I often get the question, “When is the next book coming out?” by folks who enjoy my work. It’s a question that is flattering and yet ties my tummy in a bundle of knots. Trust me, I wish I could crank out four to five books a year. It’s not like I don’t have an abundance of ideas floating around in this head of mind. Or I don’t have secondary characters from other books that are nagging me to have their stories told. Because I do and it’s a glorious thing!
What I’m finding is that with each book I’m learning new things about my craft. Ways to improve my writing so that I can produce my best work. One of the things I’ve been doing when starting a new project are in-depth character profiles so I can dig deep and get to know my characters. When I put them on paper I want the reader to feel like they know them. To connect with them. Empathize with them. Like them. Heck, even if they despise them that’s a good thing, too!
Once this is done, I listen to an audio book by Gwen Hayes titled Romancing The Beat. It’s a wonderful resource that takes authors through the important elements of writing an engaging story.
Then there’s the research. I want my work to be believable. That means knowing a little bit of something about a subject. For instance, in my short story Baby Love, I had to research the adoption laws in North Carolina. And in Seductive Nights, what would be legally required in Pennsylvania to have a father’s name placed on a child’s birth certificate years after the birth of the child.
And guess what else y’all? Things like work, my family, being active in my sorority, and a host of other things are competing for my time. Even though I have a writing schedule and I try my best to stick to it; all it takes is for one of the aforementioned things to get derailed and go out of whack. BAM! Just like that I’m off schedule.
Because I want to give those of you who enjoy reading my work the best story I can, it’s going to take longer than I would like. Please know that I appreciate you hanging in there and waiting for me to release the next book. 🙂
Love y’all!
Until next time,
Suzette
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