Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.
This week's three questions are great. I've decided to use Against Her Rules for this post, since it's the only novel that's currently out in the world. But no worries, I'll talk about the others soon.
How did you get the idea for your book?
Against Her Rules was a mad-dash Nanowrimo creation that came to life in it's first draft in just eleven days. Because I write by the seat of my pants, I had no idea when I sat down to write it just what was going to come to life. The only thing I knew for certain was that it was going to be set in Newfoundland, and my hero was going to be a hot Scotsman. In fact, when I first started writing Cam worked in the oil industry. But from the moment he popped onto the page, I knew he had the soul of an artist. How could I made him a tycoon? Plus, I didn't think Elsie would fall for an oil baron. Still, as I dug into the novel, I realized that this was going to be a series. I couldn't create a town like Heart's Ease, and a place like Elsie's Inn and just give it one book. I knew as I wrote certain characters that I was creating people that I would revisit time and time again.
How did you decide on the title?
With great difficulty. Sometimes titles pop into my head before I even start writing. And other times, the book is alive for eons and has no name. In the beginning I was going to call it Heart's Ease. I think that's the title I used in my pitch to the publisher. Then, once I'd decided it was going to be a series, I started playing around with different Heart's options. I think for a while Heart's Temptation was on the table. But once Crystal (my cover designer) and I started working on the cover, it came to me. I just looked at the picture of the couple, imagined that I was watching Cam and Elsie kiss for the first time, and it just made sense. Against Her Rules was born that day in May.
What motivated you to get the book completed and published?
Rejection. When I heard back from the publisher I'd pitched it to, and they weren't interested, I was dejected. And then I started to learn more about self-publishing. After a sleepless night spent reading and researching this new publishing opportunity, I made up my mind. I was going to publish it myself. Why? Because I believe in my stories. And I believe others will enjoy them. And perhaps most of all, it was finally a way to fulfill another of my life's ambitions. It's amazing what having a infant that you want to spend as much time with as possible will motivate you to do. And for me, it was made possible by awesome friends, and the most supportive husband a gal could wish for.
So there you have it. My answers for this week's Romance Weekly. Now I'd strongly encourage you to pop on over to LaNora Mangano's blog to see how she answered these same three questions. It never ceases to amaze me how every author has travelled a different road to get to our common destination.
See you next week!