This week … inner life and changing readers lives…

How does your writing impact your inner life?

Writing is my shrink. LOL. I’ve always had a restless undercurrent in my soul. Stories have always rumbled around in my head. During childhood years, I put them to the page, but later a thin skin and the red pen drove me from the craft. I dabbled in music, then art and though I was much better at art neither sated me.
Several years ago, a particular story nagged at me. With nothing left to do, I decided to exercise the tale. A year or so later, I’d written a book! Since that time, writing has become like a soul mate.

How do you hope your books affect your readers?

A scene in one of Diana Gabaldon’s books comes to mind. Claire found out her true love, Jamie, hadn’t died in the battle as she thought and traveled back in time to find him again. They’d just reunited when **spoiler alert** his wife barged in! Gasp! I pitched the book across the room and ranted the rest of the evening.
That’s what I love about the romance genre, as bad as it gets, there’s got to be a happily ever, so I returned to finish the book. I’d love to evoke that level of emotion in my readers. Writing is my escape, so if readers feel they’ve entered another world when reading my stories, then I’ve done my job.

Has anyone ever told you your book changed their life? If so, how?

No, but I only have a novella published to date. However, I’ve been told they went home and jumped their spouse’s bones. So, I suppose I affected them in a special way! 😉

Thanks to Nina Mason for this week’s Romance Weekly questions. Please click on Amy Jarecki  to see how writing affects her inner life. I love hearing from you!