In discovery phase I, I do enough research to get me launched on a story–it’s the prestory writing stuff where I read a bunch of books and surf the net and acquaint myself with my characters’ jobs, story setting, etc. After that I wing it and don’t delve back into research until those blank lines I leave on the page start to connect.

That’s where I’m at now–discovery phase II. I’m deep into chapter three and need to know indepth info about what’s going on with my protagonist and her new world. See, she’s just discovering her psychic side and … Read the rest »

I’m pleased to report I’ve started the new story. And got it named. The working title is Hello, Chaos.

Oddly enough that pretty much sums up my life the past week. Family doctor appointments can suck away so much time–judging from the other faces in the waiting rooms, nobody was thrilled to sit endlessly waiting for their name to be called.

Then I totally forgot I needed to get my income tax stuff organized. Actually I did fairly well this year. I kept good records for over six months. Which meant I had six months of receipts, etc, stuffed in … Read the rest »

Other than having a solid goal, motivation and conflict in mind for the major characters, I don’t do extensive plotting before I begin a story. But I do I take a page from Amy and ponder a lot about characters and plot.

Starting a new story is a challange I absolutely love. It’s like having a mountain of Christmas packages under the tree and you have to wait an hour or more between unwrapping each one. Some you may anticipate, but those surprises fire the imagination.

For me, the story process starts with characters. Usually the protagonist steps onstage in … Read the rest »

Has it really been months since I posted to my update page? Gulp, yep, sure was.

Starting with the New Year, I’m going to attempt to keep the updates page currant, meaning I’m going to try to post once a week. More or less this will be a running account of my writing life and road to publication. (With luck I’ll avoid a good deal of the potholes along the way. )

I finished my mystery which has strong romantic elements (i.e., lust & sex), entered Romance Writers of America’s prestigious contest, the Golden Heart (my first time) and … Read the rest »

I cut my teeth on mysteries, so when I switched gears to write contemporary novels, blending mystery/suspense with romance felt right. I love reading the romantic suspense genre and have two novels written. As I delved deeply into the third manuscript, two completely different characters came barging into my head and set up camp.

Well, it was more of a war zone with these two. They’d had a passing affair and their worlds had collided again, only this time it was over a dead body.

I promised I’d get to them next. No dice. They wanted their story told. Now. … Read the rest »