Wow, it’s been a while since my last blog post, yet it seems like yesterday. This past year has gone by so fast. I’ve enjoyed time with my family, working full-time with wonderful co-workers, preparing for publication in my spare time, and recently elected President of my local RWA Chapter.
This past October, I attended my third conference at Emerald City Writers Conference. My critique partner and I took advantage of every workshop and networking with fellow authors, agents, and editors. From seven a.m. to midnight every day, was jammed packed full of learning and fun. When you do something you are passionate about, the best word choice to describe it is F. U. N.
Three years ago, I didn’t know a single author… today I’ve met hundreds of them. Just let me say, they are the best group of women and men I have ever met. Authors are eager to share their knowledge and provide support where no one else can. After all, only an author can understand, hearing voices doesn’t mean schizophrenia.
I’ve been diligently learning the craft of writing and attending other workshops like Mary Buckham’s Active Settings and Margie Lawson’s Deep Editing online series. Mystery versus suspense is an area I’ve had to learn the difference between. I’ve found I want to write stories that are somewhere in-between. Mysteries are slower paced, paying attention to detail as clues are unveiled. Suspense is fast paced constant in-the-seat-of-your-pants action. On top of that, I throw in a romance between the hero and heroine. Since I’m not one to follow the rules—so much as understanding why there are rules to begin with—I’ve created novels that I call romantic suspense with an air of mystery. I like the surprises and whodunit aspect of mysteries yet, I crave a bit of fast-paced action. You’ll get both in my novels.
Since my first manuscript was complete, I decided to edit my third stand alone novel, Synergy, for publication first. With the heart of an entrepreneur, Indie publication (independent self-publishing) was my first choice. Not because I don’t want traditionally publishing someday, but because I want control over my work and want to see where I can take it. This past month, I had my first photo shoot to get a head shot (see About the Author page) for my blog, book covers, and social media. My daughter accompanied me and we had an absolute blast. The pictures turned out wonderful, depicting an air of romance and suspense. Believe me when I say, I wish I could look that good on a daily basis.
