Getting to Know Me (Part 1)

When did you first start writing? Was being a writer something you always aspired to?
I started to write novels back in the 1980’s as an outlet from stress. I’d have to say there was a lot more, and a lot steamier, love scenes in them!
I didn’t think about becoming a published author until I began to write longer pieces. I’d written poems before. But, back in those days, before the Internet, it was a lot harder to get published!
What genre do you write?
I mainly write Contemporary Romance/Mystery/Suspense. This latest series will have some of all, so I tagged it as Women’s Fiction. But in the near future, I plan to try my hand at Paranormal.

Can you tell us a little about your current work in progress?
Which one? I have several. Hahah. Most authors I know have more than one. Maybe that is why we’re all a little batty.
Magnolia Grove should be coming out soon. You will meet Cassie Long and Max Phillips, with Cassie’s story taking center stage. I will post a blurb soon. I am in the editing process on this one. I have also started the second book for Magnolia Grove. It will lean more towards Max’s sister, Sarah’s, story.
I am working on book One of the Leatherwood Creek Series during NaNoWrimo. There are several characters in this one. I have murder, blackmail, romance, cheating, you name it, in this one. Nick Buchanan and Megan Slater are the two main characters in the first book.
Finding Jake and Taunted Dreams are patiently (sometimes, not so patiently) waiting for me to get back to them.
When did you start working on this project?
Leatherwood Creek I started the week before NaNo started (November 1st). I jotted down some character and location sketches while learning how to use Scrivener.
What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?
OMG! Really? LOL
I don’t remember the name of it, if it had one. The story was about some guy named Mark who had a drinking problem. I don’t remember the heroine’s name that came to his rescue. I bet it’s horrible!
What’s the best part about writing?
The best part of writing is bringing characters and their stories to life and being able to share those stories with others. Also, it’s quite the reward to be told by a reader how much they enjoyed your novel. It makes all of the long, hard hours, months, years of writing, rewriting, editing, editing again, and again, formatting….I could go on, but you get the picture. It makes it all worth it. That nice comment, great review, or 5-stars, makes me continue on. A share and show of support is awesome, too!
What’s the worst part about writing?
I think the worse part of writing is the job itself. It’s hard to convince some people that it is a job when you’re not making good money yet. It’s the myths, the misunderstandings, and lack of knowledge. Some people think writing is easy. Heck, all you do is sit there at that dang computer all day and write. I wish that was all there was to it! It is so much more than that!

NaNoWrimo Has Started! Are YOU doing NaNo?

Hello, friends, readers and fellow authors!

Are you doing NaNo this year? I am, and I’m loving it!

For those of you who don’t know, NaNo is National Novel Writing Month. It runs through the month of November. Our goal is to write 50,000 words by the end of the month. It’s for beginners as well as professionals-anyone who wants to join it.

It’s about more than making the 50k goal, though. It’s about bringing authors together, meeting and making new friends. And, I already have!

Right not, I’m at 11,503 words. I am ahead of the daily count, yet behind what I had personally set. But I’ve stopped to help others, and that’s okay. We help one another.

I have to say that I’ve met some of the nicest people and made some good friends meeting other authors. Sure, it’s a lot of work! ALOT more than a non-writer has an idea! But we all love it. It is a passion, a driving force, we have.

And we love working our butts off to give you something good to read!

Amazon is Pulling Some Plugs

A post on one of my Writer’s Group on Facebook got a conversation going between some of us. It appears that Amazon is blocking people’s books that are based on already published works you can easily find on the Internet and those who are using the keyword “bestseller” when their work is not a bestseller and a few other things.

Sorry, but if you cheat or lie to get your readers, you are not a professional author in my opinion. Those of us who “play by the rules,” who try to do things the correct way, or if we choose to break a rule, at least know the rule, are offended. We put forth an effort to make our work as clean and as professional as possible.

That isn’t to say you might find a mistake. We are still human. Errors can be found in professionally edited and published books by famous authors. But, at least we do the best we can. We might can’t afford expensive editors or are not traditionally published (I am), but we still work hard for our readers.

We respect our readers and strive to give them the best quality work possible!

Call it pride, if you’d like.

Call it respecting our readers if you will!

~D