I'm going to admit, my post is going to be much more "just the facts, ma'am" than hers. Mainly because I've gotten swallowed up by edits and RT planning, but also because I'm a pretty simple girl who doesn't like to get overly wordy.
1) What am I working on?
This is kind of a weird question because there are two of me and I'm not entirely sure at the moment which me is publishing the book I'm editing. (A decision should be made by the end of the month.) So I'm just going to answer for BOTH of me. Right now I'm editing a novel for Entangled's Brazen line. It's tentatively called My Fiance, the Hero and it's about a divorcee and a movie star. Fun times are had by all (after all, it's a Brazen :P ). In addition, Seleste has Agents of TRAIT 3: Fighting for Keeps in the midst of edits (I believe that one is slated for June). AND Julie is working on an outline for a follow-up to Fall with Me. It's kind of a busy time right now, but busy is good.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Uh... I hate this question. I'm sexier than some, not as sexy as others. My stuff is snarky as hell, so depending on which of the sub-genres we're talking, that's either different or completely ordinary. I don't write to try to be different than other people, I write to be me. So you get a lot of me in my books, and no one else can give you that.
3) Why do I write what I do?
I write what I do for a lot of reasons. One of the key ones is that I like to stretch different writing muscles. I don't want to just write one thing all the time. I need the shake up offered between contemporary romance and the spy stuff and then I might hop over and see how my vampires are faring. I also tend to fall in love with my characters. They're what drives me to complete a story (or start one for that matter.) So I write for them, to get their stories onto the page to share with others. (Yes, I know they aren't "real," but that's beside the point :P Also, no, I'm not crazy. At least not that kind of crazy.)
4) How does my writing process work?
I don't take time off well, so I tend to work on SOMETHING every day for at least a little while. Right now it's editing which is a totally different animal for me than drafting. I actually love editing in general. I love seeing something rough transition into the final product. (I imagine it's a little like cutting and polishing gemstones.) But it's a slower, more tedious process too. Right now I'm on "two chapters a night" as an editing goal. Some nights things go more smoothly than others, so I'll get more done. Other nights...
When I'm drafting though, I aim for 2500 words a day. That's more than some authors, less than others, but I figure 10 pages is a solid amount of work. I believe the most I ever wrote in a day was something like 12,000 words. My eyes felt like they were bleeding by the time I was done. I really don't recommend that.
I prefer to work at night in near darkness. Without the extra lights on, I'm less distracted by all the other things around me that need doing. Also, less distracted by my own reality as opposed to the fantasy I'm spinning. I love to have a cocktail when I write, but I don't do that very often anymore--usually I stick to water or tea (spicy rooibos) these days. I'm actually pretty boring in this regard, and I've been known to occasionally make up something outrageous when interviewers ask about weird things I do when drafting since I don't really have anything weird.
That's it. That's me in four questions or less. Now I need to get back to those edits I was talking about. And from here, I nominate the following
Margo Bond Collins
Jodie Griffin
Damon Stewart Pren
