A Blog Hop For All Seasons

I am delighted to be invited to this blog hop by VICKIE McKEEHAN who is also my mentor and has helped me in many ways like teaching me about social networking and how to promote my books. Her novels, most of which I have read, are exciting and provocative page turners and I strongly urge you to read one.

Vickie writes romantic suspense. She’s the author of three distinctive, very different series of books, The Evil Trilogy, the Pelican Pointe series, and the Skye Cree novels. She’s just published her tenth book, Starlight Dunes, the fifth story in the Pelican Pointe series.

Vickie loves the outdoors, loves to play video games, and enjoys watching football with the hubby. She’s convinced the best food on earth is French fries. Whenever she’s writing she keeps two things on hand. Chocolate and Cheetos.

Vickie is a member of Romance Writers of America. She’s repped by literary agent Andrea Hurst.
You can reach her at: http://vickiemckeehan.wordpress.com

For this blog hop, we are requested to answer four questions:
1). What am I working on?
I’m working on my new novel, Portrait of Lady J. It has elements of history, mystery and romance.
2). How does your work differ from others of the genre.
My writing is based on my unique life experiences with a thought provoking message. For instance, my novel Pegasus, is an adventure/romance but also raises the issue of cruelty to horses and the plight of the American mustangs.
3), Why do I write what I do?
Writing comes naturally to me. There are stories in my head, just waiting to come out. People I meet, places I travel and things I do all combine to help me create the books.

Marilyn Holdsworth

4). How does my writing process work?
When I get an idea I like for a book I do a lot of thinking about it before I actually put pen to paper. Also I do alot of reading and researching. I keep files of topics and information that I think might one day work into my stories. I collect articles from newspapers and magazines as well as information I find on the internet. When I am finally ready to begin a book I jot down some start up sentences and paragraphs on a yellow legal tablet until the story begins to take off. Once the story has started to flow I transfer my writing to the computer.
I always know the general outline of the plot for my books and who my main characters will be before I begin to really write. But as the story unfolds I get more involved with the characters and new ideas come to me. My books never follow a detailed preplanned outline.
Many of my own experiences help me to create the situations and characters in my books. Also, I travel to see and really get the feeling of the places I am writing about. It helps me to create more realistic settings for my stories and better understand my characters.
Whenever I am working on a book for an extended period of time It’s very hard for me to shut down. It’s not just a matter of turning off the computer to end my writing sessions. My mind is so involved with my character’s problems and activities I find it difficult to put them out of my head. I keep a tablet and pen next to my bed. Often I will awaken in the night or very early in the morning with an idea or solution to a character or plot problem.
When a book is just beginning to take form in my mind, I imagine the general action of the plot and who my main characters will be. Then I ask myself: what if?
What if one thing were to happen or what if another thing were to happen? How would my characters react to these various situations? What if I introduce another character how will that change the direction of the story? I continue to question and try out different scenarios until I am satisfied with a general plot line. Then the book can begin and I always know its ending before I start.

For more information about me, visit my website.
Or enter my March giveaway http://marilynholdsworth.com/giveaways/

A word of thanks to the talented authors who are continuing the blog: K.P.Kollenborn, Valerie Douglas and JoAnne Myers.

KP KOLLENBORN
Although I’ve been writing since childhood, I have a BA in history. I love studying history as much as wanting to evoke stories. I like to believe that after decades worth of introspection we have learned to value our lessons, and the best way to recite our lessons are through storytelling. That’s why I love history: To learn. To question. To redeem our humanity. Submitting to a moment in time allows us to remember, or to muse even, our society’s past. Although writing can educate as well as entertain, yet what makes art incredibly amazing, to that of paintings, photographs, and music, it transposes emotion into another form of humanity, and therefore, it is our humanity which keeps all of us striving for an improved future. I have one book published, Eyes Behind Belligerence, about two Japanese-American families internment years during WWII, and am currently working on publishing a second novel which takes place during the last years of South Africa’s apartheid, How  the Water Falls, which I expect to have release by summer of 2014

I am fortunate to have been trained by one the top ten writing teachers in the US, the late Leonard Bishop, and author of Dare to be a Great Writer. I owe my love of writing to him. In addition to writing, I draw, paint, create graphic design, and am an amateur photographer.

You can find me here:
Blog: http://kpkollenborn.blogspot.com/
VcALERIE DOUGLAS

Author of Song of the Fairy Queen,
Heart of the Gods, Not Magic Enough and
The Coming Storm, Convocation of Kings #60 in Kindle store.
Valerie Douglas is a prolific writer and a genre-crosser, much to the delight of her fans. A fan of authors in almost every genre she writes classic fantasy, romance, suspense, and, as V.J. Devereaux, erotic romance.

Happily married, she’s also companion to two dogs, four cats and an African clawed frog named Hopper who delights in tormenting the cats from his tank.

More information is available at:
www.valeriedouglasbooks.com

JOANNE MYERS

Hello, I have enjoyed art since childhood. When not exercising my hobbies or working outside my home, I spend time with relatives, my dogs Jasmine and Scooter, and volunteer my time within the community. I am a member of the Hocking Hill’s Arts and Craftsmen Association, The Hocking County Historical Society and Museum, and the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center. I am a mother of three and grandmother of eight. I believe in family values and following your dreams. I am Author of Murder Most Foul,- Wicked Intentions,- Loves’, Myths’, and Monsters’,- The Crime of the Century,- Twisted Love, and Flagitious.

My website Blog: http://www.booksandpaintingsbyjoanne.com/page2