Hi Everyone! This is a wonderful traveling Blog every Monday where authors answer four questions and then
pass it off to other authors to share their views on the writing process.
I want to thank Katie Beitz, a teacher from Australia and author of ‘The Shadow Miner’ http://katiebeitz.weebly.com/ for inviting me to participate!
Q. What am I working on?
I have several projects going at the time of this writing. I’m finishing up with the graphic designer on my newest effort: “The Creative Writer’s Journal and Handbook” and it will be released soon. With all my work, I revise, rewrite, edit and then rewrite more.
I’m also about half finished with Book 5 in The World of Murder series. “The Taste of Murder” takes place in the Food Network world of television and cooking shows. Detectives O’Roarke and Garcia have a cold case dumped on their desk. Despite their objections that they ‘don’t do cold cases’ their Commander tells them that they do now since the new Mayor has specifically asked for them. Three years earlier a relative of the mayor’s was murdered and the case was never solved.
On the back burner is my historic novel, “Song of the Yukon” which has been side-tracked by the murder mystery series.
Q. How does my work differ from others in its genre?
It differs in the sense that it is based upon true stories about my family members. Alaskan homesteading at the turn of the last century and the roaring ’20’s in San Francisco. My mystery series came into being at the insistence of fans who had read one of my plays, a 15 minute mystery. They seemed to love my two murder cops and demanded that I write more of the story line in book form. I think that they differ from the genre in that the stories are based in unlikely settings; strip clubs, back stage on Broadway, cooking shows, etc.
Q. Why do I write what I do?
Ninety percent of what I write about comes to me and nags until I begin to write.
For example my novel about women outside of prison walls was brought to me while sitting in a visiting room of a state prison for men. The women I observed there were so compelling that I had to write their story.
I grew up hearing stories about my mother and her sisters; my mother was a single parent and owned a bar during prohibition and the roaring twenties. Her sister ran away to Alaska at age seventeen to homestead and write her music. The mysteries just happened; I didn’t plan it and never expected to be writing a series. But if you’ve read my blog, you know this about me: I believe that you must let it happen: be open to whatever comes; let your characters speak.
Q. How does your writing process work?
Whether it’s fiction, stage plays or poetry an idea will come to me. Then I begin to write it in my head. Then when my head’s full to bursting I sit down at my keyboard. I don’t write in order; sometimes the epilogue will be written half way through the novel. You might ask: ‘what if it no longer fits your story?’ That’s what the delete key is for. Sometimes an un-named chapter will get written and float along as I work…somewhere, sometime it fits smoothly into the story line. And of course I have post-it note tablets EVERYWHERE. A larger tablet at my bedside for those 3AM inspirations. I know this sounds impossibly scattered but it works for me. The important thing is to be free to whatever style works for you….it’s different for all of us.
On June 23rd author Ann Purser will share on Blog Hop!! Don’t miss it! Ann is a UK author who writes the Lois Meade Mystery series and I’m a huge fan!! http://www.annpurser.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS!
In addition to my twice weekly blog I also feature an interview with another author once a month. So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create! Dean Koontz 
will be interviewed by me June 28th in a two part sensational visit with this suspense-thriller mega-star.
To receive my posts sign up for my 
On the home page, enter your email address. Thanks!