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Personally, I don’t feel like an author. I’m a reader. An avid, insatiable, word nerd. <-- That’s me. Writing romance was never on my radar. Then, I found myself improvising mentally through the flirting and kissing scenes in more and more books. The authors didn’t quite nail it the way my mind wanted them to. This is silly because of course that happens. We write from the heart and everyone has a unique set of life experience and perceptions they use to visualize the books as they read.
But it bugged me.
One particular book had me on the edge of my seat, screaming at the hero “Kiss her already!” I was a mess waiting in beloved anticipation. Then the kiss was ‘meh.’ You see, I already had something in mind I wanted to happen in the process of their first kiss, and for some unknown reason, the author who I have never and will never meet didn’t know what I wanted or didn’t care. As a result I was disappointed. I complained about it to my husband more than once, not remembering I’d already registered the same complaint. The second time, he said (probably something like, I don’t really care first) “Why not write it yourself.” I think he might’ve been thinking something more along the lines of fan fiction, but not me.
I started making believe while I was on the treadmill. Every day I jogged and daydreamed. Writers call it plotting, but I was in reader mindset and I was daydreaming. When I came across the Turquoise Morning Press’call for submission to the new Honey Creek line, I was already armed with a great kiss I’d imagined in my head a hundred times and a sassy heroine to go with it. I knew many of the factors I needed to write a fun romance and the press filled in the details about where my characters lived.
That ‘meh’ kiss I read, set off a series of events that changed everything for me. My debut novella Bloom is out now and you can read that kiss I that had wanted to read and instead got the chance to write. Bloom is now the first in my Seeds of Love series for Honey Creek where I got to write lots more kissy scenes. I swoon every time I think of it. I swoon a lot.
I hope you’ll visit Honey Creek. It’s a beautiful place where anything can happen. Kick off your shoes, relax into that porch swing and cuddle up to a steamy mug of cider. Taking a trip to Honey Creek is as easy as Amazon : ) See you there!
Bloom by Julie Anne Lindsey
In a town filled with her past, she never expected to find her future…
Seven years ago Cynthia left Honey Creek with a broken heart. Three years ago Mitchell arrived with one. Now Cynthia’s come home, and these two hardened hearts can’t stop arguing. If they’d only take a break long enough to find some common ground, they might be surprised to find love can grow anywhere.
If they’ll let it, love will find a way to Bloom.
*Bloom is book one in my new Seeds of Love series. I’ll be planting those seeds all year.
About Julie:
I am a mother of three, wife to a sane person and Ring Master at the Lindsey Circus. Most days you'll find me online, amped up on caffeine & wielding a book.
You can find my blogging about the writer life at Musings from the Slush Pile
Tweeting my crazy at @JulieALindsey
Reading to soothe my obsession on GoodReads
And other books by me on Amazon
1 comment:
sweJulie, Thank you so much for sharing your writing journey! It's both validating and encouraging for the rest of us who are just starting out. I really appreciate it.
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