The biggest statement I can make about my writing process is that first and foremost – I AM WRITING! But after that is where the joy of writing gets dicey–in a good way, but nonetheless dicey.

Before I dive in, here’s a quick shout out to my author pal Carlene Love Flores who tagged me on this blog tour journey. You can check out her entry and answers to the questions I’m going to tackle below by clicking here now:)! Thank you Carlene for inviting me to participate!

What Am I Working On?

My current WIP is a romantic suspense single title. Romantic suspense can include any number of story types from light suspense with 80 percent of the story focused on the romance, to procedural thrillers with the serial killer POVs to military or Special Ops themes. My current romantic suspense is 70 percent romance with a slice of mystery and magic thrown into the  mix as well.  No title yet, or at least not one I’m happy with, the story is set in a small town in southeastern Ohio. The hero is a rare book collector and the heroine is a rookie police officer. I also recently finished my first historical romance set in 1920s Chicago in the Bronzeville neighborhood.

How Does My Book Differ from Others in the Genre?

My voice (or at least I hope so:) — it’s the one thing any author should be able to count on to differentiate their story from any other. What I also strive for is a layered story with romance in the lead, with a mystery that is as strong an attraction for the reader as the main characters. Each character also has a huge stake in the outcome, but initially for wildly different reasons.

Why Do I Write What I do?

I love suspense. I love romance. I love sexy stories. I started writing contemporary romantic suspense a little more than a year ago and was fortunate enough to have excellent feedback on the story (Chasing Damn) and even managed to final in a few contests. But before that, I wrote paranormal and urban fantasy exclusively. Still, the genre I love, love, love! But suspense is a part of all good storytelling IMHO. And what makes it work for me is that I enjoy putting my characters in physical danger (as well as emotional danger).

How Does My Writing Process Work?

Easy. 1 2 3 Done! And how I wish. I get ideas from playing what if, and from research. Once I stumble on a topic or place or personality I want to explore I dive into character arcs. Then I write a dirty draft. Then I link character arcs to turning points and then I write a better dirty draft. Then I start editing in layers.

Next Week please  visit these authors who will be sharing their process:

Joy Daniels – A multi-genre author she is currently working on her new favorite passion. New Adult. She loves writing stories with angst and heart, heart-melting kisses, and happy endings, and is currently working on two New Adults series. The first, Running Scared, is about the daughter of a federal prosecutor, and the bodyguard hired to protect her from herself. The second series is a trilogy (Scarred, Burned, and Marked) about three friends bound together by a terrible tragedy and the scars it left behind.

Xio Axelrod – Philadelphia native and global citizen, Xio Axelrod is an author of love stories, paranormal mysteries and what she likes to call “strange, twisted tales.” Bitten by the literary bug in 2003, she has self-published two volumes of poetry. Her short stories have also appeared in e-magazines such as Oysters and Chocolate. After a five year hiatus from writing, Xio returned with the fiery Starstruck, a story about finding the right person at the wrong time.

Okay, please check out their websites next Monday to read their answers to these tough questions.

Happy Monday!