Four Intriguing Questions #BlogHop #Books @therealdelia

Hello and welcome to my entry for the fabulous frog blog hop! Thank you to Alexandra Anthony for inviting me to play. Please make sure to stop by her website!

1. What are you working on now?

I just finished writing the finale of my upcoming novel, Ma Chère Antoinne. It's been sent off to my editor, and I'll be making revisions at the end of the month to send to a potential agent. I'm really excited about the book, and cannot wait to share it!

2. How is your current WIP different from others in the genre?

My book is a vampire mystery/thriller with a good dose of horror and romance that I think will appeal to a wide range of readers. There is a lot of edge-of-your-seat action that keeps you hooked, but it's also very character-driven with some historical figures you might recognize making appearances. I've incorporated some elements of classic horror, and put my own spin on the vampire mythology that I hope people will find interesting and compelling.

3. Why do you write?

The short answer is "because I need to," but really, I've always written. I wrote my first book when I was five, and I've had a compulsion that drives me. I love characters that move me and plots that are full of surprises. I wrote the story I would want to read, and hopefully others will enjoy it as well.

4. How does your writing process work?

I'm a big planner. I have notebooks I carry around with me, a whiteboard for plotting on my office wall, and I make extensive use of Evernote on my iPad or iPhone whenever I see something that makes me think "Hey, that would make an interesting story or scene."

I outline everything beforehand, though that outline is always being revised as I work. I do most of my writing in the Scrivener program, and break up that outline into chapter chunks that I can use as markers for myself as I write. That outline is very fluid, however. Once I get into the story, sometimes a scene just doesn't work the way I envisioned it would, and I have to change or scrap or combine elements as I go. Sometimes the flow of the story just isn't working for me, and I find myself shuffling chapters around or adding something in that I hadn't originally planned.

I work two other jobs, so I have to keep myself organized and schedule my time carefully. I set aside at least two hours every day for writing. If I have more time available, I use it. If I'm busy, I might only have time to make notes or do some revisions or research. All of that is moving my story forward, however, and I know that if I am patient and persistent, I can finish it.

I also revise many times. With this book, I did at least 15 rounds of edits before handing it off to my editor. I want the book to be the best it can be, and that means a lot of hard work without immediate payoff.

To meet another fabulous author, check out his Q&A blog hop on the following website…

Anthony Hogg, The Vampirologist