Thank you Cindy Buccieri, professional blogger, author and consultant, for contacting me with this fabulous idea! If you are a blogger, then you must check out her blog at www.cindybuccieri.com for wonderful tips about blogging success.
I've decided to participate in the Blog Hop Tour, so now I must attempt to answer four mind-probing questions about my fascinating life as an author.
Question #1: "What are you working on?"
I would like to say how I am working on Novels #3 -5 that will be set in the same location as Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies, Scarlet's Mill, depicting the lives and stories of the people who live there. I'd like to say that I'm making great progress on a story about an unlucky woman who works in the local diner that suddenly wins big. However, as I write this post on Friday, February 14th from my home in Southeastern PA, I am working on digging out my driveway from snowstorm after snowstorm and entertaining my children who have been off from school more than they have been there this winter! Kidding aside, I am enjoying my time with my family and feeling inspired by the snow. Hmm, a novel about a meteorologist just may be taking shape in my head ...
Question #2: "How does your work differ from others of its genre?"
Humor mixed with drama. I like to write funny banter between characters and balance it with a healthy amount of tension. My novels are definitely character driven. Also, I believe a story fueled with emotion keeps a reader engaged and invested in the story. Plus, I like to add what I call "real magic". For example, in Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies, Braeburn's deceased father seemed to give her some heavenly reassurance when she needed it most.
Question #3: "Why do you write what you do?"
I write the type of novels that I like to read. After my twins were born and I had left my teaching position, I began reading paperback after paperback passed on to me from my mom. As I read such skilled authors as Jodi Picoult, Emily Giffin, Claire Cook, Krisitin Hannah and Anna Quindlen (to name a few), I became inspired to write. When I began writing, I wanted my stories to reflect what I had enjoyed so much from all those books.
Question #4: "How does your writing process work?"
First, I organize a general outline of how the novel will progress which includes a detailed description of each main character. After wasting a lot of time on trying to figure out names for my characters (I get so caught up in those baby naming websites), I take those notes and plan out scenes. Next, I pray for it to stop snowing so much. Once the kids are off to school and I am not distracted by all things domestic, I sit in my quiet house (unless the phone rings) and write out scene after scene. Finally, I read and reread, revise and delete, add more here and switch that up back there ... it really is a wonder that I have written two novels.
And yet, I 100% believe that #3 will be completed within the next six months!
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Audry Fryer is the author of ...
