I’ve hit that stage in my writing process where I’m thinking of the next series to come. Part of that process is creating the setting. I want it to be great, I want it to be authentic, I want it to induce nostalgia and a sense of home. But first, I have to figure out […]
Emily Conrad’s To Bring You Back and Four Regional Romances to Transport You Around the Country
Welcome Emily Conrad to Inspy Romance to talk with us about her new inspirational romance: To Bring You Back! I’m excited about this release! Who doesn’t love a Christian musician?! And I love to hear about regional romances! Thank you for having me! I’m excited to be here! I wanted to share about: Four Regional Romances […]
Behind the Scenes: Planning a Series
I, like most authors I know, have far more books dreamed up than I will ever have time to write. As I prepare to close the door on The Bloom Sisters Series (the final book will be written this fall), I’m in my happy place — planning my next series! I’ll let you in on […]
Welcome to Kitner, Texas + Free Book by Melanie D. Snitker
Have you ever been so attached to a fictional town that you wish you could visit it yourself? One of my favorite things about writing a series is creating the world that surrounds it. Instead of using an existing town, I like to create fictional places for my characters to live, grow, and love. That’s […]
Character Hometowns: Boone, North Carolina
I’ve been writing about how I choose settings for my novels, and I’ve also been sharing about how I come up with my characters’ hometowns for their back stories. For this post, I’m writing about my character Dylan Conner’s background in Boone, North Carolina. Dylan is the hero of my novel Going Up South. (You […]
Characters with Special Needs by Melanie D. Snitker
In my reading experience, it’s still fairly uncommon to run into characters with special needs, whether they are main or supporting characters. That’s why, when I discover one in a book, it makes my heart happy. I have a fifteen-year-old son who has severe autism, epilepsy, ADHD, and a speech impairment. So when another author […]
An Ideal Setting for Romance
“This place should be in a book.” Readers, has this thought ever crossed your mind while wandering beautiful places? That was how I felt when I first visited Montana’s Madison River twenty years ago. Soaring mountains, wildlife sightings, pine-scented air, and bright blue sky simply screamed rustic romance! So, when I started writing and needed […]
5 Romances Set Where The BlackTop Ends
Something extraordinary happens when you step onto a modern-day dirt road, doesn’t it? Like you are instantly transported to a time of simple living, where love is unencumbered by technology and city (or even suburban) life. The stories have the feel of historicals while remaining relatable to our present circumstances because it’s easy to believe […]
What About Setting? #Giveaway
I write in layers. That means, my first draft is mainly dialogue, character thought, and emotion. Once I complete the book, I go back in and add setting, description, movement, body language, and timeline. I used to weave my setting and timeline in as I wrote the first draft. Until my editor asked if I […]
When Characters Travel-Real Life Novel Settings: LA & Malibu #Giveaway
Hello Inspy Readers! I’m continuing my posts about real-life novel settings, this time focusing on Los Angeles and Malibu, California. While my first two novels in the Southern Heart Series are mostly set in Oxford, Mississippi, the characters do end up traveling to California. These West Coast cities are very far from where I live, […]