Romance Writers Weekly: Six Word Memoir

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors?

Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all... About our writing of course!

Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!

I hope you joined me from Raine Balkera's page, and big huge thanks for this week’s questions from Beth Carter!

Here we go!

1.What’s your favorite aspect of novel writing? Dialogue? Setting? Conflict?Narration? Explain.

You know, I have always had a hard time deciding. Even when I'm choosing between two blouses or two different candle scents, etc., I struggle to chose. Believe me, this character trait drove my parents

and grandparents crazy when I was a kid!

My initial response to this question is that I love all aspects of novel writing, and it's completely true. However, if forced to choose, I'd have to say that developing my characters is the best part. My ideas for a story usually start with a character who comes into my mind as a living, breathing human being with a complicated history and a burning desire for something. In other words, they usually come to me with their motivation and conflict set. And the more I listen to them, the more they "tell" me. I complete character questionnaires and detail information about their childhood, preferences, dislikes, and beliefs that often don't even make it into their story. However, knowing my characters in depth makes them easier to write, and easier for me to fall in love with each and every one of them.

One little revelation about my writing inspiration is that often I will see an actor's performance in a movie or television show, and their looks or mannerism will spark a character idea for me. Recently I watched a British television series called Breathless on PBS, and was completely enamored with English actor Jack Davenport's performance. I'd seen him in other films, but something about his performance in Breathless sparked a story idea, a character, who I've been thinking about for days. I have to get the story idea written down or it will distract me so much I won't be able to work on my current work in progress. New characters are so persistent!

2.How do you choose the setting for your plot? Are they always similar settings or does it vary? (i.e., small town, big city, castle, etc.)

Setting usually comes when that character shows up in my head. He or she know exactly where they live, and, for most of my stories, that's in England. My current historical romance series, Whitechapel Wagers, is set in the East End of London in 1888. I have spent lots of time researching the history of the area and have a map of 19th century Whitechapel tacked to the wall next to my desk. Grounding myself in the geography of the setting I'm writing about is important to me, and I never mind devoting time to researching setting. One of my favorite aspects of writing historical romance is the notion of transporting readers (and myself!) to another time and place.

In future stories, my settings will vary. One of my current projects is a historical romance that is mostly set on an estate in Berkshire, England. Another future project is a historical mystery series set in Gilded Age Chicago. I love researching the 19th century, whether it be on the U.S. or British side of the pond.

3.I’m a big six-word memoir fan. (Hemingway even wrote one.) Describe your writing day using just six words.

Ugh! Six words? Seriously? Challenging!

Okay, here goes...

Amid quiet and coffee, characters meet writer.

I can't wait to see Ronnie Allen's six-word memoir. Follow me to her blog!

Romance Writers Weekly: Editing and Writing Process Questions

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors?

Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all... About our writing of course!

Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride!

Thanks for clicking on my link from the wonderful Jo Richardson's page, and big huge thanks for this week’s questions from Ronnie Allen.

Here we go!

1. When do you decide that you've done enough editing and changes would now be making

your story different, not better, and it's the time to submit?

My personal process is to write through a rough draft, set it aside for a short while, and then go back through and complete a first edit. Afterwards, I share my work with a beta reader and/or critique partners I trust. A second round of edits result from that feedback, and then I'll take a small break (even 24 hours works for me) and go through the story for another overall read. 

When I do this read I am looking for overall flow, that all plot elements are tied up, and that the story comes together as a whole.

More edits might be needed, depending on the manuscript, but it could also be the perfect time to submit.

2. When and how do you accept change advice by rejection letters and critique partners?

I like feedback after my own first initial edit, and I like various kinds of feedback. Some critique partners are very detailed and make comments on the manuscript via Microsoft Word's Track Changes features. 

Other feedback comes from beta readers who give overall feedback about how the story flowed, whether the characters were likable, and if there was enough tension to make them eager to turn the pages. I value both types of feedback. Actually, any feedback on my manuscript is valuable, even if I don't incorporate it. It's always helpful to allow me to see my work my objectively. I compile feedback and sort it out before diving into a second thorough edit on a manuscript.

3. When you're not writing, how do you spend your day or do you create your day around your writing?

I wish I could create my day around my writing! :) My dream is write full-time and work part-time. That's the goal I work toward, though right now I have a full-time job and carve out time for writing in the morning and evenings.

However, I do enjoy how I spend my day. I am a full-time cover designer and also do freelance editing for a couple of small publishers and independently published authors.  Most of the work I do is related to publishing, and I learn skills that I can apply to my own writing career. For instance, I created my own covers for my current Whitechapel Wagers historical romance series. 

I am blessed to have a job that has a positive impact on my writing career and goals. 

Now follow me over to J.J. Devine's blog to find out how she answered the same questions.

Thanks for visiting!

Romance Writers Weekly: Quick Dinner for the Busy Writer

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well, you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all…… About our writing of course! Every Tuesday we’ll all answer the same questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site, we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride. Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

This week is a little different. We're not answering questions but offering a quick recipe that helps us to keep the family happy and fed while allowing us to get back to our writing as soon as possible.

Maybe you've found your way to my blog today by linking from my friend and wonderful Regency romance author, Collette Carmeron. Welcome!

The recipe I'm sharing is one of my husband's favorites, and I'm thrilled every time he asks for it because I know it will taste good, provide some leftovers, and yet take me only a little bit of time in the kitchen. We've just refer to it unfussily as Mac and Meat.

Mac and Meat

Ingredients

• About 1/2 box of elbow macaroni (you can substitute another pasta like rotini or ziti, if you like)
• 1 jar of delicious pasta sauce (I love Paul Newman's Sockarooni, but a sweeter Marinara works well too)
• 1 lb. of ground beef (ground turkey could work too)
• 1 cup grated or shredded cheddar cheese (or more, depending on your preference)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (I've made it sans onion for those who are sensitive and it's just as tasty)
• cooking spray, as needed
• Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning or basil to taste

Directions
1. Bring 2-4 quarts (depending on how much pasta you'll make) of water to a boil. I usually add a dash of olive oil to the water to prevent the pasta from sticking.

2. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente (not too firm, not too soft). Set aside.

3. Add cooking spray to a heated skillet and then add ground beef and chopped onions.

4. Saute onions and beef until browned, adding salt, pepper, and/or Italian seasoning or basil to season the beef as it cooks.

5. Preheat your oven to 350 and prepare a casserole dish by spraying lightly with cooking spray.

6. Once your beef is browned and pasta is cooked, combine together and add your jar of pasta sauce to the mix, stirring to coat all pasta thoroughly.

7. Spread mixture into your greased casserole dish and sprinkle shredded cheese over the top.

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until mac and meat is heated through and cheedar cheese is thoroughly melted.

I usually serve Mac and Meat with a bit of garlic bread or a small side salad (using pre-prepped salad mix, of course!).

Enjoy! And if you've tried the recipe or have a variation on it, be sure to let me know in the comments.

Now let's see what my fellow Romance Writers Weekly author J.J. Devine is cooking up today.