Happy Monday and welcome to the next stop on the Writing Process Blog Tour! My name is Izzy and I will be your guide during your visit. I’d like to thank my friend Sydney Holmes for inviting me to be a part of this tour. If you missed Sydney’s post last week, you can find it here.
Every Monday during this tour, writers and authors around the globe answer questions about their writing process. So sit back, relax and enter, if you dare, Izzy’s world – where all directions are North and every couple deserves a humorously ever after!
What am I working on?
I just sent my short story, Virtually Yours, to my editor and plan to publish in early April. Virtually Yours is a sweet romance involving a guy, a girl – and video game characters. This is a story that I have wanted to write for some time and I am super excited that it is finally becoming a reality!
My next project is Dial V for Vampire, the first in my paranormal romance series set in Kudzu Korners, a fictional southern town near Savannah, Georgia. I currently have a rough draft of about half of the novel and hope to have it finished before the end of the year.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Hmmm. This is actually a very difficult question. All writers want to write stories that readers enjoy but I want to go a step further and write stories that make readers smile and occasionally even laugh out loud. It is my hope that I will be able to make readers lives a little brighter during the time that we share.
I was also very surprised to realize that my paranormal series will be “sweet” – meaning no sex. This is definitely not the norm among paranormal romances! :-) I can write sexy – and have. However, my Kudzu Korners characters made it plain that they are not interested in taking their clothes off in front of anyone – and I’m not going to force them to do so. I know that there are still readers that prefer their romances to be less explicit; hopefully we will find each other!
Why do I write what I do?
I write what I love. While I enjoy many genres I will always have a special place in my heart for both sci-fi and fantasy. My love for these genres has transitioned into the world of video games, which in turn has fueled several story ideas. I guess you can think of it as sort of a nerdy version of the Circle of Life.
How does your writing process work?
I’m a pantser which means that I don’t plot or outline. When I start writing, I know who my main characters are and their conflicts; I also know how the story begins and ends and have a few random scenes and bits of dialog for the remainder of the book. True, this is probably a large part of why I am a slow writer, but I love the magic that happens during the process. There is nothing like the thrill of having your hero and heroine fleeing a castle without having any idea where they are going! And yet, somehow, it always works out. It is so much fun!
Oh, I almost forgot – my writing process also involves felines! Not only do cats (and other animals) appear in all of my stories, but I have a furry herd of my own. The sight of an open, warm laptop brings out the editor in my kitties; they insist on “helping” by walking across or sleeping on the keyboard as I write.
It is now my great pleasure to introduce the writers that will join the tour on Monday, March 31st:
Kyra Halland: Kyra Halland writes dark-edged tales of fantasy, adventure, and romance set in the worlds of her imagination. She lives in southern Arizona with her very patient husband and two less-patient cats, and she and her husband are the proud parents of two young adult sons.
Cecilia Dominic: By day, Cecilia Dominic is a clinical psychologist in Atlanta who helps people sleep without drugs. By night, she writes urban fantasy with elements of mystery she hopes will keep her readers turning the pages all night. Yes, she recognizes the conflict of interest, which is why she uses a pen name. Her latest book Long Shadows, the second in the Lycanthropy Files series, was released on March 25 from Samhain Publishing.
Loved the interview, Izzy! Also loved the adorable picture! All the best for both Virtually Yours and Dial V for Vampires. A big chunk of romance readers prefer “sweet” stories, so you will find your audience. Funny how characters dictate their wishes: mine can’t keep their hands off each other, and they don’t care who’s there to see, but I’ll only allow entrance to people who love me and them
Thanks MM! It’s funny – all of my fan fiction and my first novel was sexy; I basically expected that all of my stories would be. It took these new characters a while to make me understand their wishes, but I’m glad they did – I think the story will be better for it. Thanks for stopping by!