Romance Weekly: #LoveWriteChat

Want to know more about what goes on inside the mind of a Romance writer? Are you sure you want to go there? LOL. Well, suit yourself. You can't say I didn't warn you! Romance Weekly is the first place to go if you want the inside scoop straight from writers you love. 

Whether you landed here by happenstance, or were so kindly directed by author Ronnie Allen, I'm thrilled you found me. Enjoy your stay and don't forget to enter our Romance Weekly Giveaway before you go. This week's questions from the lovely Tessa Gray.

Do any characters you've written into your books remind you of yourself? Explain which ones and why.

Sure, to some degree. For the most part though, my female characters embody some random aspect of my life, rather than my personality. Maya from Redemption For Liars roller skates because I did growing up. Angie, from Assassin P.I., sings and dances, only she's doesn't have the horrid case of stage fright that I have.

I do, however, have a character patiently waiting for me to tell her story (which is really more like my story). April can't make up her mind which path she wants her life to take. As a result, she has become a perpetual college student, switching her major whenever the mood strikes. Her choices in boyfriends suffer the same fate. I like to call her a serial monogamist (which I was totally guilty of being!). To find her inner voice, April swears off men (which only has the opposite effect) and sets off on an adventure of a lifetime through Latin America. This photo is what I imagine April might have looked like as a child. Colorful hair, sassy attitude, and a unique sense of fashion. Just talking about her makes me want to hurry up and write her story!

Was there a teacher or mentor in your life who helped nurture your writing?

I had several inspiring teachers in high school, but there are two college professors in particular who unknowingly stoked my writing confidence, for very different reasons. One because she hated me, and the other because she loved my writing.

While taking a course in The Psychology of Women, we were required to read articles and respond in writing. Encouraged to add in our own personal narratives to make our point, I relished each assignment, and the comments that followed. One comment in particular said this:

"Overall, you are a superb writer & throughout have insightful comments."  I cherish those handwritten comments. She was one of the first to actually value my writing skills.

On the other end of the spectrum, was my English 306 class. I couldn't stand the vague and pointless writing prompts the teacher assigned and she, in turn, couldn't stand my snarky comments or the classmates I sat with. Rather than fold under the pressure, I dug my teeth into each new challenge, determined to prove my writing worth. One assignment called for us to write about a Mythic Hero. So who'd I choose to write about? That's right. Jack Kevorkian, the hero of my paper entitled, EXPOSED! Angel of Death. I didn't even know how I felt about good ol' Jack and his deeds. I just wanted to prove I could support my arguments.

Here's a couple of my other assignment topics and subsequent titles:

• Cultural Outlaws . . . Madman With a Bible (the Kool-Aid Suicides of the Jonestown cult)
• Race Card . . . Dancing Racists? Or Too White to be a Hip-Hop Diva?

I guess I kinda like to push the envelope whenever I can. The teacher might have seriously disliked me, but she couldn't fault my writing skills. She only made me work harder to earn her approval.

Every author has that moment when they doubt their ability to write. When that happens to you, how do you pull yourself up by the bootstraps and continue? What do you do to inspire YOURSELF? 

Losing a contest, or receiving a dreaded rejection email, doesn't bother me so much anymore. But when every sentence I write begins to sound stiff, I take a break. I realize this sounds totally counterintuitive, but it works for me. I go play the piano, write music, redecorate my home, crochet, etc. I do anything creative that isn't writing. Sometimes my creative juices just need to be recharged.

Then I talk. I talk a lot. I bore my friends and co-workers with whatever plot dilemma I need to figure out. And because they don't know any better, they offer suggestions, none of which I ever take.

Once I'm done avoiding my computer, and hashing it out until I'm blue in the face, I begin rereading whatever story I happen to be working on at the time. With enough distance and time, I fall in love with writing again. My fickle muse calls me back to the keyboard.

But if my wacko avoidance method doesn't work, all it really takes is for someone to issue a dare, and tell me I can't do it. I'll do whatever it takes to prove them wrong. Problem solved!

Next up on the Romance Weekly Blog Hop is Jami Denise. While you're on her blog, check out her Jayne book series, See Jayne Play (book 1) and Queen of Hearts (book 2). Trust me when I say, they both look, and sound, sinfully delightful. Check out her book covers below. 

Well, that's all for today. Don't forget to enter our Romance Weekly Giveaway!  

Click here to enter. 

See y'all next week!

Saving Summer

Yay! School's out, no more teacher work days, and soccer is over (at least for another week or so). This is me doing a happy dance:

And then it hit me. I'm not free to do what I like. I have kids. Two of them! 

Can't write because the kids alternate between being wound up and thoroughly bored. Can't relax because daytime TV is seriously lacking in the quality department. Can't clean because a) hubby took vacation time and b) the two small beings who live with us have turned into whirling dervishes destroying everything in their wake. 

So what's this teacher~writer~mom to do when school's out?  GET EVEN. 

This summer I'm getting smart. I'm putting my teacher training to good use and setting up . . .  (cue melodramatic super villain music) . . . 

ROUTINES! 

Each pint-sized human who lives under my roof (myself included), has one of these lovely forms posted in their bedroom. It's a thing of beauty, ain't it?

No TV time until their morning routine has been completed and verified by me. They each must be showered, deodorized, and have shiny teeth and an even shinier bedroom before they receive any electronics time. For additional electronics time, they may do a math assignment on the computer via TenMarks, read a book for 30 minutes, force mom to exercise, and do extra chores around the house (like feed Igor, our ofttimes slightly neglected tortoise). 

Surprisingly, all has gone well so far. No big complaints from either small humanoid AND our house is pretty well clean by now. They ask prior to turning on  the television or vegging out in front of Mindcraft. Better yet, when I say TV off . . . they do it! Without whining! How great is that?


And, as if that wasn't enough . . . 



To help avoid all the annoying questions I get a million times a day, such as . . .

"Where're we going today?"
"Can we go to the ice cream shop?"

"Are we gonna do anything fun?"

and my personal favorite, as it always comes at 8 a.m.,
"What are we having for dinner?" 

I posted this sign right outside our bathroom. Now the kids know exactly what's on the docket for the day. Only problem is, now they bug me about when we're finally going to run our errands.

Summer's only just begun but I have high hopes I'll survive. With my new routines in place, I just might tackle every task on my house repairs chore list AND still have enough time left over to finish writing Assassin P.I. 

So what about all you moms and dads out there. How do you survive summertime with your kids? Any tips you care to send along? 

Romance Weekly: #LoveWriteChat

It's time to get chatting with your favorite authors about what else? ROMANCE! Each Tuesday, you can join in the conversation as a slew of romance writers spill the beans about their lives and their craft. You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter by clicking on the links. And, don't forget to enter our contest before you leave.

If you hopped on over by way of Katie O'Conor, welcome! This week's questions come to us courtesy of author Jami Denise.

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

Let's be honest. Of course I do. Romance books must end with a satisfying Happily-Ever-After (HEA) kind of ending. Or at least a HEA for now ending. It's kind of expected. There's nothing worse than getting invested in a fictitious love story only to have it end with a polite hand shake as the two lovers part ways. Ugh. Talk about pent up sexual frustration!

For the most part, when I begin writing I have a general idea of the story's framework in mind. I might have a clear idea of the ending scene, but how I manage to get there is anyone's guess. For example, with Assassin P.I. I know there will be a big shoot-out at the end. I can even visualize the action of the scene, along with the accompanying soundtrack and foggy setting details, as it plays out in my mind. But I have no clue how my characters get to that scene, that specific moment in time. I have to write the story from start to finish to figure that part out. 

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

No way! I value my life far too much to risk it.

I'm afraid I'm wouldn't alter my characters enough and then I'd be left with a room full of pissed of friends and family members. It might make for some very tense moments at the Christmas dinner table. No, thanks. I'm much safer playing with all the characters who inhabit my imagination.


Describe the hero in your current WIP in three words.
Only 3?! You're killing me here, Jami. I supposed Jack from Assassin P.I. could be described in 3D's. He's a DANGEROUS yet DEBONAIR ex-DETECTIVE.  And with a bit of luck, time, and a better work ethic, I just might finish this WIP by the end of summer.

Forgive me while I go slink back into my writing hole. I promise to reemerge in time for next week's #LoveWriteChat. While I get my butt back in gear, I want to introduce you to author S. C. Mitchell, whose novel, Son of Thunder took 2nd place in the FUTURISTIC-FANTASY-PARANORMAL-TIME TRAVEL category of the 2014 WisRWA Write Touch Readers’ Choice Award Contest. 

Scoot on over to S. C. Mitchell's website to see how he tackles these same three questions. See y'all next week! Oh, and don't forget to enter our blog hop contest!