What? I said. Me. Are you kidding?
And then something awful happened. I almost forgot to do the post. I was in the middle of something way important...like having coffee and watching my dog try on my curtains.
He does this everyday. He just stands there, moving his head back and forth like he's soaring through the clouds. I think all dog behavior means something. Clearly this means that MY GREAT DANE WAS MIGHTY DOG IN A PAST LIFE! Sometimes a dog just really misses his cape. As long as he doesn't tear down the curtains we're cool.
Now, when I'm not watching Mighty Dog incarnate visualize the wild blue yonder, I'm writing.
Which brings me to Ally's questions:
What am I working on?
Well um...a lot actually. I'm working on one of three current manuscripts. After I pick the manuscript I want to dabble in, I chastise myself for not concentrating on just one manuscript exclusively. At times, a random family member might pass by the office door to find me gazing at my reflection in the I-Mac screen, and occasionally giving myself the stink eye for not directing my energy efficiently. If I would just focus on one thing at a time I might actually get novels out much faster. Oh but no. I want to play with all the characters at the same time.
I am just hateful.
How does your work differ from others' work in the same genre?
With so many books out there it would be hard to say if my work were truly different, but I can certainly hope so. In one of my current WIP's called, Letters to Stella the character has to find a way to save her father's life. For generations, all the Hadley men die young. It's when she and her Dad move into her estranged grandmother's house that the MC learns that she's from a family of witches...witches who centuries ago cast a spell on a soldier during the Revolutionary War, and he's still alive, living in the house, confined to a single room, with no communication with the outside world. Annabelle, the MC discovers a way to communicate with Ori against her grandmother's will and the more ways she finds to reach the broken, silent boy with faraway eyes, the more her father's health improves. But as Annabelle gets closer to discovering how to break the spell, she can't help but wonder what will happen to her father and what might happen to Ori if she sets him free?
Okay, so the synopsis is far from perfect. I'll make sure it's perfect after I finish the story...right after I get Mighty Dog incarnate out of the drapes.
Why do you write what you do?
Because we all need a break from reality. I cannot live in this world without creepy crawlies, alternate universes, vampires...although I think they're real. My neighbor is always perfect and she's supposedly had or made six kids. No living person looks that good ALL THE TIME. Every time I see her I mutter "vampire" and my husband chuckles. That's fine. You won't think it's so funny when her and the samplings step out to feed now will ya? You. Were. Warned.
Anyway, who needs to live in the real world all the time? Boring. I'm not doing it. I'd rather make up stuff in my pajamas, keep my eye on the vampire lady, and drink coffee until I can hardly blink. That's the life if you ask me.
How does your writing process work?
I look for a window of opportunity, a quiet time when the house is still. Usually late at night. I have coffee before 9pm. Wine by 11. I am nothing if not a health nut. Chuckles. I make sure MD incarnate has had his snack, fresh water, and sometimes crack a window. At times MD incarnate suffers from a bit of flatulence and my office is really small. It's a safety issue. After I've cleared the window of opportunity I pick a manuscript I've been thinking about the most, and I read over the previous chapter for review. Then I just get in there and write the next scene. I generally try to get through a whole chapter. I hate to leave one hanging. In fact I will rarely write unless I have time to complete an entire scene. When I finish, me and MD head off to bed to read for a bit or hang out with the hubs. I wish I could have a real writing schedule, but my life is so crazy hectic it's simply impossible, so I take the time when the time affords itself. I don't stress about it. Setting a time or a goal is just too much pressure for me.
After all, life does in fact sort of just happen.
Now I'm off to tag some peeps! I'll keep you posted who I pick. Don't forget to check out Ally's Blog to read about her writing process. It's way better than mine.
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