My Writing Process -- Blog Tour

Thanks to Ellen Butler, fellow Entangled author of Second Chance Christmas, for asking me to join this awesome Blog Tour where authors are sharing...how it all works. You can check out her story writing process HERE.

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Now... for me.
 

     What am I working on?
This month I'm working on the second story in a new series [surprising, even to me!]. The first book came out in November--Letters From Home. The new one is Maria's story. She fell in love with a wanderer and, when she goes to find him, discovers he's not exactly who she thought... :)


    How does my work differ from others of its genre?
This is a hard question!! Romance's strength is in its clichés and tropes. Readers know what they are getting and crave the happily-ever-after!! But, that aside... I think my writing shows a deep sense of family that isn't always evident in category romance. Big, Catholic families. Small ones, too. But I like writing what I know, and I know family. I like to show the struggles inside the conscience...and no one knows the conscience [and guilt] better than an Irish Catholic! haha. Me!

No one knows making love better, either... so, I have lots going for me when it comes to romance. *blush* hahaha.


    Why do I write what I do?
I love romance! I love happy endings. I love taking characters from not-so-great to incredibly blessed. The truth is, we all struggle in life. There is nothing better than picking up a good book and reading about someone else who overcame the same kind of struggles... or maybe not-so-the-same. But still, when the heroine flees for her life and overcomes a serial killing maniac, satisfaction ensues. Especially when there's a handsome guy at her side along the way.


     How does your writing process work?
Getting an idea comes first. Usually it's the characters... maybe I'll read something online, in the news, or even in a book. And it will stick with me and develop in my brain. That being said, the majority of my ideas come from my own books. I have several series, and the reason behind that is because from those books come other books!! Like Lena's story...and then Maria's story...and eventually--as I write Maria's--I can feel a brother story coming along. I think Lucas is about to become the next strong character in this story.

And then I just write. I plot the story so I have some idea where I'm going. I create backstory and write it down so I know what's driving my characters. That's when the fun begins and the characters come alive...when I can suddenly see them in the "movie." :) Until I get to The End and smile.

Mornings are my happy time. I get up at 4am every morning and write for 2 hours, coffee included! The rest of the day is a little sporadic--I do have 5 kids, but I can usually get in a few more words before the day ends.

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This was great fun. I hope you enjoyed it. If you came here from Ellen's blog, go back!! Find another thread on the chain and follow it through. :D I had no takers...and typically, I'm the end of the line on any chain that comes my way. It's SOP for me. ;)

Have a great week!
With Love,
Beth 





Romance or Real Life

On a day when my patience is wearing thin and I'm pretty sure Karma is playing catch up [have you ever spilt a container of lemonade on the kitchen floor two days after you mopped it?], I question my sanity to write a Romance Novel at all. Where does my inspiration come from? Am I stuck in a world of fantasy? Will the naysayers see through my words to the hair-brained gal with four kids and only the luck of the Irish to pull her through some days?

Where does the Happily Ever After[HEA] come into play? How can the Romance Novel be Real?

Happily For Now[HFN]: Though I like a story where I'm confident that the main characters will live together for the rest of their lives, I'm okay with understanding that bad days are bound to happen again. A mentality from the reader in some ways, even a true HEA can be seen as a [HFN]. I guess I fall here. I'm not silly enough to believe that even in true love conflicts will never arise again. Most people aren't. It's seeing what is behind and what will be again that allows contentment when life is out of control. It's knowing and expressing Faith that offers peace and joy.

But sometimes the HEA is a HFN where being with someone in a moment and truly loving them could mean finding someone else in another instant and truly loving there, too.

*gasp* WHAT?! This is not a Romance Novel!, you might be thinking.

But for some, this is the reality of Romance. When you write or consider romance and true love, do you leave out the entire audience who has suffered heartbreak? do you exclude those who have been divorced? Where is their happy ending if the only worthwhile HEA includes one person and one soulmate, the one person in the entire world who can make them happy, who they will live with and spend eternity with... forever and ever Amen. [which I'm going to do, btw :D *fingers-crossed*]

The romance novel takes snippets of a life: conflict and resolution. Anyone who agrees that the romance novel is about escaping is only partially right. It's also the reminder of what the outcome should/could/might be.

Better to consider where the root of the Happily Ever After comes from...
Where joy, peace, and love are the center of everything that exists.
For me that's God.

...because, it's a really rotten day, when nothing goes right and there are too many worries and the kids are driving me nuts and I haven't talked to my husband in hours, that I wonder how we've made it this far. :D But, I have my Happily Ever After.

Qualifying a Romance

What makes a Romance Novel romance?

I'm contemplating comparisons. Here's one thing I love about a romance novel: the Happily Ever After [HEA]. Perhaps you like a little reality check...or maybe you stick with the fantasy of a-okay. Me? I like them intertwined. I like an epilogue with grit but relational longevity. You know what I mean?

Let me tell you something about the series I've read in the past.
Before getting into romance, I devoured Stephen White's [doesn't he look a tiny bit like you expect Rob Winter from Karen Rose's book, Don't Tell to look? I think it's the mustache.] books about a psychologist in Denver who always ended up in some sticky situation solving one murder or another. Heart-pounding thrills, a hottie hero and a compelling secondary cast. At some point in the series... Our hero started having some bumpy issues with the loved one, his wife who suffered from MS.

Shame on me, I don't know what happened to them. I couldn't get past this blip... his second thoughts. And when Sam, a cop and his friend, experienced some infidelity [and he was one of the solid characters: long time marriage, happy family...] well, my fantasy started unraveling. I felt for him, felt for everyone, but I wasn't sure the story was going to satisfy my inner need for the HEA so I stopped reading...

I ask myself, what happened? Is it the masculine influence of the author? Maybe, but probably not.

Let's just say, Stephanie Plum is really getting close! I have to add my disclaimer: I've never read one but I think I'll have to. A steady relationship is something anyway...right? Maybe. But there are 14 Janet Evanovich books! That's a long time for a relationship to muck through. I think. I'm not saying it doesn't happen. And maybe they're happy... I'm not sure I would be.

What do you think? Do you read for the HEA? Do you write a book with the HEA in mind or do your characters dictate?

Me? I want nitty-gritty survivors. I know life isn't all flowers and song, but a true hero or heroine WORK. :D