- What do you wish
men understood about women?
That we’re all about the
emotion, baby! Obviously, I can’t speak for every woman, but for the majority
of us, every decision we made or action we take, is grounded in emotion.
Whether that’s because it’s for the benefit of someone we love, or we have a
desire to better ourselves or we really care about what we’re doing. Men tend
to make logical decisions, grounded in thought and as much as we love ‘em, they
can’t always cheer us up by ‘fixing’ things their way!
- How long does it
take you to write a 50,000-60,000 word manuscript?
My books usually come in at
around 80,000-85,000 words – from plotting to completion, they take
approximately five months. I take 3-4 weeks to plot a book, then try to write
an average 2,000 words a day during the week with as much as possible over the
weekend. Then a month to revise and polish. Of course, I have to deal with a
gazillion school holidays in between so it’s always manic!
- Do you enjoy
writing books, or is it a chore?
Writing is NEVER a chore to me –
sure, it can be hard going sometimes…especially the dreaded ‘sagging middle’,
but writing is what I’d rather be doing then anything else, ALWAYS. I’m
obsessed!
- Do you have a favourite
location or setting for your books?
I hadn’t before I start writing
Finding Justice and the following books in the Templeton Cove series – it’s a
dream come true that I’ve written eight books for Harlequin set in this fictional
UK seaside town. With each book, the community grew and I can picture the town
with more and more clarity. I can see the rows of houses, the stores and their
proximity to the beach. It’s a real and buzzing place to me!
- Do you only work
on one book at a time?
I wish! – I am usually writing
one, editing another and promoting another. Plus, I always find as I start
writing one book, I have another vying for my attention but I make myself hold
off and concentrate on the one in hand. That doesn’t stop me from starting a
new file and adding in bits of dialogue, or ideas for settings or a few lines
of a new synopsis. When I come to write the next book, I usually have a good
idea of an outline.
- Next project?
I have just finished the
revisions for Templeton Cove book 8 (out Jan 2018) and then have the final
draft of the first book in a brand new series to work on. After that, I will
start work on the second book in a new Edwardian series – book 1 is currently
under consideration with several publishers. Busy, busy, busy!
- How do you
motivate yourself to write quickly? What do you do if you get stuck?
I have found a process that
works well for me – character sketches, synopsis and chapter plan. Then once I
dive into the writing I have a good idea what I will write for each chapter
which really speeds things up. I also write the first draft without looking
back which ups my output A LOT!
If I get stuck, it’s a case of
writing through it – any messy spots can be cleaned up in the following drafts.
It also helps that I have three gorgeous critique partners who look at each chapter
as I write it. I’d be lost without their valuable feedback!
- Who is your
favourite fictional couple?
I have a soft spot for J D
Robb’s Eve Dallas and Roarke from the In Death series – I am only on book 13 of
this (so far!) 36 book series, but I’m totally in love with them individually
and as a couple. Great, great characters J
- What was the
biggest obstacle you had to overcome to become an author?
Lack of self-confidence – for
me, this is the biggest obstacle for anyone to overcome who wants to pursue one
of the arts. Whether it be writing, painting, music, dance or acting, it takes
a lot of self-confidence to put yourself out there for criticism when something
is so personal. It’s one thing doing a job for someone else where you get to go
home at the end of the day and switch off, it’s another when you’ve created
something and then have to wait for public reaction. It’s like putting your
baby on stage and saying, “Go on then, tell me what you think?”
You’ll either want to hug
someone or punch their lights out, LOL!
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