I've Been Tagged!

I'm in the middle of promoting authors (you should be able to look back at Pauline's and Jackie's if you missed them), but I was just tagged by a fellow blogger, so I'd better answer the questions! I'm writing the answers on Sunday night, but Jackie's post is due to go up by the end of the day, so I'll schedule this post for Wednesday. By the way, thanks to Isabella Louise Anderson for tagging me. And at the end of this post, I'm supposed to tag three others. :-)Here are the questions:

• What are you working on? Well...since I started a part-time job last month, I've found it a challenge to find time to write. Typically I write in the morning, but now I'm up at 5:00 and at work by 7:00 two or three times a week. However, that doesn't answer the question. I've begun writing what I hope will be a companion novella to Best Seller, tentatively titled Captured! It's a Kitty Kelly-esque tell-all about Maryana Capture, the author featured in Best Seller. But as I've only written a couple thousand words so far, there's a lot of work left.

• What have you worked on recently? Marketing! A writer's work doesn't end with the publication of a new novel. I sent gift copies to book bloggers who have read some or all of my previous books, I established a "Review Crew" to get early reviews posted on Amazon, and I've booked five book readings/signings for the coming months. This is exciting - I'm thrilled to travel around our little state and meet new readers.

• Why do you write what you do? I’m greatly inspired by some excellent authors - Elizabeth Strout, Wally Lamb, Anna Quindlen. Lamb especially has moved me with his books about hope and despair...and hope. When I say I write "Real True Fiction," I mean that I hope to resonate with every reader, even if in very different ways. There is always an element of truth in my novels.

• How does your writing process work? I've learned that plotting and outlining are good things! From the small kernel of truth that blossoms into a story, I do some rough plotting in a spiral notebook, usually in a quiet place. I have used spreadsheets to establish my characters' traits. In my perfect world, three hours of non-stop writing every morning gets me where I want to be. I do write fast, but I edit slow.

And now I get to tag three people! Elizabeth Marx, Heather McCoubrey, and Laura Chapman, you're all IT!