As a fantasy writer, I was asked recently by a popular sf/f/h blog to name all the sf/f/h fiction that was currently in my TBR pile. (This translates as: What Science Fiction, Fantasy, and/or Horror novels are currently in your To Be Read pile?) Readers are sometimes curious about what writers read–and perhaps even more curious about what other books or authors we read in our own genres.

As it happens… my towering TBR pile currently contains no sf/f/h, and this is pretty typical for me.

One reason for this is that I’m not a fan of science fiction or horror. There’s nothing wrong with those genres (and I have many friends–as well as at least one relative, my father–who write books in those genres); they just don’t pair up well with my personal tastes as a reader. So I seldom read novels in those genres.

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What’s your background and how did you get involved with ForeWord?

I grew up in a small town in northern Michigan, not far from where ForeWord is based. My family owned several weekly newspapers when I was growing up, so writing and editing is in my blood. I worked at the paper throughout high school. At Central Michigan University I studied English and German and worked as a reporter then a copy editor for the college newspaper. When I returned home after college I wrote for two regional papers, and then was hired by ForeWord. I was trained by our longtime editor Alex Moore and gradually moved into the position I have now.

How would you describe ForeWord to someone who’s not familiar with the magazine?

ForeWord is a review journal that is primarily for librarians and booksellers. We recommend good books from small presses that they should have in their collections. Because we only review books from independent publishers, we cover a lot of great books that you don’t hear about anywhere else.

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Recently I was asked to be guest author for a book-in-a-week challenge group. Of course, that got me thinking about my own writing method. I write two to four books a year, which means I have to keep working at a steady pace.

Long ago, I used to write slowly, then spend a lot of time editing. I figured out about fifteen years ago that I could write fast, then fix any problems later–if something needed fixing. But part of my process is to start each day editing the text I wrote the day before. That gets me back into the story.

A key factor that allows me to write fast is having an outline to work from. With an outline, I know where the book is going. Without one, I might write scenes that don’t really fit into the book. I know outlining is difficult for some writers, but it’s a skill that can be learned. And I’ve found that it’s a lot easier to fix a fifteen-page outline than it is to fix the same things in a 400-page book.

Even when I have an outline, I must think about every scene as I write it. Often my outline is very vague on details. It might say, “And then they escape from the psychotic killers,” and I have to figure out what’s really happening and if it’s even going to work the way I thought it would.

Also, I don’t think a writer can justify a scene just for “character development.” It’s got to also advance the plot in some way.

Since I’m writing romantic suspense, I must make sure that each scene carries both the relationship and the suspense. For example, if the hero and heroine are going to kiss or make love, they must also be thinking about the danger stalking them. Often, I also alternate scenes with the bad guys looking for them or planning what they’re going to do to them when they catch up.
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Well, okay, maybe not a license to kill. How about a passport? What does that have to do with writing? The passport is for a research trip to India, a setting I’m using in a new novel I’m developing, and I’ve never been to India. Whenever I am forced to deal with the government, I find I get lots and lots of story ideas that involve fictional ideas for mayhem and murder, and never so much as in getting this passport.

It’s not that I haven’t had a passport before–I’ve had three. But my last one expired and I wanted a change of name in my new one. Dropping my late husband’s last name didn’t seem so difficult. Though when I filled out the application, in the name change area it had two options: newly married and change of name by court order. Nothing about being a widow who wanted to go back to her maiden name, which by the way, I used all along on everything but my passport and driver’s license. So I filled out the application, dropped the hyphen and my husband’s last name and included a death certificate. I expedited the application and paid for overnight deliveries both ways to the tune of $190.

A week later, I got a call from the National Passport Agency. They needed proof that I was using my maiden name. So, at their instruction, I gathered three utility bills and set off for Fed Ex to FAX them. On the way, the main street was closed for repairs, so had to take a side street…where a woman opened her car door into my moving car. (And she acted like -I- was at fault.) Add the $500. deductible to the $190. And $7. for the FAX. Read more…