A woman once asked me why I write contemporary romance and where I got my ideas for my books. For ideas my answer was quick and true. Everywhere. Vague, yeah, but it is true. What I didn't tell her was that in all of my stories a piece of me was embedded in it. My wishes, dreams, love for my husband and daughters, my family, and hope that all of us humans carry-you'll find in my books. You could say that my books are keepers of my secrets, my inner passion, and of who I am. Yes, I exist in all of my books. Kind of like a horcrux where I hide fragments of my soul. Except my sole purpose in creating multiple horcruxes is to create characters that are as real as possible, to make stories every reader can relate to.
The Best of June
To make them all believable and not just cookie-cutter characters, I have to invest in them emotionally. I can't speak for other authors, but this is what I do. I believe that if the author can't feel the characters pain, happiness, and love then the readers won't.
In Passionate Bid, the first Blue-eyed Four book of the series, the heroine was a horrible cook. I am that. The joke around the house is, "if something is burning then Mom must be cooking." My daughter is asthmatic and allergic to insect bites so she carries an epi-pen with her. Just like little Sam. I have wonderful funny brothers whom I shared great memories with. They inspired me to write the Knight Brothers Series. My older brother died five years ago- but in my books, he is still alive. That's one of my many wishes. In The Best of June, the heroine June doesn't drink anything caffeinated. It makes her sick. Caffeine makes me dizzy which my doctor believe is a culprit to triggering my Meniere's Disease. A horrible and debilitating disease that I suffered from and has only recently stopped (when I started to avoid caffeine).
Adding a personal experience in my stories or putting myself in the character's shoes, has helped me immerse myself deeply in my writing. When I write, I am not just creating characters - I am someone with real feelings, capable of loving and hating others. I feel the pain of losing a loved one and of watching a child struggle to breathe. I feel the heart-wrenching jealousy my heroine felt, the cold rain on my skin. To me, my heroes and heroines are real.
As to why I write contemporary romance, it is the genre that tugs at my heart. Everyday occurrences inspire me to write it down. In my books, I give hope to the hopeless stories that I've heard in my life. I turn dark experiences into bright ones. It is the genre I most relate to.
Totally Bound released the second book of the Blue-eyed Four Series, The Best of June. It is a contemporary romance heavy with emotional upheaval, romantic scenes that are only suitable for adults, and another family story that I hope would bring smiles and happiness to the hearts of all you wonderful readers.
Grab a copy of The Best of June and find out how Henry Colchester, (a member of the Blue-eyed Four) fell in love with a woman who is supposed to be his gift. One that he couldn't resist unwrapping.