Sylvia Petter, a wonderful writer I met through the Geneva Writers’ Group, asked me to participate on this blog tour about the writing process. Though I met Sylvia here in Geneva, she now lives in Austria and is keeping herself very busy there. You can find out all about what she writes on her blog, Merc’s World . She writes literary pieces, short and long, as well as some steamy erotica. She is involved in organizing the International Conference on the Short Story in English in Vienna this summer.
So…without further ado, here are the blog tour questions:
1. What am I working on?
I finished the first novel in my Roanoke series, called The Mask Between Us, in early December. Then I sent it out to beta readers. Now, I’m doing some rewriting based on the critiques — I want to make this the best it can be, so I find it hard to pass up a chance to rewrite –rewriting is my favorite part of the writing process! At the same time, I am also working on a novella related to the series. Everything has a supernatural edge although I’d say this series is more dark fantasy than pure paranormal. It’s wild and crazy and weird. I’m enjoying writing it.
2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?
Ugh. I hate this question. I guess I’d say that when I write or read paranormal, I do so to escape from reality. However, my goal in writing is to create an escape from reality that somehow amplifies reality. My novels should (I hope) not only carry the reader along with the plot, but also bring up questions on a deeper level. Ahem.
3. Why do I write what I do?
I write what I’d like to read. The paranormal, yes, but also how the characters are flawed and human, how there is no clear cut divide between good and evil, and how men can be of interest romantically even if they aren’t overly possessive and borderline violent. (I see way too much of that in YA novels.)
4. How does your writing process work?
The first draft is pretty much spewed onto the page, completely written from my gut and not my head. I am not an idea person, so the first draft is extremely difficult for me and takes a long time to get down. The subsequent drafts, however, are more fun! I adore the whole process of wrangling with something that’s already on the page, expanding and exploring it. I’m a fanatic re-writer. And with every rewrite, the story changes significantly. I regularly ask my critiquing group for feedback (and rewrite after their comments). I also use beta readers. And I take what they say seriously.
Next on the blog tour: I’ve tagged two writers I’ve never met in person, but have had exchanges with over Twitter and Facebook and e-mail. Both Sutton and Susan have invited me to participate in giveaways on their blogs in the past, and I’ve found they were extremely generous and supportive. Let’s just say they give me the warm fuzzies. So here’s a shout out to them and you can see their posts on the writing process on their blogs next week:
Sutton Shields:
Sutton’s Blog
Sutton’s Amazon page
Sutton is a handbag-loving gal who LOVES to watch sports–football, baseball, basketball, NASCAR, you name it. She takes being a fan very seriously. 😉 She’s a dreamer, believer in the unbelievable, and author of the series The Merworld Water Wars. The first two books in the series, FINNED (Wave One) and OVERFALLS (Wave Two) are currently available at Amazon. Hook (pun totally intended): “Take a fish-phobic girl, divide her by one hot merman, add a splash of his crazy ex-merbitch, and you get one stinky school year.”
Susan Fodor:
Susan’s Blog
Susan’s Silver Tides Amazon page
Susan is a vagabond with a Theology degree, who spends her days fantasizing about happily ever after. Currently residing on the sunny Mid-North Coast of Australia, she spends her days completing the Silver Tides Series and caring for her daughter, husband and cat. With too many ideas and not enough time, the best place to find her is on social media—doesn’t that make a whole lot of sense?
Check out their blogs next Monday, February 17th!
katiehayoz.com 