Last week, CJ Burright–a beautifully descriptive author of paranormal romance whose debut release, Wonderfully Wicked is due out May 13th–tagged me in the Baton Blog Hop. Essentially, it’s an electronic football stadium wave of authors sharing what they’ve got in the hopper. They also give you a sneak peek at what really happens behind each writer’s computer screens.
First, I have to encourage you to make a quick trip over for a pre-order of Wonderfully Wicked at either Amazon or iTunes. Trust me when I tell you, you won’t regret it. CJ’s writing is so wonderfully lyrical…and her heroes deliciously tarnished…you won’t easily set it down.
Now…on to the blog hop.
Unexpected Eden, the first in a four-part fantasy romance series based in–you guessed it–Eden, is knee-deep in edits, and I’m about a month out on wrapping up the rough draft of its sequel, Healing Eden. I’m hoping to share details on when and where you can get your hands on the first installment soon, but for now…I gotta keep the details hush-hush. I promise, the minute a deal’s official, you’ll hear it from New York to Cabo!
If the Eden series isn’t enough, I’ve also got a gritty contemporary romance–the Haven series–that simply will not leave me alone. I’m hoping to tackle those in-between the Eden installments.
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Like most other things about me, my work is awfully hard to categorize. If you took the best aspects of paranormal, fantasy, contemporary, and urban fantasy, and hodge-podged them into one place, you’d get my books. About the only way you can pigeonhole my stuff is to call it romance–because that’s the one thing that will always be there. Happily Ever After is a requirement for anything I write. (Not to be confused with Happy Endings which also happen.)
Did I just say that out loud? <Shakes head> Ignore me. Sometimes I get carried away…
Why do I write what I do?
Like most other people these days, my calendar is full, full, full. Exhausting full. Calgon-take-me-away full. I read for the escape. To disconnect from the day-to-day grind long enough to recharge and reboot so I can keep my happy face in place. When I write, I gather up all the things I enjoy the most and funnel that into my stories. My hope–that I can help someone else unplug from the rat race for just a spec of time and transport them to a place where they can check their brains at the door.
How does my writing process work?
I’m a plotter. I wish I could write by the seat of my pants. It’s so much more glamorous and artistic sounding than sitting down to plot things out. Alas, my self-diagnosed OCD won’t allow for that. I jot down all the basic points I want to happen in a story, shift them around in an ugly writer’s Rubik’s cube until they look just right, and then start writing the first draft. Only after that first draft is in place do I unwind the duct tape from my inner-editor’s wrists and mouth to give her free reign.
So, there you go…a look at what I’m up to, why I’m up to it, and how it all gets done.
Wanna see some other fantabulous authors? Check these ladies out next Monday, May 5th to take a peek at how they get things done:
First up – Kait Nolan. She’s a bit of an escape artist too when it comes to romance. The best thing about her characters (IMHO) – They’ve got SPUNK. I highly recommend the Mirus series, but then it’s paranormal, which is just my cup of tea. 🙂
Now, if mysteries and thrillers are more your thing, then I’d have to recommend my local writer pal, T.D. Hart. She might not do the romance thing like I do, but man she’s a handy lady to have around when it comes time to weaving in intricate plot points…’cause that’s how those mystery/thriller folks roll.
3 Comments
CJ Burright
April 28, 2014 at 9:53 amAww, thanks for the kind words. There should totally be a genre called “hodge-podge romance…everything you want, all in one spot.” And I can’t wait to read your Haven stories too!
Rhenna
April 28, 2014 at 6:01 pmA hodge-podge genre indeed. At least then I wouldn’t have so much angst trying to figure out where I “belong”.
Baton Blog Hop | Kait Nolan
May 5, 2014 at 7:29 am[…] week Rhenna Morgan tagged me for this blog hop. I haven’t done one in a while, so here we […]