Romance Author Hotspot

Our midweek blog-party-guest is Jane Toombs, please join us in welcoming her!

Sometimes I wonder:

If any writer really knows what she or he is doing?   Occasionally we think we know, but do we? My first two gothics I wrote pantserwise and my agent sold them.   (I had an agent though a lucky fluke.)  The third book didn’t interest anyone. Then, by another stroke of luck I learned what synopses were and sold a fourth book on three chapters and a synopsis.  What I learned from that was that not only did a writer not have to write the entire book for a sale, but that a synopsis made the book far easier to write.  I also learned why the third book hadn’t sold by trying to write a synopsis for it.  Incoherent was the word for that plot.  So I wrote a new synopsis, rewrote and the book sold.  That’s when I realized I was a far better writer as a plotter than as a pantser.  I truly admire those authors who can and do write good books by the seat of their pants.   But I need that synopsis.

If writers are born or created by themselves or others?  I now believe I was not only created genetically by my father, but he deliberately encouraged me to become a writer by telling me that, yes, he’d teach me to use his big old L.C. Smith typewriter if I wrote him a story every time I used it. I was about seven at the time and it never occurred to me I couldn’t write a story—after all I read them.  He then used the perfect method of critiquing by telling me each story was good, but there were ways to make it even better.  Even at that young age I could see he was right, so, since he’d already praised the story, I had no problem making changes.  This taught me to listen to editors.  (Not that all of them are right all the time!)

If any writer is quite normal, including me?  Hey, we work long hours, sometimes for not much monetary return.  We also get some of our kicks from typing words onto a screen.  Also we’re doing this in the hope that some publisher will like it enough to buy it.  We want readers to enjoy what we’ve created and we get depressed when some don’t.  And yet we wouldn’t give up what we’re doing for anything.

BLURB:  Forced to marry a man she dislikes, Donella is frightened, but relieved when the terrifying call of “Pirates!” ends her wedding. She’s rescued by a never-forgotten man she’s seen only once before. But can he keep her safe from either the pirates–or her new husband?

You can find more from Jane on her website (JaneToombs.com).  And if you were hoping for a giveaway, you’re in luck!  Jane is offering:

“Deception’s Bride ebook to a random selected chatter  Also anyone who goes to my website, clicks on my email and asks   for a read-only CD with excerpts of  all my recent books will be sent one if you give me your snailmail address.”