Saturday, September 13, 2014

Blog Hop - Writing Process

Aaron Lazar, that silver-tongued devil, talked me into this. He’s a prolific writer who obviously manages his time better than I do mine. I love his books. You can find them at www.lazarbooks.com. His latest two are


I’m participating because I have a free book promotion coming up September 24 and 25. It’s Time of Death. I hope you’ll take a look.
The blurb:  Artist Alex Jenrette is visiting on a small island off the South Carolina coast when she draws a murder scene—she has the McGuire psychic streak. The police think she was there and want to arrest her; the killer believes she’s a witness and wants to eliminate her. The prosecutor can’t get involved with her or he’ll risk his case.
1) What am I working on?
I’m putting in the final tweaks on Prime Target. It’s available now for pre-order and will be released October 1.
After witnessing her husband’s murder, Madeleine Schier flees her NY life, relying on her wits to  
survive in a dangerous world. Soon crimes once only on the nightly news become her new reality.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
My books are suspense with varying degrees of romance, but they don’t fit the current definition of romantic suspense or of suspense. They’re more like the old Helen MacInnes and Mary Stewart, but they do have some adult language and situations.
3) Why do I write what I do?
These are the stories that come into my head. I don’t want to be limited to meeting the expectations of a particular genre. I know some readers are disappointed, but most seem to enjoy the differences. That’s the joy of self-publishing—I’m free to do it my way. I’ve had a foot in both camps—two very good publishers that I enjoyed working with, and now self-publishing. Maybe I’m a control freak, but this works for me.
4) How does my writing process work?
Slowly! I need quiet, so I write early in the mornings, but it often turns into an all-day session. It’s easy to get carried away with research, which I enjoy, but it can easily changes the direction of the story. I’m a pantser, which has its rewards but unfortunately requires deleting sections and reversing to make something work. I keep thinking I’ll outline the next one and work out the kinks ahead of time, but so far that hasn’t panned out.
Next up!
Buy at Amazon
I’m passing the blog to L.A. Sartor, who has a new book coming out this fall. She writes adventure-suspense and romance. Check out her blog and books. She’s at http://lesliesartor.com/ and her blog is An Indie Adventure/
Stop by and see her--she's a lot of fun. 

2 comments:

Polly Iyer said...

I always look forward to your books, Ellis, and they're worth waiting for. You're such a good storyteller, and your writing is superb.

Ellis Vidler said...

Thanks, Polly and Sherry. I like this book and the characters in it. I hope others do.