As a part of a cooperative tour from one author to three or four others, this week it's my turn to join in. An enormous THANK YOU to the wonderful KJ Montgomery for giving me this opportunity to stretch myself by opening up my writing process publicly. I met KJ at the Romance Novel Convention, last August, and her kindness just radiates. I can't wait till this summer at RNC to have a chance to re-connect in person.
Each author on this tour has asked three or four others to carry on. By backtracking from here, or going forward with me, you can find inumerable talented authors, whose writings you might not have otherwise discovered. So, let's get started... because this time, it's all about me! (*snort* sorry, just couldn't resist)
#1 - What Am I Working On?
Never being quite satisfied I've done my best means I'm always re-editing my stories and re-working my covers. At the moment all of my Aleph Series book covers are new, but not yet uploaded, because I also printed out every book on paper... me and the red pen are enjoying the re-read and edit. There's only so many times you can read your own words, so I needed a several month long break of not eating and breathing Solomon Aleph. Even when they're "done" - they're really not.
My reason for the complete overhaul, is that I want all the information and plot points solidly in my brain before I write more on Solomon Aleph Book 2. As I re-read, I'm also finishing the 5th Novella about Alan Stevens, which will come out before Book 2. I didn't intend to write hidden plots - it just happened that the characters demanded it, and heaven forbid that I leave holes by the end!
I'm also working on a new series, completely unrelated to the Aleph series, with all new characters. But it's literally in the idea stage. I don't have a plot or names, just a general outline and tons of research to do, and handwritten notes.
#2 - How Does My Work Differ From Others of Its Genre?
With Solmon Aleph and his cohorts, that's easy. My Weres have nothing to do with magic - in my world there is no such thing as magic. It's all science based. Just because it can't be explained fully, doesn't mean it's magic. String theory, black holes, quarks... all nearly universally accepted science, with a lot of number crunching behind it, but none of them are really, truly, understood phenomena. So it is with my world of shifters. They know how it started, how it does/does not get passed on, but not how the actual shifted happens.
My two other books, a historical romance and Biblical fiction, obviously don't rely on science. Any historicals that I write, my aim is to sound like Jane Austen, which is insanely hard to do... Lady Bryn probably won't be my only historical, but I doubt I have it in me to do many. (Do you have Any idea how Hard it is to think like that while typing on a computer?!) My Biblical book, based on the life of Jesus, was completely and totally inspiration. Someone wanted the story told and my hand and pen were just a tool. Simple as that.
#3 - Why Do I Write What I Do?
Because the voices in my head just won't SHUT UP until I write them! Some ideas come from dreams that then invade my waking hours, some are random thoughts that sound good, others come from TV or books where, maybe I just didn't like that particular version, but MAN do I have an idea now. Telling stories, on constant rotation in my head, is simply the way I'm wired... I don't remember ever Not having stories running around. But now, I write the ideas down, and the good ones percolate all by themselves, become outlines, and eventually published books.
#4 - How Does My Writing Process Work?
*snort* Sometimes it doesn't. That multiple personality remark on my homepage really isn't too far off. I'm married, have 5 kids - so right there I'm kinda not on all thrusters - teach part time, do editing for other authors, graphic and cover design, and try to squish my writing in. My brain is constantly re-working plots and scenes, even of stories that will NEVER be written.
The hardest part about my process, and the reason why I can't crank out book after book like some, is that I have to get into that "zone" that you hear artists, musicians, and often athletes, talk about. I need to know that for hours, I can zone out the rest of the world and ignore everything around me. That's how my brain processes the story. It flows with ideas as I type, accepting and rejecting as I go along. I DO have an outline I try to follow, but sometimes when I come out of the "zone" I find that the ideas either no longer matter, or I'll have to put them somewhere else in order to not mess up the plot.
Obviously, this "zone" is really hard to do with kids and a job, though I do try my best to write weekly, it doesn't always work. This new year has already been a journey of setting limits, carving time, recovering from devastating illness, and putting myself out there more.
If you have any other questions you'd like to ask, email me.
Julie L. York
The following awesome ladies have agreed to be the next leg of the Writing Process Blot Tour. Make sure that you come back online next Monday, March 10th, to read more about them, and their writing process. Click on their names to visit their websites, or follow the link at the end of their Bio's.
As MASSIVE thank you and hugs to all four of you!
Lauralynn Elliott is an independently published author of paranormal and fantasy romance books, as well as some horror. She started the indie journey several years ago and has never regretted it, loving the freedom to publish what she wants when she wants. You will find everything from vampires and ghosts to elves and wizards in her novels and novellas. She enjoys putting a little bit of a different twist on some of the old ideas about our favorite fictional characters. Lauralynn lives in the southeastern United States with her husband of many years. She has two grown sons whom she adores. Reading, playing computer games, and spending time with friends are some of her favorite activities.
Kristal McKerrington has been a professionally published author since 2010. She writes for Reem Vision and Bishop-Lyons Entertainment. She is published worldwide. She has been a commentator for TMZ. She is an award winning marketing and promoting author. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America's Association. She has appeared on Jim Will Fix It, has done interviews with BBC on and off since she was 6 years old. She was the face of Aberdeen's Sick Children's hospital from when she was 3 years old until she was 14. She is building a strong media presence with over 1,112 fans on her fan page and she is climbing on facebook too. They have an app out which they use to interact with their readers and to promote their books, you can see and download it for free here: Kristal McKerrington App
Hello, I'm Mary Moriarty, Romance Author. I am a mother of seven, with four still at home. What allows me to stay home and write full time? My job as a On Call Paid Fire Fighter for my town. I live up on the mid-coast of Maine, where my father was from and where I spent wonderful summers. I have traveled all over Asia and South East Asia. I lived in Cambodia for over 11 years. To date, I have 3 books published: The Kings of Angkor, One Thousand Years to Forever, and I've Been Waiting for You. Within this month, date to be announced, Redemption at Midnight, which is the 3rd in My Beloved Vampire Series will be released. Then, The Witchling Grows Up will come soon after.
I started as an avid reader early in life. It wasn't until much later when I travelled to Scotland and had an overwhelming sense of welcome and homecoming that I just had to write it down. Well, after several hours of REALLY bad poetry, I wrote a poem about the Battle of Culloden. Later, I broke it up into two separate pieces which will be making an appearance in my "Well of Souls" Series. They remained in my journal for several years. Then one day, I had a wild idea...maybe I could write a Romance? That was in 2009. Since then I have learned so much as an Indie Author, and am still learning every day. I still read voraciously, I have to see what the competition is doing, right? I am a huge proponent of Publishing in whatever means works for you, and I have a website dedicated to helping out the new author, www.IndieAuthorNetwork.com. I have a variety of interests in writing styles and currently write for three very different genres. I am also gearing up to creating my own publishing business, to help manage those many alter egos. Until then, you can find me online on my website.