My Writing Process blog hop!

I was tagged by two lovely authors, Katie Mettner and Uvi Poznansky for the Writing Process blog tour. Thank you, ladies!

I had three questions posed to me about writing. Grab a cup of coffee, or beverage of choice, and I'll try to answer them without putting you to sleep (the caffeine in the coffee will help *grins*)

Here goes...

What am I working on?

Easy answer. A lot of you are familiar with my Texas Boys Falling Fast series. Married to Maggie (Book 1: Tysen's story) is out and so is Keeping Kylee (Book 2: Quinn's story). So onward to Taming Tori (Book 3: Jake's story). I'm not too deep into Jake and Tori's story, but I'm plugging away. Every day their personalities grab me and a little more is revealed. Upfront: Jake is quietly sexy and an all-around nice guy. Tori is boisterous and beautiful, but she is a pain in everyone's neck. By the time their story is finished, Jake will deserve a medal. 

How does my work differ from others?

Spontaneous answer -- my writing voice. I think that's a biggie that separates one author from the other. Our personalities come through our characters without us making a special effort for that to happen. Since we're all unique, those writing voices couldn't be more different.

The not-so-spontaneous answer -- my view on love, romance, and life in general, sets my work apart from others. How I feel about those important elements makes all the difference in how my characters think, react, and handle the conflicts I throw at them.

Why do I write what I write?

Corny answer -- Contemporary romance chose me, instead of the other way around.

Still-corny-but-better answer -- I believe in true love and happily-ever-afters. I've made up love stories in my head for as long as I can remember. Every story that I've either thought about or wrote about has the couple immersed in conflict. They have to work to get the ultimate prize: love. 

I like to read all genres, but writing contemporary romance is a good fit for me because I can take bits and pieces of the things stored in my head and make a story.


Thank you for popping in to read about my writing! I'm always happy to share what I love. 

Here's a little bit about the 2 gals who tagged me. They both are incredible authors. 

Katie Mettner

Katie Mettner grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and moved to the Northwoods where she now resides with her husband and three children. Katie writes spicy Christian romance and is the author of The Sugar series and The Northern Lights series. Her stories are a reflection of her love for family, intricately woven with life experience. When the gales of November blow early you can find her at the computer with a cup of joe working on her next adventure.

Check out her Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Katie-Mettner/e/B006Z7STX2/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Uvi Poznansky

Uvi Poznansky is a California-based author, poet and artist.
She earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel. During her studies and in the years immediately following her graduation, she practiced with an innovative Architectural firm, taking a major part in the large-scale project, 'Home for the Soldier'; a controversial design that sparked fierce public debate.

At the age of 25 Uvi moved to Troy, N.Y. with her husband and two children. Before long, she received a Fellowship grant and a Teaching Assistantship from the Architecture department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she guided teams in a variety of design projects; and where she earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in her education, she earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

During the years she spent in advancing her career--first as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant (with an emphasis on user interface for medical instruments devices)--she wrote and painted constantly, and exhibited in Israel and California. In addition, she taught art appreciation classes. Her versatile body of work can be seen online at uviart.com. It includes bronze and ceramic sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, and mixed media.

Uvi published two children books, Jess and Wiggle and Now I Am Paper. For each one of these books, she created an animation video (see Author Videos at the bottom of this page.) She won great acclaim for her novel, Apart From Love, and for her poetry book, Home (in tribute to her father. Her collection of dark tales, Twisted, and her Historical Fiction book, A Favorite Son, are both new age, biblically inspired books. Rise to Power (the first volume in her new series, The David Chronicles) has just been published.

Check out Uvi's Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Uvi-Poznansky/e/B006WW4ZFG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1402413185&sr=1-2-ent


** To keep this Writing Process blog hop going, I'm tagging:

Sharon Saracino

Suzanne Rogers writing as S. G. Rogers

An interview with Marcia Carrington!

INTERVIEW AND BOOK RELEASE CELEBRATION –

                                      

AUTHOR MARCIA CARRINGTON!!

MARCIA, IT’S AN HONOR TO HAVE YOU ON MY BLOG TODAY!

Thank you very much Jan, I’m very happy to be here!

HERE’S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MARCIA:

Marcia Carrington writes about the human condition, exploring what makes people tick, but in an upbeat and optimistic tone. She is an interested observer of popular culture, and fan of cinema from all eras and countries, especially from the 1930-1970's. She loves the movies and actors of the Hollywood silver screen, but has an express partiality to films from the major studios of this era such as Columbia, MGM, Fox, Paramount, RKO, and Universal.

Marcia is also a long-time soap opera viewer, watching daytime, and night time serials from a very young age. She is also a food connoisseur, with a particular love of chocolate and coffee. The morning coffee has always been a staple for Marcia, and something which she cannot do without. There is just something about the fresh aroma early in the morning, and anytime for that fact, which proves irresistible.

Q:  Marcia, you've written several books and recently published a new one. Can you share your excitement about this new book? Maybe give us the first paragraph to hook us.

A: I have written a mixture of short stories, novel and novella thus far, but BLAKE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION is my first novelette. It revolves around a ten year high school reunion, and the reactions of the participants to each other after this extended period. My intention is to make it a roller-coaster of emotions for the reader through the actions, and reactions of the characters, and I hope that readers enjoy the ride. The following is the first paragraph of the story:

Blake Matthews was at home, adjusting his red-colored tie in front of the mirror. He was dressed in a snappy black suede suit, beige shirt, and wore his comfortable leather brogues with flair. After finishing with his tie, he picked up the invitation to his high school’s reunion, which was taking place tonight. On the invitation, it had clearly inscribed, in beautiful calligraphic print:

“Dear Blake,

You are cordially invited to the 10th anniversary reunion of Campbell Vale High School, which will be held at the Madison Grand Hotel on the 9th February, 2013.

Please RSVP your intention to attend by the 1st January, 2013 for catering purposes.

We hope to see you there.

Brittany Barker and the High School Committee of 2003

Dress: After Five”

Q: Where is the setting(s) for your book?

A: The main setting of the book is the fictional Madison Grand Hotel, where the Campbell Vale High School reunion of 2003 will be taking place. The majority of the action takes place in this locale, with the remainder occurring in the private homes of the characters.

Q: If you had to give your book a heat level, what would it be?

A: In terms of the conflicts which flare up between the characters during the course of the story, I would rate the heat level as 3 out of 4. The romantic scenes are more subtle in character, but feature much double-talk and innuendo that reflects the characters, especially Brenda Backus. Again, I would rate this as 3 out of 4.

Q: If Hollywood producers snapped up your book to make it into a movie, and they asked who you thought would play your characters, who would you choose?

A: I would like to see Ryan Reynolds in the lead role of Blake Matthews, as I feel that he has the range to portray the handsome, but highly complex lead character Blake. Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, a talented actress from daytime serial The Bold and The Beautiful, would be wonderful as the tough, but alternately tender Alexandra Masters. As for the lead female role of Brenda Backus, Jessica Simpson stood out in terms of my exposure to her movie work. I think she would be a standout as the way-out, sassy, but ultimately needy Brenda.

Q: What are you hoping your readers take away from your book?

A: My overall intention is that readers find the story and characters entertaining, and funny. In a deeper sense, though, I hope that readers recognize the characters as three-dimensional people who, despite their overt flippancy at times, are both very real, and identifiable.  

Q: Could you share one of your favorite scenes from the book?

A: I especially love the scene where Brenda Backus reacts to Blake Matthews after not seeing him for ten years. She finds it extremely difficult to comprehend how he has changed from the person she once knew, and has transformed himself, both physically, and in character.

Thank you so much for being here, Marcia! It was a joy to introduce you and join in the celebration of your new release! Wishing you continued success with your books!

Thank you so much Jan for the opportunity of being on your blog and meeting your readers, it is much appreciated!

Buy links for Marcia's books:

BLAKE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPZQQU8

THE GREAT HIGH SCHOOL LOVE GAME http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AF10TC

MAN ON A MOTORBIKE http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HNUJ3DU

To follow Marcia: 

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marcia-Carrington/e/B008AGYTHQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Smashwords author page: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MarciaCarrington

Barnes and Noble author page: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/marcia-carrington?keyword=marcia+carrington&store=ebook

I-Tunes author page: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/marcia-carrington/id465071280?mt=11

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MarCarring

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marcarring/pins/
 
http://marciasbooktalk.wordpress.com/