Thanks to Patty Campbell for inviting me to be a part of the “Writing Process Blog Tour. Reaching her goal to be published by a royalty paying publisher, Jelly’s Big Night Out, was released in 2012, and Once a Marine was released in late 2013. And that’s just the beginning. Her newest novel Still a Marine will be released soon. To check out her answers to these four questions, go to
http://pattycampbellauthor.blogspot.com
My answers to the four questions:
1. What am I working on?
My current work in progress is now in the final draft stage where we authors bury ourselves behind closed doors to edit, kill our darlings and tighten saggy middles. The premise of my novel, Re-homing Pigeon is about a Louisiana woman who wants to be a mother more than anything in the world. The problem? She believes she has a Voo-Doo curse. Still her husband talks her into adopting a child from Russia. Things don’t go well and they have to make the decision whether to give the child up through disruption – commonly called “re-homing”. That’s all I am willing to give away at this time. No spoiler alerts.
2. How does my work differ from others in the genre?
That’s a big one. I write women’s fiction. At a glance I fit into the typical mold for women’s fiction – a woman protagonist that experiences an emotional, spiritual or psychological journey. Where I stray from the norm is the subject matter. I always write about controversial, current day issues that force the reader to question what they thought they knew about a subject.
3. Why do I write what I do?
First, I have to say that I don’t write to change anyone’s mind. But I do write to make people aware that sometimes (usually) there are two sides to a story and before you start to judge someone, walk a mile in their footsteps. More or less, life is messy and it takes tough decisions.
4. How does my individual writing process work?
I usually get my ideas from watching the news. Then it stews around in my head for awhile to morph into a story. I start by writing a character sketch for the major characters and a time line. Then I work on a very basic outline.
Once I start writing, the characters take over and it always makes some detours. My outline goes through many revisions in the process. I spend a lot of time on research, trying to stay as accurate as possible about my subject matter. There is nothing worse than reading a book and thinking, “This author has no idea what she is talking about.”
Some stores fall flat on their faces. Others make it to final drafts and so far, two have made it to publication.
Want to know more about my books? Log on to my website. http://www.joannetailele.com
Writing Under Fire 