Here we go again! Thanks to Meggan Connors for this week's questions.
Do you have a recurring theme in your work, either intentional or unintentional? What is it and why do you think you chose that theme?
If my books have a theme, it's totally unintentional. I'm wracking my brain right now trying to even think what it might be. Oh. How about fun? Yea. Falling in love can be fun. Sure, it's also full of lust, and self-doubt, and questions, and a little conflict. But without fun, what's the point? All of my characters recognize in each other something that just clicks. Something that makes them comfortable to be themselves, in all their odd ways. Something that makes it okay to laugh at one's self, and laugh in the moment.
Do you carefully plot your stories, or do you plot as your write? Why do you think this particular ethos works for you?
Hahahahaha. I'm a total plot as I go gal. I learned my lesson with pre-plotting with my most recent draft of 21st Century Rake. In my head I had it all worked out. It was going to be a high concept book, and this would happen, and then this, and then this. Of course, what that did was keep me hijacked for about three months as I struggled to find my way through the book. The moment I stopped thinking about what was supposed to happen, and just followed my gut and let the characters tell their story, then everything just fell in to place. I wish I could make an outline, and then sit down and follow it to a T. But I can't. For me, each scene I write provides the inspiration for the next. If I go into a scene with expectations and my characters don't behave, I have to let them go. Sounds funny, I know. But sometimes I'm writing stuff and I'm surprising myself by what comes out. Let's just chalk that up to a scattered imagination that likes to think on its feet.
Is there a particular genre (within Romance) that you could never write? Why?
I'll never say never. My only current rule (and rules are meant to be broken, right? Just ask Elsie Walsh!) is that my work needs to have a Newfoundland connection. That opens me up to all sorts of sub-genres. I think this is a deadly setting for a paranormal romance, and there's certainly enough material for an intriguing romantic suspense. As for historical romance, well, my languishing Regency novel is a sure sign that I have more in mind than just contemporary romances. I think I'd have a hard time writing erotica, just because I find my sex scenes the hardest to write. But that doesn't mean I'm ruling it out. Hopefully I have a long writing career ahead of me, so who knows what I'll try my hand at before all is said and done.
And there you have it. Another week of quick entertainment for you. Now why not hop on over to Katie O'Connor's blog and see what she had to say to these same questions. See you next week!