  I enjoy it, and can't help doing it.  

 

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

As I said, my writing is part of me.  These days I'm writing cozy mysteries, paranormal romance and romantic suspense, all genres I love. 

The cozy mysteries all have dogs in them.  Of course.  I love dogs, and pets are a common and beloved theme in cozies.  Mine are different from others in that genre because my current ones, the Pet Rescue Mysteries, occur near where I live, in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, where I volunteer at a pet shelter.  My protagonist Lauren Vancouver's even more dedicated than I am, and that's reflected in her stories.  Plus, I use different rescue themes in each book, and I'm not familiar with other series that do exactly the same.

I also write about canines in my paranormal romances for Harlequin Nocturne.  Yes, I write about shapeshifters, which are definitely not unique.  But mine belong to a special, covert, fictional military team called Alpha Force.

 

And my Harlequin Romantic Suspense stories?  They're a part of me, too.

 

3. How does your writing process work?

It varies, but in general these days I tend to get things out of the way before starting on my writing.  That means I'll have written this blog post in the morning, as I do with other blog posts or anything else to do with social media and promotion.  Then, late morning and all afternoon, I write.  If I'm not exactly sure how my next scene, or even next paragraph, will go, I may return to social media temporarily to let my subconscious work on it, then go back to my writing after a few minutes.  Efficient?  Not.  But at the moment it's working for me.

 

4. What am I working on?

As always, I've got a lot on my plate.  My first Superstition Mystery for Midnight Ink, LOST UNDER A LADDER, will be an October 2014 release, and I've begun working on the second one in that series.  I'm also possibly writing a second series for Midnight Ink and have been working on it, too.  And I also will have more Harlequin Nocturnes published this year: UNTAMED WOLF in May, and LOYAL WOLF in August.  I'm going to be writing more Nocturnes plus another Harlequin Romantic Suspense novel, so, yes, those are in my mind as well, with some parts of them already on the computer.  Am I nuts for doing all this?  Quite possibly, but I love it! 

 

As part of this post, I get to introduce writers who I’ve chosen to follow me on the blog tour: 

Meet the delightful writing team who is Sparkle Abbey!  (I love their work, by the way.) 

Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of mystery authors Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter. They write the popular Pampered Pets mystery series which features whodunits set in the wacky world of pampered pets, precious pedigrees, and secrets. The first book in the series Desperate Housedogs, an Amazon mystery series #1 bestseller and a Barnes & Noble Nook #1 national bestseller, was followed by Get Fluffy, Kitty Kitty Bang Bang, and Yip/Tuck.  Fifty Shades of Greyhound is up next.  Visit them at: http://www.sparkleabbey.com