Winter started early for me this year. Though October has only just begun, I kicked off autumn by getting sick, and though it is ninety degrees outside where I live, today, I spent the last week or so feeling more like it was January than pumpkin picking season. Having made the decision to re-release The Pinnacles Power Series, and the first 2 titles in the Rabourn Theater Series, in paperback, I’d previously decided to give these titles a read through and when I wasn’t feeling well, my desire to press on with this endeavor didn’t die. In fact, on what was perceivably the worst of days for me I managed to read about a hundred pages and only stopped because I was so tired I absolutely had to sleep. Reading my backlist was a joy! It was fun, and exciting, and terribly inspiring and it made me eager to write my next story, An Intoxicating interlude, book 4 in the Rabourn Theater Series.
It wasn’t all that long ago when I thought perhaps my writer’s journey had come to an end. Overwhelmed with the various responsibilities in my life, and so full of love as I embarked upon the best chapter yet I thought perhaps my days of living in a fantasy world had come to an end and I was better off taking my nose out of the book and finally living in the “real world.” But a bit of time spent in my imagination had me quickly rethinking my decision and my more recent trip down memory lane has reminded me of why I started writing in the first place.
All writers could tell you a different story when it comes to why they love what they do, but for me, the love has always been a love of romance. I love the tension between hero and heroine early on in a story and I’m on the edge of my seat as I watch it build to a climax. I’m excited during the black moment, when it seems as though all is lost because I know that an incredible happily ever after is around the corner. And then there are the elements I love the most, the ones I’ve built my author brand on. I love seeing a former villain, a man no one thought capable of reform, least of all himself, fall head over heels in love with the woman who threatens to bring him to his knees. I crave the danger that drives the most unlikely of couples into each other’s arms, and the occasional paranormal twist that leaves you wondering, what the heck was that?
If only there were more hours in the day. It breaks my heart when I hear another author say that all authors should be well versed in the works of other authors, and be reading constantly to do it. You’re preaching to the choir! I LOVE to read the works of other romance authors and I find doing so to be incredibly inspiring. But doing so isn’t always possible. I need to work, yes, really, and to take care of my family and yes, I must carve out time for my own writing which has to come first if I am to succeed as an author. I read as much as I possibly can. Life, however, is life.
Being sick can really put things into perspective, though. Because there is no time in which I want to read and write more than when I can’t do it at all. Funny the way that works!
Inspired with a fresh perspective, I look forward to what I’ll write and read in the coming days, and to share my trip down memory lane with you as I rerelease my earliest titles, the books that made me the author I am today.
