My talented and dear friend Ani Bolton, author of a new steampunk romance series that recently debuted with Steel and Song, tagged me to participate in a blog tour on the writing process. Here’s my entry and I’ll be tagging two fantastic authors at the end.
1. What are you working on?
I have several projects going on right now. Although this is not fresh writing, I’m collaborating with five other Regency authors to bring out a boxed set of Regencies (six traditional Regencies in one ebook), coming in October. This is a deal no Regency romance fan should miss!
I’m also planning a new series based on the foundlings in Lady Dearing’s Masquerade (Romantic Times Best Regency Romance of 2005), who will have some interesting issues to deal with as adults. This will involve moving a bit post-Regency, so I’m in the research phase, to make sure the setting rings true.
Lastly, I’ve been plotting out two short, sexy novellas: a prequel and a sequel to Lady Em’s Indiscretion.
2. How does your work differ from others’ work in the same genre?
Lately, Regency romance seems dominated with stories featuring dukes. Although I have loved some duke stories (and won’t promise I’ll never write one), I like variety in my fantasy men.
My stories also often include themes of social justice. Lady Dearing’s Masquerade deals with individuals and groups who are unfairly marginalized. Fly with a Rogue deals with personal recovery after war and the plight of veterans. I find it deeply satisfying to write about characters who can find joy despite real-life challenges. Of course, romance and passion are still the focus. A friends says I write “social justice smut”—and I take it as the compliment she meant it to be!
This is one of the joys of going indie: being able to write what I want without feeling I need to chase trends.
3. Why do you write what you do?
I love the Regency setting and I love writing romance. Writing acts as a tonic to me, but it seems to go both ways. Readers have told me my books are a fun break in their busy lives and some have even told me that reading romance novels has helped get them through tough times.
4. How does your writing process work?
I used to follow a fairly structured writing process before my husband suffered a stroke, over five years ago. Once I had time to write again, I resolved that my writing time had to be fun. Rather than following a set plan, I just work on whichever task (research, plotting, writing) draws me that day. I’ve learned to trust my intuition more and found, to my surprise, that I’ve become more productive.
If you have questions about my upcoming work or my writing, please feel free to comment.
I’m tagging two more talented writers to participate:
Laura J. Bear took a circuitous route to writing through two other careers. Her first novel, Where the Heart Lands, will be published in March 2015. Laura blogs at www.laurajbear.blogspot.com.
Alicia Rasley is a RITA-award winning Regency novelist whose women’s fiction novel The Year She Fell has twice been a Kindle bestseller in the fiction category. Her articles on writing and the Regency period have been widely distributed, and she blogs about writing and editing at www.edittorrent.blogspot.com.