My Writing Process and How It Came to Be

I keep seeing all these "how to" posts that will help authors write faster but no matter what I try or how often I try it, I'm just not wired that way.

I believe my approach to writing - slow and methodical, editing as I go, going back and re-reading to make sure all the details match up from one chapter to the next - stems from when I first started doing PR and was given an opportunity to write a press release. I had a time limit but I wanted to impress my manager when I passed it off, so I was meticulous about its content, flow, and pacing. The only thing I got wrong? The title (headlines are still a problem for me).

Then, as I moved up the ranks and I was the manager and became responsible for ghost writing technical articles that would be published in outlets like Computerworld and Business Week, there was no one above me to double check what I'd written before it went to the client for approval. I was the last line of defense in delivering something that wouldn't have to be re-written, which would have wasted their time and ours.

So it's no wonder then as I sit here with a chapter from Ruck Me open, I've gone over the first 1000 words with a fine toothed comb - not once but three times over the course of as many days. That paragraph about Aoife's career fair shenanigans? I've re-written a sentence four times to make sure it sounds perfect when I read it aloud.

The chapter where Eoin scores his first professional try? I watched thirty minutes of rugby footage - play, pause, rewind, play, pause, rewind - to make sure I described his movements exactly right. Eoin didn't just catch the ball and get over the goal line. He side stepped his defenders, strong arming them in the process, as he marched steadily toward his target, dragging two men behind him, his powerful thighs flexing with the strain of nearly 30 stone trying to hold him back before finally crossing that thin white line.

So yeah, that's why you'll never get a book every other month from me. Or heck, every three months. It's a miracle I've been able to write as much as I have this year.

Announcing a co-writing venture with Jamaila Brinkley

Last year I came across some really great stock imagery that sent my mind on a whirlwind of thought, and out of that came the idea for a series based on six different heroes who are all involved with food & beverage in one capacity or another. And from that kernel of an idea, a full fledged series was born. (Well, at least the titles and some ideas for covers. Ha!) 

When I first started talking about it on my super secret readers' group (which really isn't a secret - you can join here), everyone was incredibly excited, but no more so than my friend, author Jamaila Brinkley. We'd joked around here and there about how we should write together someday, but with very divergent genres, there never seemed a good, happy medium where both our talents could shine. 

Until that day.

Because you see, Jamaila and I have a lot more in common than just being indie authors. We actually go waaaay back - first meeting almost ten years ago - when we were both home renovation bloggers bringing historic homes back to their former glory: mine a 1910 Craftsman in Oakland, CA, and hers a 1920s family home outside of Baltimore.

So when she asked, by chance, if I was thinking about hooking up my new winemaker with a heroine who knew her way around a tool box, I laughed hysterically. Because you see, that's exactly what I was planning to do! And so a plan was formed. And now, several months later, she and I are working on a new book we hope to release later this year.

Introducing The Vintner's Vixen.

With movie roles for "curvy best friend" drying up fast, actress Angelica Travis is happy to be leaving Hollywood behind for a project she's truly passionate about: renovating an historic bed and breakfast in peaceful wine country. She's got plans and power tools ready, but an inconvenient attraction to her obnoxious new neighbor is NOT on the agenda.

Winemaker Noah Blackstone wants nothing more than to cultivate his grapes and win awards for his wine. But when construction on the B&B next door threatens his vines, Noah goes on a rampage - and comes up hard against the sexiest starlet he's ever seen. Exactly the sort of woman he's vowed never to get involved with again. 

Angelica and Noah might be able to resolve their differences over a glass of some very fine wine but when her opportunity at breakout stardom comes calling, all bets are off.

You guys, this book is going to be SOOOOO good.

It combines two things Jamaila and I are both passionate about and because of that, that the story is practically writing itself. As we worked through the initial outline every message I sent was filled with more exclamation points than the one before it. I'm not ashamed to admit that I must have written, "I *love* this!" at least 20 times.

We don't have a fixed release date yet - we both have several committed projects slated for the remainder of the year - but I would love it if we are able to get it in your hot little hands sometime in late fall/early winter.

Trust me, the wait is going to be soooo worth it. (Now you just have to be patient while we finalize the cover. )