Friday - Daryl Devore is visiting and talking about Genres #MFRWAuthor #romance #medieval fantasy

 

Daryl Devore is visiting and talking about Genres #MFRWAuthor #Writing #Genres #romance #medieval fantasy

 

1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms?

Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices?

Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

 

I write many sub-genres to romance – billionaire, medieval, medieval fantasy, twisted fairy tale, urban fantasy, NA, rock star  and sports.

No, my reading choice is old British mysteries.

I don’t think I’ll try gothic horror. Horror stories are so not my thing. They scare me.

 

2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?

 

The hero was my favourite. But in my latest WIP, it’s the heroine who is being so much more fun to write.

 

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 

I am a pantser, so I have no idea who my hero is until I start writing him. In my rock star trilogy, I had no idea he was going to be a rock star. I just started writing the book. After I have a good feel for my hero, then I’ll search out photos to help me describe him.

 

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 

My heroines appear the same way my heroes do. I start typing and words appear on the screen and some are the hero doing heroic things and some are the heroine doing heroic things. Same as the hero, when I have a feeling for the heroine, then I’ll search out some photos of her.

 

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

 

In my rock star trilogy, the villain – Gan – started off creepy, but as I progressed into book 2 and definitely book 3 – he just got worse. One reader say she shuddered whenever his name appeared on the page.

 

 

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

 

 What Happened in Bangkok- book 1 of my rockstar trilogy – Two Hearts ~ One Love

Hero – Darien Scott

Heroine – Erika Bailey

Villain – Gan. He’s so creepy, he only gets one name.

 

 

7. What are you working on now?

 

AN earlier release was a medieval fantasy romance, The Last Dragon. I’m in a writiers group where we write monthly flashettes – short stories based on some prompts. I wrote one, looked at it and thought – I just wrote the prologue for a sequel to The Last Dragon. 

 

8. How can people find you?

 

My blog and Twitter are the best places to locate me. But there is also my newsletter to learn fun stuff about me and my writing life and writing friends.

Blog - Romance - Sweet to Heat

Twitter

Bi-monthly Newsletter

 

 

 

9. Who are your favorite authors?

 

Tw o British mystery writers – Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. When I need a break from the world, I will lose myself in one of their books. I have them all for both authors, and have read them at least a dozen times.

Daryl Devore is visiting and talking about Genres #MFRWAuthor #Writing #Genres #roance #medieval fantasy

 

1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms?

Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices?

Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

 

I write many sub-genres to romance – billionaire, medieval, medieval fantasy, twisted fairy tale, urban fantasy, NA, rock star  and sports.

No, my reading choice is old British mysteries.

I don’t think I’ll try gothic horror. Horror stories are so not my thing. They scare me.

 

2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?

 

The hero was my favourite. But in my latest WIP, it’s the heroine who is being so much more fun to write.

 

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 

I am a pantser, so I have no idea who my hero is until I start writing him. In my rock star trilogy, I had no idea he was going to be a rock star. I just started writing the book. After I have a good feel for my hero, then I’ll search out photos to help me describe him.

 

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

 

My heroines appear the same way my heroes do. I start typing and words appear on the screen and some are the hero doing heroic things and some are the heroine doing heroic things. Same as the hero, when I have a feeling for the heroine, then I’ll search out some photos of her.

 

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

 

In my rock star trilogy, the villain – Gan – started off creepy, but as I progressed into book 2 and definitely book 3 – he just got worse. One reader say she shuddered whenever his name appeared on the page.

 

 

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

 

 What Happened in Bangkok- book 1 of my rockstar trilogy – Two Hearts ~ One Love

Hero – Darien Scott

Heroine – Erika Bailey

Villain – Gan. He’s so creepy, he only gets one name.

 

 

7. What are you working on now?

 

AN earlier release was a medieval fantasy romance, The Last Dragon. I’m in a writiers group where we write monthly flashettes – short stories based on some prompts. I wrote one, looked at it and thought – I just wrote the prologue for a sequel to The Last Dragon. 

 

8. How can people find you?

 

My blog and Twitter are the best places to locate me. But there is also my newsletter to learn fun stuff about me and my writing life and writing friends.

Blog - Romance - Sweet to Heat

Twitter

Bi-monthly Newsletter

 

 

 

9. Who are your favorite authors?

 

Tw o British mystery writers – Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. When I need a break from the world, I will lose myself in one of their books. I have them all for both authors, and have read them at least a dozen times.

Friday Joanie MacNeil is visiting and talking about Genres #MFRWAuthor #BWLAuthor #Genres

1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms?

Oh, I wish my fingers would flow over the keyboard.  Contemporary romance is my genre, from sweet to sexy stories about new love and second chances, with a secret or two thrown in.

Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices?

No. While I read and write contemporary romance, my reading choices also include crime fiction, Icelandic Noir and historical romances. 

Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

Sci-fi, paranormal, crime and historical fiction.

 2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write?

Either hero or heroine can be difficult to write, to get to know. Once I dig deeper, and they begin to develop, the writing of them becomes a little easier. So no, I don’t have a favorite.

I don’t usually write villains.  My first attempt at writing a villain received excellent feedback which surprised me.  I didn’t think had it in me to write such a nasty person.  As I revise the manuscript I’ll probably develop that character more. And may write more villains.

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

Heroes come to me in various ways. Via pictures, imagination, a situation, either before the plot, and sometimes following a story idea. I must choose the right hero to fit my story. Some characters appear simultaneously with story ideas. Pinterest is a useful source for images and scenery. Visuals assist in opening up the character, picturing, almost hearing, them speak. Previously I’ve used magazines for inspiration for my characters to provide a little more insight. Amazing what a photo can reveal.

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

Much the same as for the heroes. A visual allows me to tailor a character to how I want that character to be. And add more substance to that character.

Your favorite book?

I have a soft spot for the very first romance novel I read. The historical romance, My Gallant Enemy by Rexanne Becnel, swept me away into another world. The story gave me the escapism I craved at the time.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

My hero and heroine, I hope come across as respectful to each other, that they at least care for  each other before the relationship develops further.

The villain I mentioned previously isn’t the hero or heroine. I’ve given him traits so that the reader can understand him better, though they won’t like him, and don’t need to. He definitely wants to harm the heroine.

Perhaps that’s why I liked writing him so much….he’s the complete opposite of my usual more balanced characters.

A characters in my novella, Mandraki Magic, is also a villain. My heroine can’t decide whether she’ll give him a second chance, or not.

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

My contemporary novel, A Traditional Affair, will be published in the near future. There’s no real villain in the story, which focuses on the two main characters who are from very different backgrounds. The heroine is Australian, and the hero a Scottish Laird.

7. What are you working on now?

I’m finalizing a short story, Dream a Little Dream, and my novel, A Traditional Affair, forpublication.

8. How can people find you?

www.joaniemacneil.com

https://www.facebook.com/romanceauthorjoaniemacneil/

https://www.instagram.com/joanie_macneil_romance_author/

https://www.pinterest.com.au/joaniemacneil/romance-author-joanie-macneil/

https://twitter.com/JoanieMacneil

https://bookswelove.net/macneil-joanie/

 9. Who are your favorite authors?

Historical: Elizabeth Chadwick and Barbara Erskine

Crime Fiction: Joan Hall Hovey

Icelandic Noir:  Ragnar Jónasson

Friday Reed Stirling is visiting and talking about Genres #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Genres #Mysteries #Intanglements

Genres?

Up to this point I have for the most part written literary fiction that hangs together sufficiently enough to be termed mystery or mythological mystery. Experimentation in other forms is just a keystroke or two away, but I would probably not attempt to write sci-fi, horror, or Gothic romance. Paranormal, yes. 

Reading choices > writing choices

I read widely, and have done so for decades.

Lawrence Durrell’s The Alexandria Quartet provided the impetus for Shades Of Persephone, my first novel, 2019. John Fowles’ The Magus gave me the Greek setting.

James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man inspired more than one scene in Lighting The Lamp, 2020, as did the philosophical musing of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Marcel Proust plays a part here also, as do Richard Dawkins, Emily Dickinson, and Albert Camus.

E.A. Poe’s The Raven, the musings of Charles Baudelaire, and the poems of Émile Nelligan are working thematically into Séjour Saint-Louis, a third novel slated to be published in early 2021.

The muse visits me most often when I read the novels of John Banville.

Heroes, heroines, villains, and how they come about

My heroes tend to be protagonist-narrators in pursuit of truth as they understand it or as plot and theme define it. Providing them with creditable personality, background, and motivation is not only challenging but also rewarding when things fall plausibly into place. Heroines present similar challenges; they often assume the role of muse, a muse with both feet on the ground, who exhibits carnal cravings along with the ability to inspire. I favour villains that arise from within the main characters and shadow their every move.

Simple observation of real people in real life exchanges (a young couple in a hospital waiting room, a tête-à-tête in a bar or restaurant, someone behind the wheel of a luxury automobile noticed at an intersection) helps in the general conceptualization of protagonists. Action (plot) reveals character, true; but frequently a situation I find myself on the periphery of demands specific human involvement, which implies decisions and consequences. A particular scene will give birth to characters whose voices demand to be heard, that man wearing a Panama hat or that tiny woman wearing bright red shoes. Imagination informs them with a personal history, with particular traits, with relevant choices, verisimilitude being the objective of the exercise no matter the setting. The character I want the reader “to love” may not be lovable at all. As long as he or she is interesting, has a voice worth listening to, and is capable of reflecting authentic human instincts, naughty or nice.

An idea or stated point of view might need a counterpoint, an opposing view, the right interpretation, the verifiable truth, or just plain obstruction — these factors will give rise to certain characters, main or supporting. Thus, antagonists come into being and help move the action along from crisis to crisis. Antagonist can be well-meaning in their contrariness or destructiveness. They can have malicious intent in their apparent goodness. A plausible personal history goes a long way towards giving them standing. Humanize them through voice, mannerism, idiosyncrasy, tic, flaw, aspiration, success, failure, halitosis, and size of shoe. A stamp collection might indicate how downtime is enjoyed. A black hat might just be in vogue at the time of the story, and not symbolic of a really bad dude with a .45 in his hip pocket. Eschew the stereotypical. A scar might be emblematic of love or a badge of honour. A penchant for odd-ball humour can lighten what appears to be nothing but dark. The antagonist can be a force-field of repudiation or disdain. A troublesome memory.

I lean towards mystery in my writing, with romantic entanglement an integral part of plot development. Greek mythology and literary allusion can contribute to the creation of prominent characters, the monstrous and the mundane equally. Further, reading other fiction can also be a great source for ideas on heroes and heroines.

Latest release

Lighting the Lamp, a fictional memoir. Terry Burke is the hero, although he would be loath to call himself heroic. Villainous, maybe. He is irascible but sincere, attempting in his retirement to come to grips with what his life has been. A quixotic Everyman, he is inspired to set out on an odyssey across the decades in pursuit of equilibrium and peace of mind. What he seeks in addition to understanding is truthful voice and the purest possible point of view. There are several heroines in this work; the most insistent is mythical Medea. The villain of the piece is the antagonist forces that militate against Terry’s achieving self-fulfillment.

Working on now

I am working on the final draft of a third novel titled Séjour Saint-Louis, where the troubles in a contemporary family mirror those of the tragic Canadian poet Émile Nelligan.

Favourite book

At present, John Banville’s The Sea. [So many great books, so little time.]

Favourite authors —

Contemporary: John Banville, Ian McEwan, and Richard Dawkins

Twentieth century: James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemmingway, Lawrence Durrell, John Fowles; recently enjoyed, Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending.

Default: Shakespeare

People can find me at

www.reedstirlingwrites.com

reedstirling@gmail.com

https://bwlpublishing.ca

Amazon Author central: https://authorcentral.amazon.comgp/home

Friday's Guest Frank Talaber Talking about Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Villains #Heroes #Heroines

. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms?

Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices?

Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

I write in many genres. Currently I have a Paranormal/Urban Fantasy novel just about ready to publish, and have two Science Fiction novels, a comedy novel, and a spiritual novel all on the go. So to answer the question; wherever my mind wanders. I've also written romance and erotica in the past. Any I wouldn't attempt?  Western I suppose; can't see myself writing much about dudes (or, to be politically correct, people) on horses. LOL.

2-4. Heroes, or Heroines. Which are your favorite to write? How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

I’ve created some greatly bizarre heroes in the past. Charlie Stillwaters for one. But I think I rather enjoy heroines. My current heroine is a detective, Carol Ainsworth. I like the fact that you have a character that is, or can be, as tough as a guy, yet can be soft, seductive and feminine as well. Makes for a more complex person in my mind. (Which, to be honest, to me females are more complex as in the ‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’ book.) My heroes and heroines are usually created before a novel is written, or at least right away after a plot is devised. I only seek pictures if there’s a book cover needed. In my mind I already see them as complete images.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

While villains are usually bad-ass people, I like to find some part of them that is humanly kind, or at least have a very good reason why they became the way they are in their lives. Or, as it is often said, there’s a story in everyone. One that’s made them the way they are.

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

My newest book, about to be released in the next month or two, is the first in a new series based around my detective entitled “The Ainsworth Chronicles”. The first of this is called The Joining. It opens in Victoria at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Carol Ainsworth has gone undercover due to two groups of Mafia coming in for a wedding, but the Canadian and American authorities have discovered they are there for much more than that. They intend starting a new West Coast drug operation, and as they are also Satanists, they will perform a grisly ceremony to have Satan bless this venture.

However in the past there was a curse established between the mob and the First Nations peoples of Victoria. A curse that now is riling up the ghosts of Victoria and as there are a lot of ghosts in Victoria (the most in all of North America) this is not going to be plain sailing for Carol. Quickly enters a hunky American FBI agent, who wants more than to check Carol’s credentials, and a hunkier Mafioso. Carol finds herself falling for the mobster. One of the mafia is found hanged in his hotel room, by, for all intents and purposes, what appears to be a ghost.

Another guest appears, mysteriously bearing a crystal skull. A crazy old psychic, Agnes Van Lunt, who says she’s there to help Carol investigate the ghosts, but is really there to solve an old abduction. It is then found that there is a vortex in Victoria that someone is using to transport back and forth through time. Add to this a First Nations ghost who is blending with the dead spirits of the souls living in Victoria’s sewers and The Joining threatens to escalate into an unholy merging of supernatural and urban dwellers that threaten to blow the lid off Victoria’s sedate and proper English image.

 A video made for The Joining

https://www.facebook.com/FrankTalaber/videos/1613967575337802/

7. What are you working on now?

Two projects, one is Book Two of the Ainsworth Chronicles, tentatively entitled ‘Who The Hell Is Agnes?’ Agnes has, for reasons we discover later, brought forward from the past Francis Rattenbury. Yes, the same fellow that built the Empress Hotel and British Columbia’s parliament buildings.

I’m also in the middle of rewriting, a spiritual/science fiction novel, at the moment called ‘The Ascension, Who Knew Buddha Had Such a Twisted Sense Of Humor?’ This revolves around the premise that the human race is isolated from the rest of the universe until we are ready to ascend into their level of being. One man, Roger Harrison, has to go through an awakening, which includes understanding and conquering his seven chakras. He is aided by an angel (that he has seen before in his life many times) that is stranded on Earth and needs his help as much as he needs her’s. The novel opens with Roger discovering that he has a chunk of alien metal in him, only to find that his close friends have as well. So begins Roger’s journey into his past life regressions and trying to save humanity from those that don’t want us to ascend.

8. How can people find you?

Where to buy my novels? Ebooks and Paperback.https://www.amazon.com/Frank-Talaber/e/B00UC407R0

Or Ebooks through Smashwords.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/29855

Or catch me at my Facebook authors page and sign up for my newsletter (ah, come on you know you really want to.)

https://www.facebook.com/franktalaberpublishedauthor/

Friday's Guests Gail Roughton and Jude Pittman #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Genres #Mystery #Paranormal

1.  What’s your genre or do you write in more than one?

Gail:  I honestly don’t think I have a genre.  An idea occurs to me and if I’m lucky, that idea sustains itself long enough to become a book. And that book is whatever genre it turns out to be, and is usually a mix of several, most likely paranormal suspense or thriller, usually with some romance, a good bit of humor (I hope), and occasionally a tad bit of horror though there has been one I myself consider pure Southern Gothic Horror. There’s even been a paranormal romantic fantasy.

Jude: It’s mystery for me. I do write romance, but even then there’s always a mystery component.  I cut my teeth on Rex Stout and Agatha Christie mysteries and the habit’s never lef tme.

2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

Gail:  See answer to No. 2.  I most definitely don’t choose my genre(s).

Jude:  It chose me, no question about that, drew me in and hooked me good.

3.  Is there any genre you’d like to try?  Or is there one you wouldn’t?

Gail:  I’ve never consciously picked any genre, I just follow along down whatever path the story and characters take.  That being said, I can’t imagine any story leading me along a pure sci-fi genre path because I don’t have the expertise or knowledge to write pure sci-fi.

Jude: One I definitely would not try is fantasy where you have to create an entire world as well as all the characters that inhabit it.  I have tremendous admiration for those who can do that, but it’s just not a place where I’d excel.

4.  What fiction do you read for pleasure?

Gail:  The older I get, the more I value humor, so I prefer light reads such as cozy mysteries or romantic/paranormal suspense with lots of humor thrown in.

Jude.  Mystery all the way; I read romantic suspense to but my very favorite read is a really good who-dunnit.

5.  Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing.

Gail:  I’m a retired paralegal who lived in a law office for forty-one years, during which time my husband and I raised three kids and I raised quite a few attorneys on the side.  We’re lucky in that our kids didn’t run away from home when they were old enough and live very near us, which means we have a very active role in our grandchildren’s lives; in fact, we’re Grandparent Day Care. Our grandson is 12 and our granddaughter is almost 6.  After retirement two years ago, I enjoyed staying home and doing nothing so much I was afraid my brain would turn to mush, so I started substitute teaching in my grandchildren’s school system. A good day in a classroom is like nothing else. And of course, the same can be said for a bad day in a classroom, lol.

Jude:  As you know I’m also a publisher, having gravitated to that after years of writing, publishing, then getting involved in marketing for myself and a bunch of other authors, and finally taking the leap into publishing.  I love what I do but I confess that there’s a lot less time for reading and writing for my own pleasure than I used to have.  But in place of that I get a lot of pleasure out of seeing our BWL books enjoyed by more and more readers and I get to bask in the glow of the great reviews our authors receive, so that’s a pretty special tradeoff for the time I don’t have anymore.

6.  Which of your characters is your favorite?

Gail:  I don’t have one, or at least, I don’t have the same favorite all the time, it depends on my mood at the time anyone’s asking.  It’s rather like picking a favorite child. Sometimes you might like one of your kids more than you like the others, but you still can’t honestly say you love one more or that one’s your favorite.

Jude:  Kelly McWinter has been with me so long and is so much a part of the 12 years I spent in Texas, that he’s got to be my favorite.  He’s the PI from my Kelly McWinter PI series, and he and I go way back to Texas in the 1990s.

7.  Are there villains in your books and how were they created?

Gail:  Of course there’re villains in my books! Every hero/heroine has to have an adversary.  But I can’t tell you how they’re created except to say they’re created just like all my characters are.  They just get up and start walking and talking and I transcribe what they say.  If they didn’t, I wouldn’t have a book.

Jude: Oh of course there are villains in my books. You can’t have a mystery without a villain.  Usually it’s a murderer but sometimes it’s a particularly nasty thief or a character everyone loves to hate – usually the boyfriend of a very nice gal you wish had more sense.

8.  What are you working on now?

Gail:  I’m not actively working on anything at the moment.  I have a couple of ideas I’ve scribbled some on, and both of them lean heavy toward humor, but I’m a slow writer, always have been.  Ideas have to sit on the back eye of the stove and simmer.  If they come to a boil, then a book gets finished and if that happens, the actual writing time’s pretty short, usually no more than six months.  But there’s never any guarantee they’ll come to a boil and if they don’t, then there’s no book.

Jude: I wish I could say I was “actively” working, but I am trying to get the 6^th Kelly McWinter PI novel, Deadly Ghosts, ready for 2019.  It’s a very slow process with a lot of other stuff interfering, but I am trying.

9.  What’s your latest release and how did the idea arrive?

Gail:  Jude Pittman and I just published a re-work and expansion of Sisters of Prophecy, which is a true genre hybrid of paranormal/suspense/romance.  For years, Jude wanted to write a novel starring a family ancestor, Ursula Shipman, known to history as Mother Shipman, a lady famous for making a great many prophecies.  As previously noted, paranormal’s kinda my thing, and mixing genres is definitely my thing, so she asked me to co-write the story with her, and Sisters of Prophecy is the final product.

Jude:  Gail answered that one just fine.  Loved working with her on Sisters and loved the end result, what a fun book to write and to read.

Friday's Guest Tricia McGill - Talking about Writing #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Writing #Genres

1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?

First up, I would like to thank you, Janet, for having me again as guest on your blog. I write in several sub-genres: Time-Travel, Historical, and Contemporary, but all are romances. I wrote one Sci-Fi, but that was just a side step from my favoured genres. Nevertheless Amid the Stars was strictly a Romance, albeit between a woman from Earth and an alien.

 
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

All chose me. I’ve always written whatever took my fancy at any given time.

3.  Is there any genre you'd like to try?  Or is there one you wouldn't?

Well, so far I haven’t come across one I would like to try, but that doesn’t mean that along the line I might get an idea and take off on a tangent. I like all my stories to have romance in them, and a touch of humour. For this reason, I could never tackle horror or even mystery. I steer clear of erotica, I guess because I do not like to read it. To each his own, and I have no argument with people who like to read or write it, but it is not for me. On thinking more about this question, I often think I would like to write Young Adult, but have never tried it, for having no idea what goes on in the minds of the young these days, I fear I would be severely out of my depth.

4.  What fiction do you read for pleasure?

I’ve always loved reading Time-Travels, and Historicals, and these are my preferred genres, but I read contemporaries by my favourite authors. I do love any story featuring animals, especially dogs, cats or horses, as they often play a big part in my own books.

5.  Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing.

I suppose you could say I have been writing forever, but my first published book came out in 2000. This book began life with another title, but is now Mystic Mountains, and remains one of my best sellers at Books We Love.

I still have a school report dated from way back, and the best comment came from my English teacher, Miss Steggall, who gave me high marks for Composition and Literature. She said, “Highly satisfactory progress, and very good promise for the future.” The only higher mark I received that year was for Art, my second favourite subject. I can recall my siblings telling me how good my stories were while I was still in primary school, so I obviously always loved telling tales.

6.  Which of your characters is your favorite?

Oh dear, I find it hard to pick a favourite. I fall in love with most of my heroes while creating them. Perhaps my number one would be Tiger, from Mystic Mountains. I always pictured him as a young Matthew Mcconaughey. But, I do rather like Jack from When Fate Decides, mainly because he falls for an older woman and couldn’t care less what the world thinks about this situation. As for the females, Leah from Leah in Love is my all-time favourite as she took me on a roller coaster ride of fun and mayhem as she told me her story.

7.  Are there villains in your books and how were they created?

There just has to be a villain. Perhaps not always an absolutely nasty character intent on death and destruction, but perhaps someone who wishes to upset the romance happening between the main characters. My Settlers Series contains more than one villain, the main one in both books being the military who were in charge of the poor unfortunate souls transported across the seas to serve out their sentences, and often their lives, in what was in the 1800s a mostly unchartered and hostile land. Being a romantic at heart, my villains must always lose.

 
8.  What are you working on now?

My work in progress is probably the hardest task I have ever tackled. Crying is for Babies traces a woman’s life through the trials of a childhood in the 1930s ruined by callous surgeons, to her lifetime of struggles coping with a disability brought about by this treatment. Part of her story takes us through WW11, and shows how an ordinary family coped with the devastation suffered in London. Having a loving family to support her, she overcame all obstacles in her path to become a marvellous, talented adult, loved by everyone. This story comes from my heart and relates the life of one of my dear sisters. This is why it has been so difficult to write, as there have been many hiccups along the way while I pause to take a few deep breaths.

9.  What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?

Powerful Destiny is a historical with a twist for it is also a story of reincarnation. The idea first came to me actually from a friend who shares my interest in Vikings. It started life as a short story then grew like Pinocchio’s nose into a novella and finally into a novel. I loved writing this one because it covers two of my keen interests, Vikings and reincarnation. I touched on reincarnation in my Time-Travel, A Call Through Time also as the lovers were reunited in the present. I believe that we meet up with those who have the most impact on us and firmly believe I have lived before, so it comes easily for me to weave the premise into my stories.

Friday's Guest Victoria Chatham Talking about Genres #MFRWAuthor #BWLPublishing #Genres Regency

1.    What's your genre or do you write in more than one?

I write historical fiction, but my genre of choice is Regency romance. I’ve always found the Regency era more fascinating than any other period of history, although I have to say I would only want to live in that time if I could be rich! I’ve written a trilogy set in the Edwardian era, another period I like because there was so much innovation then, both socially and historically. I have also written a western contemporary romance with an idea for a quartet of western contemporary romances still to be written. 

2. Did you choose your genre, or did it choose you?

I think it’s fair to say that I chose my genre simply because I read so much Regency romance and enjoyed it enough to want to write it. Going with the ‘write what you know’ theme I decided, after writing a really bad western contemporary romance that is still under the bed, that I was more comfortable with the Regency.

3.  Is there any genre you'd like to try?  Or is there one you wouldn't?

Apart from the western contemporary romance ideas, I have an outline for a women’s fiction novel. It’s been growing over the last few years, especially since I discovered Elin Hilderbrand’s books, but I’m not sure I’m comfortable enough with the format to take that step yet as it requires a totally different mind-set to writing historical fiction. I like writing in more than one genre as my tastes do vary so much. As for a genre I wouldn’t write? Hands down – horror. I’m easily scared by the merest whiff of fire and brimstone, either in books or movies! 

4.  What fiction do you read for pleasure?

Mostly anything that catches my fancy. I have books I go back to and read again and again because I have enjoyed, and still enjoy, them so much. A good thriller will have me reading into the wee, still hours of the morning and I’m currently working through Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books. I love the way he sets up his fight scenes. I enjoy westerns, both contemporary and historical, and love quirky, cozy mysteries. I think it’s safe to say my reading tastes are eclectic, but I do like to keep an open mind about genres other than my own. I think having a broad reading base helps me to be a better writer because of what I learn along the way.

5.  Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing.

I’m a happily retired senior, two-time breast cancer survivor, mother and grandmother. I have three children who are all now in their fifties and I wonder – just how the heck did that happen? My eldest son and his wife have two boys and I look forward like crazy to visiting them in England whenever I can. I’ve lived in Canada for twenty-eight years now and I’ve been writing steadily for twenty of them. My late husband was the catalyst I needed to ‘face the fear and do it anyway’! He not only signed me up for an introductory writing course but entered me into a writing competition as well. I placed fourth in that competition and won  a one-hundred dollar prize. He bought me a typewriter and then a computer which was a total surprise. He knew nothing about computers but enlisted the aid of a friend who did, and the rest is history.

6.  Which of your characters is your favorite?

That’s a tough question because there are aspects of all my characters that I really like, but I think my favorite hero is Captain Drake O’Hara from His Ocean Vixen. Drake has been brought up a gentleman but there is a streak of the bad boy in him and I had a lot of fun writing him. As far as my heroines are concerned, Tilly McCormack from Brides of Banff Springs is my favorite. She has nothing at the start of the book but gains friends and a sweetheart as the story progresses, so there is a happy ending.

7.  Are there villains in your books and how were they created?

Oh, villains! I have such trouble making them villainous enough, but they are there in each of my books. I don’t think anyone, real or imaginary, is born bad and I always have to have a reason for my villains (or villainesses) to be the way they are. Then I get to feel a bit sorry for them and soften them somewhat, but they need to be there to sharpen the conflicts in my books.

8.  What are you working on now?

Revisions on my Regency Berkeley Square series. I’m not a fast writer and thought that the time between the release of His Dark Enchantress (2013) and His Ocean Vixen (2016) might affect sales of Book 3. I am very impressed with my publisher, BWL Publishing Inc, for allowing me to freshen up these two titles. His Dark Enchantress was reissued in August and His Ocean Vixen will be reissued this month. They have new covers of which I am very proud and have to thank cover designer Michelle Lee for creating them.

9.  What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?

The latest release will be His Unexpected Muse, Book 3 in my Berkeley Square series, and will be available in March, 2019. The characters from His Ocean Vixen and for this book all came out of His Dark Enchantress. All these characters were so obtrusive in that book that I promised them their own stories. The series title came about because at some point in each story the characters find themselves visiting Lord Lucius Clifton in his Berkeley Square, London, home.