Summer is over...

Vacation is over. I kind of wish I were still on this path, on my way to the beach.

Writing Process Blog Hop

I was tagged to do this by Bridie Hall who recently published "Letting Go", a YA romance about a good girl who meets the proverbial bad boy! Visit this talented author's blog.

Now on to answering the four questions in the Writing Process Blog Hop.

1) What am I working on?
I'm working on two or three books, as usual. One YA book about a boy in a wheelchair who finds a wounded hawk - a fantasy about a girl who's part ancient god (her mother is a Muse...), and a book for Ellora's Cave about girl who is determined to get her man...by telling stories like Scheherazade!

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I don't really know if it's that different - what genre, for example? And is it good to be different? I suppose, if I had to really dig, that perhaps I tend to get more involved in character and world development than some other authors - I love creating new worlds, and character development gets a lot of attention too.

3) Why do I write what I do?
Because I love it! I love to read, I love to read different genres, so I write lots of different genres. My favorites are fantasy and science fiction, but I happily do romance and historical novels too. Even mysteries are not safe from my pen, lol!

4) How does your writing process work?
I'm very structured and love to work from outlines. That said, I'll do an outline and promptly ditch it if the story starts to head in another direction. (But I'll usually do another one to make sure I'm going in the right direction!) Outlines can be very detailed, or they can be just a couple paragraphs about the beginning, middle and end of story. I have written books without - Welcome to Paradise is a good example - I started that one from a vivid dream and it went on from there. But it's one of the few I did without outlines and notes. Most of the time, I have a nice, chapter by chapter outline done before I start to write.

You can find my books on my website, at Evernight Teen or at amazon and B&N.

Next in line for the blog hop are:

Gail Bridges
Visit her site on April 28 to learn about this author's writing process!

and

Jane Leopold Quinn, a multi-published author of highly sensual books. Other interests include building and decorating doll houses and miniature room boxes. She lives in Chicago overlooking Lake Michigan. Visit her blog on April 28th to see her writing process!

Chez Auguste

Walking in the town, I discovered a restaurant called "Chez Auguste". My dog, Auguste, appreciates the menu. (We had lunch there - very good!)

Journeys

We never know where our journeys will take us. Sometimes just going out for a loaf of bread turns into a grand adventure. But one thing I have found out - as long as the company is good, and the day is sunny - the journey will certainly be a good one, no matter how far, or how short your legs are.

Spring

Officially, it's spring in the northern hemisphere. Yesterday, daffodils nodded in the sun, the sky was as blue as blue could be, and we had a lovely picnic in the garden.
And today it's gray and rainy...luckily I have a lot of work to do!

“Welcome to Paradise”  by Jennifer Macaire

Evernight Teen publishing

Growing up on an island paradise isn’t as easy as one might think. Sugar is infatuated with the boy next door, worried she won't make the cheerleading squad, and even more worried that she will. She is paranoid that because of the horrendous scar on her face, no one really expects her to succeed at anything. Her sister is smart, her mother is a legendary model, and her father is a famous artist. Her family’s success sets a high bar for her to live up to.

Everything changes for Sugar when a plastic surgeon removes her scar. The surgery makes her beautiful, but she makes the shocking discovery that being beautiful can be awful. When she finally discovers who she is, and what she wants from life, it nearly destroys her tightly knit family. She must confront abuse, an elopement, loss, and a secret her father has kept from her all her life. Sugar is struggling to pull everything together and find her own version of 'Happily Ever After'.