Romance Writers Weekly

It's time for another blog hop from the writers of Romance Writers Weekly.
Follow our Facebook page and our Twitter handle at #lovewritechat. And look for a HUGE give-away from several of the authors next month!This week's questions come from author Jami Denise. http://jamidenise.weebly.com/blog

Q.When writing your novel, do you know how it’s going to end before you write, or do you write from start to finish?

A. I generally know the ending so I can work toward it and drop red herrings, build in conflict and employ plot twists along the way. *rubbing hands together*  In THURSAYS AT COCONUTS (my novel that releases mid-August), I knew the beginning, the ending and a couple of plot points but that was it. I am a pantster, although I do see the value in outlines. However, my characters always take over so it's pointless for me to have much of an outline. That said, I have begun the sequel and I don't have a clue how it will end. I'm just brewing up trouble for now.

Q. How do the people you know impact your writing? Are you influenced by friends and family
for your characters?

A. I am influenced by some family members and friends. I'd say more friends and acquaintances than family--and usually the ornery or strange ones are the most fun to create/emulate. I also infuse a bit of myself in a few of my characters. Not the weird ones!! Come on. In all seriousness, some of my characters are a complete figment of my imagination and others are a mix of reality and fiction.

Q. Describe the hero in your current WIP in three words.

A. That's hard since mine is women's fiction with three main characters. I'll write a word for each one:

Suzy - Loyal
Alexandra (Alex) - Sassy
Hope - Unhappy
  
Please comment and be sure to read the answers by the next author on our hop, Amy Jarecki http://amyjarecki.blogspot.com

 

Romance Weekly Blog

I'm pleased and honored to join a group of romance writers from the U.S. and other countries. They blog weekly to bring readers and writers together and provide an inside look at the writing process. Look for our posts every Tuesday where participating authors answer the same three questions. You'll find out more about me as well as other authors who write romance. The hash tag is #lovewritechat so share away on Twitter! And...there's going to be a HUGE Kindle/gift card/book/ebook/swag give-away in July, so start following us.

This week's questions come from Amy Jarecki, historical and contemporary romance author. http://amyjarecki.blogspot.com

Q. When did you start writing and why?

I started dreaming about writing novels as a kid. I even remember how my first novel began but never wrote it. My initial foray into writing was feature writing in the eighth grade. I wrote articles for the school newspaper and was also the roving reporter (so I got to be nosy!) Once I saw my byline in the Pipkin Pirate newsletter, I was hooked. After that, I wrote a great deal of non-fiction while in my marketing jobs--television scripts, press releases, annual reports and healthcare articles. I was a single mom for years and worked full time and then some, so I didn't try fiction writing until five years ago. Now, it won't leave me alone. Since 2010, I've had three picture books published, been in four anthologies, three six-word memoir works and my debut novel, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS, will be out in August 2014 by Soul Mate Publishing.

Q. What do you like best about writing?

I love many things about writing. Here are my top three:

#1 I love the fact that I create worlds and characters entirely from my mind. It amazes me when characters become almost human and I want to sit down and have a glass of wine with them or when I think they'll go left and they tell me they clearly want to go right (many plot points are changed by my characters who take over my writing!) The creative process amazes me. It's magical. 

#2 I also love the fact that writing is portable. That's what I tell my husband when he wants to go somewhere for any length of time and it's true. I can write on a legal pad, use a laptop or simply scribble notes on the back of a grocery list.

#3 I really, really LOVE the fact that I no longer have hateful 8 o'clock meetings. I absolutely deplored rushing to work and chairing 8 a.m. marketing meetings. To make matters worse, mine were on Mondays! Pure agony.

Q. If you could go on a writing retreat, where would you go and for how long?

Somewhere by the water. Water relaxes me and I tend to observe nature more and add those observations and senses to my settings. It could be on a deck at the lake or on a sandy beach. I think a week-long retreat would be amazing but one weekend would be a focused event. But, heck, as long as there are outlets and wine in the evening, I'd be happy writing in a dungeon (as long as I wasn't alone!) Imagine how inspiring that would be.

Please comment and then check out contemporary romance author Carrie Elks. http://carrieelks.com/blog