Assignment from hell or love of a lifetime?
Becky Gray thought her new job in the Public Relations Office of Buncombe County Hospital would be easy, but her first assignment takes her onto the front lines of the Emergency Room. Assigned to follow sexy Dr. John Grant whose reputation as a womanizer is only matched by his skill as a physician, Becky is caught up in a whirlwind of emotion and drama. Can she find safety in the arms of a man she should despise?
Explicit sex and some graphic descriptions.
Writing is like the perfect solitary sport. I believe that writers, like athletes, need to be prepped and ready before they can write. What are your routines/preparations before you sit down to write?
If I have any other tasks that I need to do on the computer, I usually do those before I start writing. Answering emails or checking in on my blog or Facebook are good examples. If I don't do those, I can't concentrate on writing and I end up stopping in the middle to take care of menial tasks.
Do you have habits as a writer? Always outlining? Never outlining? Keep a notebook with character information?
I don't exactly outline, but I skip around a little. If I think of a perfect scene, I'll go ahead and write it, then I'll figure out where I think it should go in the story and make notes about the events leading up to it. Later, I go back and fill in the blanks. I do this especially if I get stuck on a scene. It helps me figure out where the scene I'm stuck on is leading.
What was the inspiration behind this book?
The actual winter solstice was my inspiration. It truly is my favorite day of the year because it's the shortest. Like my character Becky, I look forward to the winter solstice because every day afterward is longer, and it's only then that I can start looking forward to spring.
Being that we’re now in full-out holiday mode, what would you like to ask Santa for this year? (And if you say world peace, we’re allowing the reindeer to eat your chocolate).
A big book deal would be nice. Isn't that on every writer's Christmas list? But really, what I want—and what I think every writer aims for—is to find that magic something that touches readers and excites them and makes them talk about what you've written.
What would a reader discover in your book that excites you? (Such as, I always have characters based on us old farts but usually they’re the strangest or crudest ones. Carolyn usually includes a dinosaur or two as a small memento of her childhood.)
Cars. I can't write a book without a car in it. It's important to me what my characters drive, and I've always got a sports car (sometimes two) in my novels. Probably because I've always wanted one and am stuck in the SUV/minivan stage of my life.
Did you always dream of being a writer when you grew up? Any words of advice to aspiring writers?
Yes! From the time I could string several sentences into a paragraph I wanted to write. I've got some silly/cute stories from my childhood that I enjoy pulling out to show people from time to time. My son is just starting to write stories, and he's really pretty good. Much better than I was at his age. The advice I gave him is what I would tell any aspiring writer: Write what's in you. Read what comes out of other writers, but write what's in you. And write it to please yourself, not other people. The rest will take care of itself.
Winter Solstice is available at Lyrical Press http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_25&products_id=414
and Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Solstice-ebook/dp/B005GX7OW8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1323659622&sr=8-4
Michelle, my child is also a beginning writer and her thing is to amalgamate storylines from her favorite books and movies into her everyday experiences. Which I think is lovely.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds like something I'd enjoy a lot. Definately going onto my TBR list.