MY WRITING PROCESS BLOG TOUR

The lovely and talented, KristineAsselin, invited me to take part in the “My Writing Process” Blog Tour. You can learn all about her writing process here. It’s an ongoing tour in which authors give a little insight into what makes them tick, what they are working on and why. We  are given four question to answer, then pick-up three authors to join us for the ride. Think of it as a constantly rotating writerly carpool J

So…here’s a little bit about me.

~What am I working on? 
I have a bit of a split personality when it comes to my writing, frequently working on two separate projects at the same time. Such is the case now. On the solo YA contemporary front, I am just about finished with a new manuscript I have tentatively titled NEVER LOST. And that’s all I will tell you. Those of you who know me understand that I am crazy superstitious about talking about my books before they are done.

So, if talking about NEVER LOST is off the table, I suppose it's only fair to give you a sneak peek into the 2^nd manuscript I am crafting. It is a stand-alone YA Sci-fi thriller co-authored with my partner in crime, Lindsay Currie.  It is set to come out with FLUX sometime in late 2015/ early 2016. 

HARDWIRED

The mugging at the bus stop. The shooting at the mall. The carjacking downtown. All acts of violence that our nation once considered unstoppable. Random. Until now.  

After scientists develop a genetic test capable of identifying the gene believed to predispose humans towards aggression and violence, the government begins routinely screening teens, sentencing those who test positive to a month long confinement and a battery of tests designed to break them. And seventeen-year-old Lucas Marshall has just tested positive.

But survival on the inside is hard when you can’t trust the people around you, when every genetic test claims that the kid standing beside you is hardwired to become the next Charles Manson.  

~How does my work differ from others of its genre?
All of my co-authored works, whether they are YA Horror or Sci-fi, are psychologically based.  No creatures, no machines, no special powers, nothing preternatural at all. Nothing but the darkness of one’s mind and society closing in on itself.

As for my solo contemporary works…well those just come straight from the heart.

~Why do I write what I do?
For me, the most terrifying and destructive creatures are already in existence: unadulterated, unenhanced, plain-old humans. My worlds are built around that…they real world and the evil, the pain, and humanity that exists all around us.

~How does my writing process work?
I am not a plotter. I envy those writers can sketch out there entire plot before actually writing it. I’ve tried, God knows I’ve tried, but in the end, my characters seem to take the story wherever they damn well please. So, in absence of a pre-determined road map, I have a pretty ridged daily word count I try and adhere to: 2,000 words a day. And those are new words. The only time that schedule gets put on hold is when I am revising. Now mind you, frequently those words are trash, but every once in a blue moon I will come up with a usable scene, a brilliant line, an emotional chapter that is salvageable. String enough of those together and…BAM! you have a working manuscript.

Now meet my carpool. Joining me on this crazy ride are three fantastic CP’s of mine. They can fight with each other over who gets to call shotgun! 

Jennifer Walsh By day, Jennifer Walsh writes as an award-winning advertising copywriter. By morning and night, a YA author typing away on a YA Historical. All day long, she's a mama trying to keep it all straight. Learn more about Jennifer at jenniferwalshbooks.blogspot.com.

Marci Curtis grew up in Northern California, where she went to college, met an amazing guy in a military uniform, and then proceeded to follow him around the United States until he married her. Two college-aged kids and one dachshund later, she lives in Maryland, where she laughs too loudly and eats peanut butter off spoons. Her YA contemporary debut, THE ONE THING, comes out in 2015 via Disney-Hyperion. Learn more about her at www.marcilyncurtis.com



Kate Conway is one part crazy and one part professional writer. She’s been a journalist since 1999, an editor, graphic designer, critique partner, and book reviewer. She also teaches the devious art of telling lies for money to various impressionable young people (i.e. she teaches fiction craft classes for teens and adults) Her book, UNDERTOW, is out now! You can find out more about her at www.capecodscribe.com