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!
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Hello Dear Readers!
I’ve been privileged to be invited to join a fabulous group of authors for a weekly feature. So, in addition to seeing Tuesday’s Tidbits and Trivia each Tuesday, you’ll get a little bit of insight into my life as a writer. I’ll be answering three questions every week.
All the authors answer the same questions each Tuesday and then we send you on to the next author in the blog hop. You’ll see her link at the end of my post. So, let’s get to it, shall we?
How do you find the appropriate setting for the story, or does it find you?
The settings for my stories are predetermined to a great extent because I write Regency and Scottish historicals. That pretty much means a major portion of the story needs to take place in England, often London, and Scotland.
In my series, Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, I have the very first portion of Triumph and Treasure set in America. Naturally, because the six books planned in this series are Regency-Scottish historical, they’ll be set in those two locations too.
I do have ideas for stories set in several other locations, so I guess I have to say, I find the settings. However, within the big picture, I often include smaller settings that definitely find me depending on where the the story is going.
Right now, my heroine in Virtue and Valor is digging around for fossils in Scotland.
What is your support system for your writing? Family, friends, other writers?
Truthfully, other writers and authors are my biggest support system, because they are the only ones who really get what it means to be an author.
My hubby doesn’t read anything other than his hunting synopsis or electrical code book–no I’m not kidding–but he does pass out my business cards and forces bookmarks on anyone who stands still for 30 seconds.
My three adult children are verbally supportive, but they don’t read my books either. The two boys are convinced there’s nothing but sex in them, and though my daughter read the first two books, reading is not a favorite past-time of hers. I do have a couple of aunties who have cheered me on, and a couple of teacher friends who’ve been very helpful with beta reads and reviewing for me.
It’s funny, I thought my biggest support would come from friends and family and that hasn’t been the case for me. I’m a little disappointed, but I know romance isn’t for everyone.
What is the worst writing advice you ever received and how did you deal with it?
Hmm, worst advice?
I think it was when an editor wanted me to cut some scenes from one of my books that I thought were really important. . . and funny. I do include bits of humor in my writing, and I don’t think the editor quite got my sense of humor. I stuck to my guns and insisted those scenes be left.
I’ve had many, many readers quote those very scenes as being their favorites. I have to remind myself that readers and editors often have very different perceptions about what makes a good read. Basically, I write what I like to read, and in this whole big world, I’m betting someone else likes it too.
Okay kids, that’s it for this week. Do tootle over to Nina Mason’s and see what she has to say!
