Hi Donna, and welcome to RomanceJunkies. First, can you let us know what projects you are currently working on?
I just handed in my third Harlequin Romance, so I expect revisions are in the works soon. J Right now I’m doing up proposals for what to write next, but the idea is for a change of pace and an office romance!
How do you balance family, a job and writing and keep it all together? What does your writing schedule look like?
Balance? You must be kidding. LOL. I’m lucky in that writing IS my job. So right now, it’s balancing family, writing, and trying to do all the fun, stay-at-home mom things that I used to. My typical writing schedule is to check e-mails, blogs, etc. in the morning as my kids are getting ready for school. When I come home from the school run, I hit the writing and usually work from 9 a.m. until 2 or 3 p.m. Some days this is cut short as I still volunteer at my kid’s school. The beauty of being your own boss is being able to do stuff like that.
Do you develop one story at a time or do you have a few WIP’s in progress at any given time? When you write a story do you write from beginning to end or do you jump around?
I’m a very linear type person. So I generally work on one story at a time and one chapter at a time. My first draft is pretty complete, because I send a chapter at a time to my critique partner, and make changes based on her suggestions. At the end the edits are generally tweaks and fine tuning.
What are the biggest challenges you face as a writer? What is your favorite part of the process?
My favorite part is developing my characters and seeing possibilities. When the story is fresh and new to me and I haven’t had to curse and swear yet about why it’s not cooperating. LOL. Each section – beginning, middle and end – has its own challenges. But by far the biggest challenge I’ve found so far is balancing the business side with the “leave me alone and let me write” side.
What inspired you to write? Do you ever write about life’s experiences?
I’ve always been a writer I think. I used to write poetry and short stories all the way from elementary school to university. Then when I was whining about being “unfulfilled” to my sister – I was a stay at home mom with post partum depression – she told me to basically shut up and do it. I did, wrote a complete MS and got hooked. That was in 2001.
I tend to NOT write about life experiences. Any time I’ve tried that, I’ve been too close and I found it hindered my imagination. Those stories just didn’t work right.
Where do you get your ideas for your stories? Do you have to do any research for them? What is the most interesting thing you have learned?
Most of my stories start with a character and a “what if?” scenario. With MARRIAGE AT CIRCLE M, my September release, the characters were already in my mind after seeing them in HIRED BY THE COWBOY. But then the question was, what if this cowboy decided to settle down and want a family? What if he wanted the one thing Grace couldn’t give? And a conflict was born.
Writing contemporaries means minimal research. Or sometimes research of which only a small fraction gets put in the book. I know far more about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder right now than I needed to. The most interesting thing I think I’ve learned to date is about Special Forces and sniping. I had a great resource for that information.
Do you remember the day you were told that your book was being published? Can you take our readers through that day?
I have two call days. The first was the morning after I’d bawled over my husband about never selling. I opened my e-mail to an offer from Samhain Publishing. I sent out mass e-mails and immediately started revising another manuscript for them. Both of those books have been released. My Harlequin Call day was on a Friday in July, when I was thousands of km from home visiting my in-laws. I’d logged on to check banking and e-mail and there were two rather excited e-mails from my editor. I called her in London, she called me back and made the offer. After I jumped and screamed a bit, the family went into town and hit the liquor store for champagne. That night I celebrated by getting slightly giggly and playing cards. The torture was waiting to come back to Alberta before spreading the news to more than immediate family.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block? What do you do to relieve it?
I’m not sure I believe in writer’s block. Do I hit points where the words don’t come easily? Of course. My whole last manuscript was a struggle. Sometimes you simply have to keep writing. Give yourself permission to write garbage. And sometimes, when that doesn’t work, I take a couple of days off. That’s all. Sometimes 48 hours of distance and refilling the well is all it takes to breathe new life into a story. I did that with the latest and a problem I couldn’t seem to fix was solved while enjoying a glass of wine and an episode of Battlestar Galactica. J
Do you believe in “Love at first sight”? How did you meet your husband? What is the most romantic thing he has done for you?
I believe in a “recognition” at first sight. I had it with my husband. A sort of clicking. And I knew very early on that I loved him. I knew him for a few months before our first date and after that date, I looked outside, saw him and said to myself, “that’s the man I’m going to marry.” Four years later, I did. The most romantic thing he’s done? There are a lot, but the day I wrote THE END on my first ms, he came home with a gold watch. And I just received my first author copies, and he demanded signed copies for his bookshelf at work. That was romantic to me!
What age is your inner child? Why did you pick that age?
My inner child is 12. I don’t know why. She just is. She likes roller coasters and general giggliness.
What kinds of books will we find on your bookshelf? Where is your favorite place to curl up with a book?
I curl up usually in a corner of the couch or in my comfy recliner with my fleece blanket. And you’ll find a lot of Nora, all of LaVyrle Spencer, a variety of Harlequin Romances, my critique partner’s books (we’ve started a tradition of sending each other an author copy) Jane Austen, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy and a lot of resource books.
MORE FUN…
What do you feel is the sexiest feature on a man? How about the least sexy?
Are we talking physical features here? How can you pick just one? A fine rear view is heaven. But I like a nicely defined upper body. And eyes. Great eyes are a must. And on the non-physical side, he’s got to have a sense of humor and a sense of honor.
What is one snack that you absolutely have to have stocked in your house?
Every grocery day, my husband and I buy a bar of dark chocolate and split it. It goes with my weekend red wine. J
What are you favorite TV shows? Do you watch the commercials or are you a flipper?
I watch 5 shows. Thursdays I watch Grey’s Anatomy. Tuesdays I won’t miss NCIS or The Unit (which by the way is stocked with eye candy as well as being a damned good show). And Sundays are my favourite night. At 8 I watch Battlestar Galactica – my absolute MUST see – and at 9 I’m watching season 2 of ROME. I’m not a flipper.
Do you make New Years Resolutions? If you have made them, do you keep them?
Well, in 2006 I resolved to sell a book that year. I sold four, so I guess I kept that one!
Congratulations! And thank you for spending time with us today. It has been a lot of fun. Continued success with your writing.
