Romance Weekly

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask questions in the comment box."

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Welcome to my wee slice of Romance Weekly. Here are my responses to this week's jackpot questions:

When someone finds out you're an author, how do you handle the statement, "I have a story you should write"?

Oh, dear. I wish I could say I've never heard this, but it seems to me I have. How do I react? Well, I probably take on an expression similar to a deer in headlights, then stammer something unintelligible, and either get the hell away from the person or abruptly change the subject. If the person has a story, they should write it. I'm not a newspaper reporter. I write my own stories based on the characters who come to me and the things I feel deeply.

Do you write what you read?

Not really, but only because I don't have the ability. My first love is literary fiction and classic literature. Literary fiction is all about the writing and I think my writing style and voice are better suited to genre fiction. On the other hand, I do write some of the genre fiction I read, but that's really in reverse. I started reading the genres in which I write (Scottish and paranormal romance) AFTER I started writing it, to better acquaint myself with those genres.

People often mistake the lifestyle of a writer as glamorous. Give us the scoop, what about your lifestyle would shock your readers?

Where to begin? For one thing, I'm dirt poor. My first book will release in 11 more days and I've been told not to expect to make much money until I've got five or six books out there. I write at a tiny secretary in a tiny room in a tiny cottage in North Georgia. My house isn't as clean as I'd like it to be because when faced with the choice between cleaning and writing, I choose writing more often then not. To feed my family, I buy the cheapest cuts of meat I can find and make them last for two or three meals. Not very glamorous, is it? So, please think about this when you share a book. Except for the millionaire bestsellers like Stephenie Meyer, we make a pittance. So please buy our books. :)

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Thanks for stopping by. Now, go on to see what Victoria Barbour has to say in response to the same three questions. For a real treat, follow the whole circle around and see what all the romance writers in this group have to say. It's usually quite entertaining and eye-opening.