So, I have my good friend and fellow author, Jill Corddry, to thank for tagging me as a participant in a “blog tour.” Now, as you can see, I don’t get to blogging much. It’s one of those things that I struggle with, so perhaps it is a blessing to have such motivated people in my life who kick me in the rear from time to time and tell me to get back online and write something. So, before I proceed, I ask that you check out Jill’s blog and her incredible writing (click here). You may even notice my name in a few stories!
So, here goes:
- What am I working on?
Well, although it is slow going, I am plugging away at a sequel to Changed. I love the story and the characters so much, but the topic of Revelation has always frightened me a bit, so my Type A personality is struggling to get it “just so.” The cryptic nature of the Book of Revelation can really make for some wonderful stories born out of imagination, but people are often resolute on how they see the end times going down, and that makes difficult to get a new story out there, especially with the Left Behind series being so popular (I had one woman tell me that my story didn’t make sense to her because it didn’t follow the plot of Left Behind). Well, one of the main reasons I wrote Changed was to get people thinking and talking about how God doesn’t always do things the way we expect Him to, and I plan to continue in that tradition with the sequel (yet unnamed).
- How does my work differ from others in its genre?
Haha! This is my favorite question! I have been told that I am “too Christian” for mainstream markets, and too “worldly/liberal” for Christian markets, so I guess that puts my writing somewhere between that of a sinner and a saint. I’m not sure about you, but I think that’s where most of us live our lives—I know that’s where I spend the majority of my time, at least—which I think is the reasons many of my readers tell me they relate so well to Maddy. Of course, I joke that my next project should be to write a story entitled “50 Shades of Amish Vampires.” I could launch myself into a whole new genre and create a crossover market legacy! lol!
- Why do I write what I do?
The simple answer? Because I feel lead to write these stories. I know it sounds crazy, but when I was writing Changed, I felt overpowered by something greater than myself that was speaking to me, guiding me, and placing an urgency on my soul to get that story out there. Some may call it a muse, I call it the Holy Spirit. I can’t explain it in any other way. As with anything I write, I want it to be for the glory of God, and I write out of love for Him, but I also want my stories to speak to people who may not believe in Him, without the sense that I am trying to force Christianity upon them. I desire to write in a way that people, regardless of background or belief, can still enjoy the story, and perhaps get just a little mystery, joy, and a whole lot of hope from what they’ve read.
- How does my writing process work?
Well, right now my writing process is sporadic at best (on a side note, does anyone else’s brain immediately go to the movie “Clueless” whenever they hear the word sporadic, or is it just me? Lol). I have been known to hide in my bedroom (when the hubby is home to watch the kiddos) or escape to Starbucks. Stephen King, in his book “On Writing,”—which if you haven’t read it, get it now—says that you should set aside a quiet space inside your home meant only for writing. Stephen King obviously did not write this statement with two young children running around!
Despite it all, I am finding some quiet time here and there, and that’s the best I can do for now. I have never successfully completed NaNo, nor do I set a certain time away daily to write. When I can, I am usualy daydreaming while listening to music in the car, or working on plot twists while out for a run, and much like my friend Jill, I hear the voices of my characters in my head–for which I thank God that I am a writer, or my family might have me committed!
I apologize for this post being so short and sweet. I am happy to answer more questions in the comments section if you think of any you are dying to ask. Be sure to check out these other fantastic bloggers I’ve tagged below. They will be our next participants in the blog tour, posting next week, on or about October 13! Don’t worry, I’ll remind you to wander over there, in case you forget!
God Bless!
Scarlet
Bio: I’m a Christian. I’m a mom. I’m tattooed. I swear, sometimes. I have no filter. I’m sarcastic. I’m getting divorced. I’ve been to hell and back. I’ve done anything to survive. I love Jesus. I could be you.
I didn’t plan to be a writer. Even though I majored in English in college, I never enjoyed writing
assignments. I actually think it had more to do with being told what to write, rather than the writing itself.
Before she died, my mom asked me to write a book. At the time my boys were very small, and the notion of writing was unfathomable. I couldn’t get a grocery list put together!
Before my father died, he reminded me that Mom had asked me to write a book. At the time the boys were in college, and the notion of writing was unfathomable. Writers write books. By the time my boys were adults, I’d run out of excuses. I was also at that age when I could pause and reflect.
K. A. Veatch 
By the way, its about time you went back to work on the blog and writing!