I was tagged by Blake Haugen, the fabulous interracial romance author who wrote the bestseller “Full Circle.” to do a writing process blog tour. I’m talking a bit about the insanity that is my writing process.

What are you working on currently?

I just sent my completed novella, Payback, the sequel to my very first motorcycle club romance, Dual Desires, off to my editor in the wee hours of the morning.

It’s the continued story of Ardy Larkin who winds up working as Nanny for the Dueling Devils M.C. President, demon to pay of her family’s debt. Attraction turns to more, and the two struggle to fight their attraction until an outside threat reminds them how short life is.

As the club rallies to neutralize the threat, Demon is forced to show Ardy the ugly side of a life steeped in violence. Worried she’ll run, he does his best to shield her from the current club activity. The secrecy drives a wedge between them. Bound by duty and his feelings for Ardy he’s a man torn. Forced to examine parts of him he buried long ago, and open up to the woman he’s grown to love.

How does your work differ from others of its genre?

Personally, I’m a huge fan of M.C. Romances, and mine, is the first book I’ve seen who features an African American heroine. I have read one other book where the lead character was of Spanish decent.

I always try to bring more diversity to the genres I write in because I remember growing up, and longing to see characters who looked and acted the way I did. You’ll see a lot of humor, and geek references in my work for that same reason. *cough Dr. Who usually makes at least one appearance in some shape, form, or fashion.

I want to give all woman a chance to see themselves reflected in my work, so I choose a variety of careers, builds, and personalities. The one common thread, however is strength. Even when they’re knocked down, my heroines will get back up and keep swinging. I think it’s important to show that woman are strong, intelligent, and pursuing their dreams, whatever that happens to be.

Why do you write what you do?

My cheeky answer would be because I can’t kidnap people and force them to act out the stories in my head. A deeper answer would be to fully live life. I explore so many things in my writing. I lean, I play in a safe environment, I heal old wounds, and I share my experiences with others, in hopes that they’ll know they aren’t alone. Writing gives me a freedom I could never have otherwise. Words are powerful, and I’ve always been a little in love with them. For me stories take you a different world and make you feel. It’s the only way to travel anywhere for next to nothing, and there are no limits to what you can learn.

How does your writing process work?

For me personally, writing is like a road trip. One you don’t plan to the letter. You know where your final destination will take you, but the stops along the way are a surprise. I used to be a plotter. I’d sit down with my paper after I was ready to write and write out everything I wanted to do. It worked, but I often felt like I was banging my head against the wall. My characters were always throwing me for a loop, and ruining my carefully crafted plans.

Eventually I just let go. I started with a final destination in mind. A vague idea of how I wanted to get there, and I let them drive while I road shot gun. It opened up new worlds for me, and allowed me to know my characters on a much more personal level.

The inspiration itself comes from everywhere. I might see an interesting report on the television, read an interesting article, or see something that sparks the infamous “What ifs.” I think most of my story start with those two words.

My writing schedule is a bit sporadic I stay at home with two creative children full of sass, and energy. So, during the day it’s in short spurts. My main writing time is at night when the home is quiet, and in the morning before the children get up.

Enough about me, up next is the up and coming erotic romance author, Molly Hammerman