I wanted to get back to what I thought was my comfort zone…contemporaries. I wrote A SIGH OF LOVE, “inspired” by an experience…all the way up to when my heroine boards a plane to Alaska with nonrefundable airline tickets because a long-distance relationship–a man–asked her to come to visit…and backed out at the last minute.
I loved writing A SIGH OF LOVE and celebrating the three years that I lived in Alaska, but a book set in the Caribbean called to me…book I tried to write when I was a troubled teen of 14. That book would have been a time travel.
CARIBBEAN DREAMS OF LOVE is due to be released on December 12th, and I absolutely love this story. But do you think I could write another contemporary? It started out that way. A woman takes her precocious teenage daughter on a Caribbean cruise (who me? 🙂 ) and they find themselves traveling with the most interesting characters including a pirate, a ghost, a mysterious musician and dinner companions who tell nightly tales of legends of the Caribbean.
I have no earthly idea what happened to the “contemporary” in that book. Woosh…off it went into the paranormal. 🙂
Desperately clinging to what I thought I was “supposed” (my comfort zone again) to write–contemporary romance–I wrote A TRAIL OF LOVE, a romance set in the majestic splendor of Glacier National Park, Montana, a celebration of the two summer seasons I have worked there for the National Park Service. The story features a woman running from her past and hiding in plain sight, a handsome bear ranger who can’t figure her out, grizzly bears and love, love, love! I love that story.
But it started to take on a romantic suspense aspect. Oh, no! Romantic suspense? Can I write romantic suspense? Who am I?
Tell me, readers, do you ever have those moments where you wonder who you are as a writer? When someone says, “What genre do you write?” do you start to stutter?
Bess McBride, www.bessmcbride.com
- About the Author
- Posts in the Past
I’m a multi-published author of four books to date, with two more on the way! I’ve written contemporary romance, light paranormal, time travel and vintage romance…so far. I’ll write anything an editor will offer me a contract on…with a few exceptions. I love to travel, and have set my books in many of the places where I’ve lived or visited. You can find me at my web site at www.bessmcbride.com
Bess, You’re a girl after my own heart! Yes, I often stutter when asked!! Which probably makes others think I don’t write. Then again, that may be my own paranoia. My writing is so scattered at times that I despair of doing anything productive. Oh well, all in good time. Julie
BTW, I enjoy paranormal as well.
Hi again, Julie,
I’m going backwards catching up on the posts. It sounds like we do have a lot in common. You may just be looking for your “voice” as they say and the genre that best suits that voice.
I grew up on Georgette Heyer, and it takes me nothing to start writing dialogue like her characters…
Bess