This week: Bullies, critiques and quirky habits…

Thanks to Collette Cameron for this week’s Romance Writers Weekly questions, and if you arrived here via, Carolyn Spear we appreciate you continuing the hop.

How do you respond to someone calling your writing smut or demeaning your work in some other way? I write under a pen name and only a few people know I’m published. No bullying yet, but I’m sure it will happen at some point.

Trying to change their opinion would be futile, but money talks and romance far outsells every other genre. Romance Writers of America estimated sales in 2013 at $1.35 BILLION. Sounds like there’s some closet romance readers out there! I’m sure my erotic paranormal, White Doe, is a secret on at least a few e-readers.

When critiquing or beta reading, do you ever find the voice of the other author creeping into your writing?

For me it’s the other way around. I’ve had to work hard at leaving their style alone and only correct grammar and punctuation. I may tell you that you used “was” six times on a page, but I’m not going to rewrite for you.

What’s one quirky thing you do or must have around you while writing?

I use an architect’s chair to write from as my dining room table is bar height.  I loving being able to look out the window when writing. In cooler months, I’ll burn a candle.

Check out  Fiona Riplee‘s blog next on the hop to see how she handles a romance bully.

Romance Writer’s Weekly is celebrating our upcoming six month anniversary with a big giveaway on July 29th. Grand price is a Kindle Fire, plus free books and more! Click on the ad for a chance to enter and win!

This week: Three words to describe my current hero

Thanks to Jamie Denise for this week’s interesting author questions, and if you arrived here via, Victoria Barbour we appreciate you continuing the hop.

When writing your novel, do you know how it’s going to end before you write, or do you write from start to finish?

Not usually. I’m a pantser progressing to a combo plotter/pantser because mega rewrites are a bitch. Still, I’m pretty open with plotting. I know the main conflict and the romantic conflict, but like working my way to the resolution. Plotting an entire novel feels contrived for me and robs my fun of surprises even if it means some rewriting.

How do the people you know impact your writing? Are you influenced by friends and family for your characters?

I realized after a couple of books there’s always a disconnect between the heroine and her mother. This is directly linked to my past, but was subconscious, as I never think, I’m going to write a character like a relative, friend or co-worker. I might pick a trait or two, but not much more.

As I said in another post, I worked in a male dominated company for years where sarcasm was the main form of communication. I really miss the snappy dialog and usually incorporate some into my writing.

Describe the hero in your current WIP in three words.

Heath Lancaster: Tight End, Tactical and Southern. For those unfamiliar with American Football the tight end is on offense and blocks as well as receives passes. They are flexible players with speed and agility. Because they block, they usually have a lot of muscle on the hoof with little fat because they have to be fast. And if you are a football fan you might know there’s a famous tight end with the same first name as my hero. 😉

Check out Brenda Margriet‘s blog next on the hop to see if she knows how her novel will end before she begins to write.

Romance Weekly is celebrating our upcoming six month anniversary with a big giveaway. Grand price is a Kindle Fire, plus free books and more! Click on the ad for a chance to enter and win!