I was invited to the Baton Blog Hop by aviation thriller writer Sandy Parks, a long time friend from the Kiss of Death mystery and suspense chapter of RWA. Check out Sandy’s award-winning novel REPOSSESSED, the first in her thriller series about a group that repossesses high-end aircraft. As her blog states “When the rich don’t pay, someone has to take their toys away.”
The way the blog hop works is that I answer four questions about my writing process, then pass the baton on to other authors.
So without further ado, here’s my bit.
- What am I working on now? I’m currently working on two books in a new romantic thriller series. I can’t say too much right now, since details tend to change as I write, but the series takes place in a fictionalized version of West Africa. The first two books are about United States citizens who get caught up in the rebel violence, and the choices they’re forced to make in order to stay alive. During the course of each book, the heroes and heroines also become involved with an underground resistance organization fighting the rebels.
- How does my work differ from others of its genre? Since I lived in West Africa for a time, I’ll be incorporating details from my experience to add depth to this new series.
- Why do I write what I do? I’m fascinated by what happens to people when they’re pushed to their limits. I like action. Life and death situations. Which is why the one attempt I made to write contemporary romance without suspense failed. I prefer to throw my characters into the fire and let them struggle for their lives so that their true selves can be revealed and they really earn their happily ever after.
- How does your writing process work? Usually I have the heroine and one key scene in mind. Then I start writing. I try to write chronologically, although if a later scene is very strong in my mind, I’ll go ahead and write that. The hero often changes at least once before I’m happy with the cast of characters. I do a LOT of revision after that first draft is done. With my current book, I’ve written several different beginnings and part of the book up to about the one-third mark. But I’m not satisfied with it. So I recently sat down and created a partial outline that I like much better. Now I just have to hope that my characters will fall into line. Because if my plan says go right and the characters insist on going left, I obey.
And now I pass the baton on to these fantastic authors. They’ll be posting on Monday, March 31st.
Interested in Da Vinci Code-type thrillers with Jewish themes? Check out my friend Ezra Barany and his award-winning, bestselling series. As one reviewer wrote, “The pages seem to turn themselves.”
Looking for romantic suspense with an espionage twist? Check out Lisa Hughey’s Black Cipher Files. Lisa also writes the Family Stone romantic suspense series and the Archangels paranormal series.
Thanks for stopping by!
