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! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.
Do you prefer to write futuristic, contemporary or historical romances and why?
For the present, I prefer to write contemporary romances. I find that the language and descriptions come easily to me. One of the things that appealed to me about writing contemporary is that I can spend more time on character development and less time on world building. There are certain things that the writer can assume the reader already knows about the environment – such as what a highway looks like or the general premise of a restaurant. That isn’t possible in a historical or futuristic novel where the world is an unknown entity for the reader and has to be built from the ground up.
Most people say to write what you love to read. My Kindle is full of contemporary romances and I devour several a week. BUT…I have a deep and secret longing to write a time travel fantasy. In fact, I have almost 300,000 words written already. One of these days I will dig it out of the archives and publish that sucker.
What is your favorite time in history and how and why does it inspire you?
My favorite time in history would definitely be the medieval times. Back then, men were men and everything was earthy and raw. I try to bring a little of the flavor of those warrior men into my contemporary heroes.
How has your life experience contributed to your writing?
I’ve lived an interesting life and met a lot of colorful characters over the years. My characters are a blend of all those people. When my friends read my stories, they pick up on little tidbits that remind them of one person or another. And the same goes for the settings and events. Even though the details might be different or embellished by my outrageous imagination, there are elements of my past experiences on every page.
Be sure to visit the next author on our tour, Kim Handysides at http://kimhandysides.com/
Sarah Hegger
I have a similar monster sized project sitting in the cupboard about Dragons that I have promised I will dust off one day. Always happy to meet a fellow medieval girl. In truth, those men were probably a little scary.
Carrie Elks
I reckon it’s time to polish that time travel story up! I think we’ve all got something hidden at the back of our drawer–I know I have around 100,000 words that will probably never see the light of day. I console myself by saying it’s all good experience 😉
Brenda Margriet
I agree about the world building. While that’s what I love most about historical or futuristic novels, it brings a whole other level to writing – and I have enough trouble with my characters and plot to worried about a world!
jeana
It’s like the book that never ends. I just keep writing and writing and writing… I suppose I could break it into a series or something. Come on, Carrie Elks. Break that baby out!
jeana
I’m pretty sure that one day in medieval land and I’d cry for my Kindle.
Kim Handysides
I remember reading a Susan Wiggs interview where she shared about her 600,000 word Medieval set in some obscure place in Morocco (I think)…it’s all part of the process that makes us stronger writers. Right?
Collette Cameron
I think Sarah’s right. Those medieval guys might be a bit intense, but I wouldn’t mind time-traveling to find out…just for research of course!
Amy Jarecki
I love medieval times too!
Mishka Jenkins
I like being able to draw from real people I’ve met to add more depth to my characters too. Great answers 🙂
J.J. Devine
Oh I adore medieval times but I am pretty sure I couldn’t write one 🙂 Loved your blog!!!
Fiona Riplee
I’d cry for a modern bathroom 🙂