Hi Everyone!
Today I'm sharing an excerpt from my interview with Romance Reviews Today. It offers an inside look at my writing process. Enjoy!
On Valentine's Day I'll be posting hot excerpts on the Amber Quill Press Yahoo Group and giving away a PDF of my wrestling romance, A Perfect Match. More details are on the loop here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amberheatreaders
And on Feb. 16th, I'll be a guest blogger on Shannon Leigh's blog: http://authorshannonleigh.blogspot.com/
I hope you'll check them out! And now, for the interview!
Q: When
did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I’ve always been writing
stories. When I was in high school I wrote short stories and plays for fun and
I took a lot of creative writing classes. After college I took a series of
Commercial Writing courses and learned a lot. The classes were great
experiences because I received a lot of helpful advice and feedback.
Q: Where do
you get your information or ideas for your stories?
A: I’m always thinking of new
ideas for stories. I have entire folders of ideas just waiting to be developed.
(I have more ideas for stories than I have time to write them!) I find ideas
everywhere – while driving, watching people at the store, from overheard conversations…
usually something catches my attention and I let my mind wander, to see where
the ideas take me.
For example, my 2008
release, Confessions of a Vampire’s Lover,
came about because I wanted to write a story about a vampire who falls in love
– at the beach!
Q: What
would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
A: I have two quirks. One is
that I write in several genres, including romance and horror. Some people can’t
quite understand how I’m able to write romances one minute, then create spooky
horror stories the next. (I like to think that one half of my brain writes the
horror and the other half writes the romance.) I’ve also written dozens of sci
fi stories and four non-fiction books, so I pretty much write everything.
My other quirk is that I
write everything in longhand. Every short story and novel all start out on
paper, then I revise and edit them as I type them up.
Q: What
was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
A: I thought I knew all about my
characters before I started writing ThePauper Prince and A Midsummer Night’sDelights – but I was wrong! One thing I learned while writing those stories
was that characters can surprise you and take the story in a different
direction. I outline my books and stories before I start writing them, so I was
surprised to discover a different (bisexual) side to both Prince Allan in The Pauper Prince and Julian in A
Midsummer Night’s Delights.
Another thing I learned was that I had to turn off my “internal editor” when it
came to writing some of the more detailed same-gender love scenes in each book.
A: I’ve been reading since I was
very young, so I’d have to say that every book I’ve read has influenced me in
some way. Some authors are great examples of voice, mood, or tone, while others
are excellent with details, plot, or characters. I think the more you read (in
any genre) the more you learn what works in a story and what doesn’t.
A: My family is very supportive.
My husband loves reading my romances and I have a few close friends who give me
feedback and suggestions on rough drafts.
I’m working on a few new romances (a paranormal and a historical romance/mystery) plus
revising a few horror stories.
In August, I have a full-length historical The Witch & the Warrior set for release from Medallion Press.
Until Next Time,
Kelli
