I was invited to
participate in Project Pushover. At least that’s what I’m calling it. It’s a
blog share venture that one of my favorite authors convinced me to do because,
well, I’m a pushover. She has two awesome books and an always entertaining blog
called “The Glitter Globe.” http://www.theglitterglobe.com/ We’re hoping that sharing ideas on the
writing process serves to both inspire us and make us not feel so weird because
yes, we're weird. S.R. Karfelt, the “Project” manager and author of the Warriors of the Ages series, writes
action/adventure with a twist of fantasy. Check her out because her books are riveting.
Last week S.R. published
her blog and introduced three authors. One of them was me. Today it’s my turn
to use “The Red Pen” to write about my books for the very first time and to
introduce you to four other authors whose terrific novels I’ve read and whose
friendships I value. We all have our own way of writing. It’s like getting
ready for work in the morning. Everyone has a different routine, but the end
result is simply marvelous—at least for my author friends, I’m sure it is.
Today I'm going to answer four questions about my own writing, and a week from
now, my featured authors will do the same on their blogs. I'm going to give you the
links, but will that mean you'll just scroll down to them and ignore what I have to say? Before I lose you to the gifted authors, here
are four questions for which you must be dying to know the answers.
What am I, Jeff LaFerney, working on? My latest book, Jumper, has
been my best-seller. It’s a time-travel adventure, and though I was excited
about writing it, it was difficult to write. I was planning on continuing the
series with a completely different set of characters, but sales and reviews
have led me to change everything I was planning, and because of it, I’m not
making much progress. I still write for “The Red Pen,” I’ve done some planning for a YA mystery
(which will probably be my next completed project), and I have a start on the
next book in my Clay and Tanner Thomas mystery series.
How does my work differ from others of its genre? The
Clay and Tanner series has a father and son “amateur detective” combination. I
think that’s unique in and of itself. What makes them especially unique is that
they share parapsychological abilities. It’s not science-fiction, though. They
are regular guys. Tanner is a college basketball player. Clay is a professor
and a coach. They have to deal with the morality of their powers as well as
struggle with relationships. They obtain clues in unusual ways, but they solve
the mysteries like detectives. The time-travel book is more of an adventure. It
involves some spiritual warfare between angels and demons and includes miracles
bestowed by the Staff of Moses. The hero is a motorcycle-riding, tough-guy
loner with a heart of gold. I think they’re all entertaining and filled with
unexpected twists and turns.
Why do I write what I do? First
of all, I love mystery and humor. I also love characters who have real problems
but overcome them while putting others before themselves. My stories are
appropriate for readers of all ages, and I get a lot of satisfaction knowing
that I’ve written clean stories that appeal to all kinds of readers. I try to
incorporate life lessons while simply entertaining my readers, but I don’t like
to be predictable, so my stories generally are surprising too. I think I write
what I do because I write what I like…what I believe in…what I think keeps the
pages turning, and so far it’s worked pretty well for me.
How does my writing process work? I’ve
written four novels and the process was different every time, but there are a
few things that I’ve done pretty consistently. One is I research everything. I
get even the littlest details (what birds are still around in the fall in
Michigan, what the signs say at the tourist attractions on Mt. Nebo, how a
patient is put under during a brain surgery, what the traditions say the ghosts
at the Fenton Hotel behave like). Another is I keep time lines. I find time is
tricky in novels, especially time-travel novels, and timelines keep me from
making mistakes. I also revise as I’m writing, so I keep notes of each scene
and the characters involved so I can easily find the scenes when I make plot
changes. Some people can’t revise while writing, but it works for me. I even
make edits for punctuation and grammar as I go along, but that’s the English
teacher in me. Then I find really good beta readers and I ask them to content
edit. I’m not afraid of constructive criticism. I edit professionally, so once
the readers are done (7 or 8 of them), I re-read the book several more times
making minor adjustments. My goal is always to have a completed version with no
errors.
Finally, it’s time to introduce my talented author friends.
First in the writers hall of fame is Shyla Lukens. Her first book is a YA
fantasy/mystery/romance. Her Jessie Billows romance/mystery kept me guessing
(and laughing) throughout. You’ll become a fan as soon as you crack one of her
books. Check out her blog at http://www.authorshylalukens.com/blog-to-me
and her books at http://www.amazon.com/Shyla-Lukens/e/B00INYF9II/ref=sr_tc_2_rm?qid=1401225660&sr=1-2-ent
Shyla Lukens worked as a paralegal in a local law firm until opting to become a stay at home mom to her five energetic angels. She is a full time writer whose passion for the art of creating stems from her belief that if you dream it and have a passion for it, it will happen. Shyla’s first novel, Enraptured, a YA fantasy mixed with mystery and romance, was published in 2012. Just Paying the Rent, a chick lit romance novel was released this year. She has two more books being released this summer including Day Moon, a YA fantasy, and the second book in the Jessie Billows series. Shyla lives in Dubuque, Iowa.
A.J. Lape is the awesome author of the fantastic Darcy Walker Series. Shall I throw in a
few other superlatives? Darcy is a nut who will keep you on the edge of your
seat laughing or wondering how she’ll ever survive. A.J. is a hardworking
author whose books keep you on constant entertainment alert. Check out her
webpage at http://ajlape.com/ and her books at
http://www.amazon.com/A.-J.-Lape/e/B00A4N8M8A/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1401226231&sr=1-2-ent
AJ Lape is the Amazon bestselling author of the Darcy Walker Series. She lives in
Cincinnati with her husband, two daughters, an ADD dog, a spoiled hamster, and
an unapologetic and unrepentant addiction to Coca-Cola--and a lifelong love
affair with bacon. If the FBI ever checks her computer, she'll be wearing
prison orange due to the various "wiki" articles she looks up. She
swears the dead body, mob, and drug related stuff is only career research.
Laura Vosika is the extraordinarily talented writer of the Blue Bells Chronicles trilogy. Her best-selling
books are set in Scotland and are time-travel treasures. The research is
amazing and the suspense will keep you turning the pages. Check out her blog at
http://bluebellstrilogy.blogspot.com/
and her books at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Laura+Vosika
Laura Vosika is the author of The Blue Bells
Chronicles. She has spent many years as
a freelance musician on trombone, flute, and harp, and as a private music
instructor and band director. She is the
mother of nine children, currently living in the Twin Cities.
The last inductee to the writer’s hall of fame is Lia Fairchild.
Lia is a gifted writer whose characterization and plot twists are as good as it gets. Her best-seller, In Search of Lucy, is a wonderful debut, but Vigil Annie, Emma vs. the Tech Guy, and Circle in the Sand show her mastery of a variety of genres. Check out her webpage here: http://www.liafairchild.com/ or find her books on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Lia+Fairchild&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3ALia+Fairchild
Bestselling author, Lia Fairchild, writes women's fiction
and romance. Fans of her books praise her endearing, real characters who come
to life in stories that will touch your heart. Fairchild is addicted to the
warmth of Southern California and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a
multiple-subject teaching credential. She is a wife and mother of two
teenagers. Follow her on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/#!/liafairchild or
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/lia.fairchild.author?fref=tshttp://www.facebook.com/lia.fairchild.author?fref=ts
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