My writing process.

MY WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR

I want to thank Linda Prather for inviting me to take part in this fun writing process blog tour. Linda is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling mystery author of two outstanding mystery series, The Jacody Ives series and The Catherine Mans' series. Both have paranormal elements and involve well thought out, imaginative, mysteries.

Linda studied metaphysics; delving into touch healing, dream analysis, meditation, and hypnosis. In which she received an associate's degree in metaphysics in 1992 and continued from there to become a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. She spent several years studying the effects of hypnosis on cancer and pain. She has also taught meditation, dream analysis and self-hypnosis through Eastern Kentucky University's Special Programs for four years. The power of the mind has always fascinated her and recently Linda became a paranormal investigator, hardly surprising considering she loves old houses that go bump in the night. 

1. What am I working on?

Currently I have a few projects on the go. This week I'm about to release End Result, the second book in the police procedural Hero series. So I'm busy sending the MS out to proof readers and also creating the files ready for my formatter to work his magic. I'm also writing the first draft of book 2 in my Romantic Suspense novella series, Lost Temptation. Book one will also be released next week once it has gone through the same process as End Result. 

Then I'm planning to make a start on my next thriller. This is an exciting idea that came from me via one of my fans. Sheila contacted me to congratulate me for highlighting the dangers of Internet Dating which I tackled in Virtual Justice, the 7th book in the Justice series. She thought a friend's plight would make a stunning story and I think she could be right. 

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

That's a tough question to answer, but I'll do my best. I think every author has their own style, yes, there are only so many times certain plots can be written. However, each author will hopefully put their own spin on things. I know I do. I tend to take most of my stories from current news articles and flesh it out, make the reader think a little more than they would do ordinarily. I love writing really BAD characters, that way the readers feel satisfied when my main characters track down and serve the antagonist with a dose of justice.  

3. Why do I write what I do?

The main reason I write thrillers is because I like to highlight all the wrongs in the world. It's my way of trying to right those wrongs, to make people aware of how many despicable people are walking the streets. I'm quite a nice person really, but once I start pounding away on the computer at a story, something seems to take me over. At the end of the day, all writers write for one main thing, that's to entertain the readers.  

4.How does my writing process work?

There are two main ways of writing a book, you can either fly by the seat of your pants. In that I mean, you start with a blank sheet of paper and just write until you run out of words. Or there's the more traditional method, where you plan out your story first, the start, middle and the end. I have to say I tend to mix up both methods. Whichever method I choose, the story can alter several times during the writing process. That's the beauty of writing believable characters who come to life on the page, who start dictating what direction they want the story to take. 

Who's up next? These three great writers. 

Cheryl Bradshaw is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author.Born and raised in Southern California, Cheryl Bradshaw became interested in writing at a young age, but it was almost two decades before she put pen to paper. In 2009 Bradshaw wrote Black Diamond Death (Book One: Sloane Monroe series). Within six weeks it entered the top 100 in two different categories and remained in the top 100 for over a year. Since that time, Bradshaw has written four additional novels in the series, and is busy penning two additional novels this year.In 2013, Bradshaw introduced a new paranormal thriller series: Addison Lockhart, the first book titled Grayson Manor Haunting.Bradshaw is the founder of IWU on Facebook, a writers group with over 2,000 members. In August 2012, Bradshaw was named one of Twitter's seven best authors to follow. In 2013, Bradshaw's novel, Stranger in Town, was chosen as a Shamus Award finalist in the category of best P.I. novel of the year. She was the only female nominated in her category.Cheryl Bradshaw's Novels:Sloane Monroe Series:Black Diamond Death (#1)Murder in Mind (#2)I Have a Secret (#3)Stranger in Town (#4)Bed of Bones (#5)Addison Lockhart Series:Grayson Manor Haunting (#1)Till Death do us Part Novella Murder Series:Whispers of Murder (#1)Echoes of Murder (#2) COMING SOON!For information and updates about Cheryl Bradshaw, visit her at www.cherylbradshaw.com, find her on Facebook on her Cheryl Bradshaw Author Page and follow her on Twitter @cherylbradshaw.

Marissa Farrar is a multi-published fantasy and horror author. She was born in Devon, England, has travelled all over the world, and has lived in both Australia and Spain. She now resides in the countryside with her husband, two children, a crazy Spanish dog, two rescue cats and six hens and ten goldfish. Despite returning to England, she daydreams of one day being able to split her time between her home country and the balmy, white sandy beaches of Spain.

Even though she's been writing stories since she was small and held dreams of being a writer, her initial life plan went a different way.
In her youth, inspired by James Herriot, she decided to become a vet, and would regularly bring home new pets to her weary parents. Upon discovering her exams were never going to get her into a veterinary degree, she ended up studying Zoology. Once she completed her degree and realised she'd spent the majority trying to find time to write, she decided to follow her dream of being an author. Seven years later, she was published and two years after that she was able to say goodbye to the day job.
However, she's continued to collect animals!
Marissa is the author of four novels, including the dark vampire 'Serenity' series. Her fifth novel, Underlife, a dark fantasy set beneath the streets of London, will be published August 2012.
Her short stories have been accepted for a number of anthologies including, Their Dark Masters, Red Skies Press, Masters of Horror: Damned If You Don't, Triskaideka Books; and 2013: The Aftermath, Pill Hill Press.
If you want to know more about Marissa, then please visit her website at www.marissa-farrar.blogspot.com. You can also find her at her facebook page, www.facebook.com/marissa.farrar.author or follow her on twitter @marissafarrar.
She loves to hear from readers and can be emailed at marissafarrar@hotmail.co.uk.