It’s wedding season! I love hearing all the stories of how couples got together. It inspires me to write better because, really, there are a lot of overused tropes out there. I’ve overused them myself. Though I’m happily married, and I feel like my love story would make good fodder, do I really have what […]
Tinker? Tailor? Soldier? Sailor?
I should be writing. Seriously writing! I’ve another Christmas story deadline looming (about to whizz right past me). What am I doing instead? Procrastinating! Oh yes…and this. I’ve used up valuable writing time preparing that promo video showcasing my books. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly loved creating it, although I got little sleep the night […]
Sunrise, Sunset
I’ve been through the educational system. Not as far as my parents would have wanted, but I graduated high school at least. I took science and have read articles pertaining to geography and astronomy. I know how the solar system works and have always been fascinated by it. And yet, in spite of my knowledge, […]
What’s in a Name?
William Shakespeare’s Juliet asked the question “What’s in a name?” And yet, writers spend quite a bit of time wrangling with names. Truth be told, I just may spend more time pondering the names of my imaginary characters than I ever did selecting the names of my children. Surely not. Maybe. I’ve developed several different […]
Beach Reads: What’s Under Your Beach Umbrella?
Don’t you love summer? The sun, the sand, and oh…the beach reads! Okay, so some of us–me included–do not currently live near a beach. Still, the idea of long stretches of time curled up beneath a beach umbrella (or some other spot of blissful solitude) with nothing to do but read is so very wonderful, […]
Imaginary Characters: Ain’t Misbehavin’ — or are they?
Writers often define themselves as plotters or pantsers. Plotters prefer to plot out their stories — beginning, middle, end — scene by scene. We know what’s going to happen to our imaginary characters in our detailed imaginary worlds. Pantsers advocate a write-by-the-seat-of-their-pants approach to stories, following the lead of their imaginary characters or their […]
Come Plot With Me: Survey Results
Back in April, I invited Inspy Romance blog followers to come plot with me. Twenty-seven people took me up on my invitation and answered the 7 questions on the Come Plot with Me survey. This month, I thought it would be fun to share the first and second place answers for each question. There were […]
The Romance Heroine: Your New BFF
There’s been a lot of talk on Inspy Romance about swoon-worthy heroes. A good romance novel depends on a hero that the reader can fall for. Sure, she knows he’s fictional! But she can imagine falling in love with a guy like that, and she can definitely see why the heroine will do so. Being […]
The Perfect (yet sometimes stinky) Hero
Do me a favor. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath… and imagine with me…. You’re snuggled up in your favorite reading spot with a brand new book from your favorite romance author. The prose is just as you’d come to expect from said author, and the story captures your interest from that very first […]