Writing Process Bloghop

 

 

Today I am taking part in the Writing Process Bloghop. I was tagged by Etta Starks who talks about her own writing process here.

 

Sorry this is late Etta, I did not follow direction and I will gladly accept my 50 lashes. <wink>

 

Now comes the hard part, four questions:

What am I working on?  

I work on several different books at the same time.  In the past week I have worked on a western erotic romance, a BDSM contemporary and have released a contemporary spanking romance within the past 10 days.   I like to have several different titles going so that if I get stuck on one, or am feeling burned out, I can switch to something different.  It rejuvenates my creative juices and often kick starts my writing.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Plot, plot, plot.  Of course, there is sex, romance and BDSM and/or spanking, but it is the icing on the cake, the cherry on my hot fudge sundae, and the cream in my coffee.  My Club Decadence series has intrigue and suspense related to the heroes being involved in investigating and shutting down a drug cartel.   There is also blackmail, kidnappings, and hot special forces men with guns and muscles.  I also include personal issues like infertility, depression, pseudo-incest (a brother who turned out not to be a brother), self worth issues, and abandonment.  But I promise not in the same book.  I did have one reviewer say one of the books was full of so much emotional angst that she was drained by the last page.  She said that as a negative, but I thought YES! that was what I was going for. I don't know if this is different, because many books in the genre have a plot, but that is what is most important to me.

 

Why do I write what I do? 

Because it's fun.   As the saying goes, write what you know.  I agree, but I also say write what you like to read.  I like strong, dominant men, Alpha males you might call them, but they are big and strong and sexy.  I also tend to put them in powerful, influential professions.  I have had a Spec Forces Captain, Chief Warrant Officer, a Duke from Victorian England, Army General, Lieutenant in the Texas Rangers, an old West Marshall, a Master Sargent/Master Dom at a BDSM club, the lead singer in a rock and roll band, CFO/Master Dom, and a Police Sargent.  

 

How does my writing process work?

Do I have a process?  Let me think...  I come up with an idea (usually in a place where I can't write it down:  while driving my car, in the shower, at the store.   I have stashed small notebooks and pens everywhere, which is bad because there are kids around, Yikes!  Where did I stash those notebooks?  Be right back...

 

Okay, next I wait for the urge to strike, which is often.  Occasionally I get what I call as a writing frenzy.  During one of these episodes, I wrote 10,000 words in one day.  Often you will find me at my laptop with my eyes closed and my fingers flying because I am imaging the scene in my head, seeing a visual that I try to put into words. 

 

Then, I write, edit, re-edit, send to a beta (or 3) and re-re-edit, send to my publisher, receive edits and comments from my editor, re-re-re-edit, send in final edits, and then prior to publication there is a final read through with  re-re-re-re-edit if necessary. 

 

Heavy Sigh...  It is then all done but the promotion and out to me readers.

I would like to add that I try to adhere to a tried and true formula for women's romance.   This came from an article that I read a long time ago, but I was a reader then and after reading one particularly unsatisfying romance I said why did the author stray from the formula.  Which is as follows: 

A sympathetic heroine

A strong, irresistible hero

Emotional tension

An interesting, believable plot

A happy ending

 

So, you will find all of these key elements in all of my books.  True, some readers want don't want the couple always to end up together in the end, but not me.  Otherwise it isn't romance, fiction or fantasy.  I can see unhappy endings in real life every day.  That stinks.  I don't by fiction to see reality, I chose if for an escape, to take me away from the daily grind of real life. 

You might say, Maddie what about all those personal issues you listed about like abandonment and kidnappings.  These are always done by the bad guy, the villain you can cheer to get it in the end as the hero swoops in and saves the heroine.  So sue me, I'm a romantic and want a HEA, a happily ever after. 

 

Who's next?????

I am tagging my friend Dinah McLeod in the bloghop...  Dinah McLeod is a multi-published author of spanking romance and DD.  She did dabble into the realm of soft BDSM at time or two and I am trying to expand her horizons.  We'll see.  As of her new release today, Maggie Meets Her Match, she has ten titles available.  My favorite was Swept of her Feet, which was a historical western. Gotta love me some cowboy!   Dinah is also a consistent beta reader of mine which is kind of like a advanced reader on steroids.  Dinah and I have a close enough relationship that we can say I don't like this, have you thought of that, this made me angry or I love this, so hot, give me more!  I think I have said all those things, right Dinah.  We write in different styles (within the same genre) but I think that helps.