The Writing Process blog hop

Hi guys. Today I'm involved in a blog hop based about what I'm currently up to and my writing process. I was invited to take part by fellow author Christiane France who posted last week. Check out her blog at:  ~~ Christiane France ~~

I'll try to answer these as best I can, but since I consider myself an ADHD-writer, it might be a little difficult. You'll see why.

WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

Oh boy, this could be a long answer so I'll try to keep it short. I just finished Tabby's Pride - a cat shifter / rock 'n roll story so I'm waiting for edits on that. The release date for Tabby is May 18 from Amber Quill/Allure (insert of random promo plus lol). Last week I finished Never the Perfect Moment which is a SWAT story but with not a lot of SWAT, and it will be out in either June or July.

Currently, I'm working on Manny's Heart, the third book in my Family of Misfits. Manny is the sweetest and, perhaps, most naive character I've ever written so it's hard to break him like I know I have to in order to give him his HEA. I suspect his book will come out in late summer from MLR, and the cover will be done by the fabulous LC Chase again.

I'm also working on a free story for the M/M Romance group about a dancer, incorporating Lazy Sundays and Lazy Valentines into one book with the rest of Devon & Scott's story to be released in novel form, hashing out a long-ass sequel to Finally Home, and writing a Winter Olympics short. Lol, and that's not including the little plot bunnies my muse makes me write down for other characters daily.

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN MY GENRE?

I don't know that my work is all that different from others, but I have branched out into different sub-genres--rockstars, cowboys, paranormal, contemporary, fantasy. I don't write a lot of sex scenes, usually only one major one per book, and I try very hard to get inside my characters heads so the reader can see inside their hearts. I prefer to write the emotional and romantic angle of relationships more than the physical--unresolved sexual tension, kissing, little touches here and there. Lol. Lame answer. Yeah, I'm not really sure I can answer this question so I'll just leave it at that.

WHY DO I WRITE WHAT I DO?

The first question people usually ask is why m/m romance. and I don't have a definite answer except that's all I've written or even read in the last five years or so. I love the emotional connection between two men, the possibilities that arise because of stereotypes and prejudices. I like to crack open the hard-shelled exteriors that society and history have put in a place, and redefine what being man can be and what it doesn't have to be. And I like to do it with the help of a loving male partner at said man's side.

So basically, I write what I like to read, as does everyone else I suppose.  My favourite stories are usually romantic, angsty, but  with light humour, and definitely the pain of hearts stinging before they become one. The fact that I tend to write with my heart instead of my head helps to do that. Trying to put a little lightheartedness into the angst is also something I do because I know first hand that drowning in too much sorrow is really hard on the soul. 

Writing is an emotional release for me so trying to write something I'm not comfortable with or fully into, does not make K-lee a happy girl. I tried doing that with a prompt for a free group story involving infidelity, Las Palabras de Amor, but I ended up spinning it my own way so I didn't have to deal with the issue in such a harsh manner. 

In keeping with writing what I like to read, I'd never try to write BDSM, threesomes or scifi because none of those particularly appeal to me most of the time. I stick to my emotional fluffiness and always hope the reader cries during the same parts as I did when I was writing them.

HOW DOES MY WRITING PROCESS WORK?

Did I mention writer's ADHD? I swear it's a real disorder just suffered by writers. I actually envy authors who can write one thing at a time, or even just two things at once. I just can't seem to do that. When in good form, my muse is a hyper-charged maniac and doesn't even give me the opportunity to try to be a plotter. It's pantser, flailer, and WTF-is-going-on-er all the way for me. I've tried outlining and being aggressive with notes, but most of the time everything ends up changing. Most times my characters write themselves and correct me when I've done something wrong. 

Most of my stories start with characters rather than plot, and I can honestly say that is the one bit of organization that stays firm throughout my process. I make character bios because I "must" know what colour eyes and hair my MCs have. Is it short or long, curly or straight? If it's long, do they wear it up? How tall are they? What sort of physical attributes do they have? Do they like their family? Do they have any quirks or squicks? What do they drive? You get the picture. For me, knowing all these little elements makes it easier for me to write my characters. Of course I keep adding to the bios as the story progresses but the original characteristics I stared with rarely change.

Some of my own quirks--
- I write scenes out of order just because they come to me that way, and forcing myself to write chronologically is writer's block just waiting to happen. 
- If I'm stuck or blocked, I find writing a scene of dialogue will help pull me through it, and then I add the details later and figure out where to put it within the story. 
- I cannot work on one story for longer than two days straight without delving into another that's gnawing at the back of my brain. If I attempt this, my muse explodes and either stops talking to me or whispers inappropriate things for characters from one book to do with ones from another. I kid you not. It's happened and it's not pretty.
- Some of my best and most focused writing occurs in the tub on my iPad. I can be blocked or anxious all day, but get me in the tub, and the words flow.
- I get up some mornings to find I've texted or emailed myself with strange notes and scenes that I don't remember writing or a lot of times even know where they go.

So that's it…it was almost painless. But now you need to mark the next three weeks in your calendar so you can check out my friends joining me in this hop. Make sure you stop by and ssee what their writing process is.

APRIL 19 - EMBRY CARLYSLE

Embry Carlysle has always had her head in the clouds or in a good book. Her dad always told her, her overactive imagination would get her into trouble one day. She certainly hopes so. Embry lives in the south with her family where she loves the warm weather, beach trips and writing to her heart's content…as long as she locks the door first. She believes in love at first kiss, and big alpha males brought to their knees by a sexy, funny, smart partner. She always wants the HEA…but they have to work for it. "Hey, Dad. Look at me now!"

APRIL 26 - ELOREEN MOON

Eloreen Moon is a pen name for a writer, reviewer, beta reader/editor, and reader of all things romance, including alternate lifestyle (LGBT) stories and novels.  In Real Life, she works full-time, has a blended family with children, and enjoys gardening, computer games, and nature.

MAY 3 - VJ SUMMERS

When not obsessing over whether her parents are getting enough to eat, obsessing over what kind of trouble the Godkid is getting into, making coffee, drinking coffee, or feeding and otherwise fawning over the cats who allow her to live with them, VJ Summers can be found obsessively reading or writing erotic romance – either solo as m/m author VJ Summers or as the shorter, more quiet half of the “Violet Summers” writing team (the tall half I Sierra Summers).