Thank you Bryan Stone, a fine author and blogger, for inviting me to participate in this blog tour.
Bryan is working on his third Kay Francis cozy mystery novel. 
I’ve read the first two in the series (Murder at the Belmar and Midnight in Valhalla) and can hardly wait to read what the actress is up to this time.
I also follow his blog not only because I like the content he posts but also because of his eloquent style of expressing himself. Whenever I read either one of his novels or his posts I feel like I am getting a lesson on how to write well.
This blog tour requires that I answer 4 questions about my writing process and then nominate the blogs of two or three other writers who inspire me, to do the same.
1) What am I working on?
Right now I am in between large projects. I’ve just sent a short story titled The Benefit of Tears to ROOM Magazine’s short story competition. I have to thank Bryan for this as his post on Nathaniel West made me go back to reading The Day of The Locusts and came across this line: only those who hope have the benefit of tears, thus inspiring me for the title of my story. Thank you, Bryan.
My crime novel The Protectors is off trying to grab the attention of a publisher while I’m still debating about self-publishing my women’s fiction novel The Dating Club. I am in editing mode for this novel, preparing to send out to Beta readers. I also have a sequel to The Protectors in the works.
As for my blog, I like to have series. I am someone who can get bored fairly easily and so the notion of a series appeals to me. Once finished I can go on. You can read these series on my blog: Ten Great First Dates, Writers’ Desks, Female Nobel Prize Laureates and Femmes Fatales.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I think that The Protectors is more of a literary novel with a crime occurring in it rather than a traditional mystery novel. It’s not a who-done it for from the get go the reader pretty much knows who committed the crime. I am a criminologist by profession and so I am interested in the whys of crime.
In The Protectors, I have three criminals: a serial killer, a destitute woman and a cop, each with different motives and past histories tangled up with their crimes. I like to push the social and psychological button.
As for The Dating Club, it’s different in that, although it can be categorized in “chick-lit” its protagonists are older and more concerned with issues such as death, mortgages and loneliness in middle age. The novel examines the effects of an absent father on a woman’s future relationships.
My novel Mourning Has Broken is also different in that it is a connected essays on grief. For those interested, I have posted excerpts on my blog.
3) Why do I write what I do?
The simple answer to this question is because I must. In some ways it is the writing that chooses me and not the other way around. Oh, this sounds like such a cliché but it’s true.
4) How does my writing process work?
I am such a disorganized person when it comes to writing. I take all these notes down that I never use. I started to write Mourning Has Broken when my sister died after a five year struggle with lymphoma. I told myself that I would write for a year whenever I fell into the grieving well. What surfaced was a collection of essays on mourning. After that year, I re-wrote, hired CreateSpace to edit it (which I have had pointed out still has mistakes) and published through Createspace. Otherwise, on a normal writing day (everyday) I make myself a cup of tea and read in bed to motivate myself to whatever it is I am working on that day, whether it’s my novels, a synopsis, a query letter or a blog post.
Who’s Up Next on my Writing Process Blog Tour?
The purpose of this blog tour is to offer support to fellow bloggers, to expose their writings to a larger audience and so I invite you to take notice of what these wonderful writers are up to and to follow them next week as they post their own writing process.
D.G. Kaye
She is a nonfiction writer of memoirs about life experience, matters of the heart and women’s issues. D.G. began writing using it as an emotional tool to sort and express her emotions back from her days growing up in an emotionally turbulent childhood. D.G. writes to share her stories about emotional conflicts, overcoming, and she digs deep within to analyze where emotions stem from and how they play into our older selves.
D.G. Kaye is the author of Conflicted Hearts and Meno-What? A Memoir.
D.G.’s debut book, Conflicted Hearts – A Daughter’s Quest for Solace from Emotional Guilt delves into her emotional struggles as a child, growing up with a narcissistic mother.
Her newest book, Meno-What? A Memoir is a humorous and informative journey she shares about the pitfalls of menopause.
D.G. also blogs about life, her opinions on people and events and she also shares helpful articles about the writing world. D.G’s favourite quote is: Live Laugh Love . . . And Don’t Forget to Breathe!
I have read both her books and have loved them equally as well. Her voice is authentic and writes with honesty and perception.
You can follow D.G. on twitter, facebook, her author page on Amazon and her website.
Claudia Anderson
Claudia Anderson is a writer who specializes in fantasy fiction and creative non-fiction. She authors a blog titled Humoring the Goddess: Managing the Madness and Magic of Middle Age (www.humoringthegoddess.com), sharing the humorous and often confusing side of life after 50. She also is a frequent contributor to the blog at Retirement and Good Living (www.retirementandgoodliving.com) , and a Copywriter for Imagine Publicity (www.imaginepublicity.com).
She has been published in the Wisconsin Regional Writer, Paper Tape, and the Peninsula Pulse. She has written several novels dealing with time travel, romance, and mystery, and is working on getting them published. When not writing, Claudia is an Internet Data Conversion Specialist Analyst for a catalog distribution company. She is happily married, with two grown sons and one adorable grandson.
One of my favorite quotes of hers is from her post Ten Ways To Become a Better Writer: the dreams of those who have only a high school degree are no different than those with a Ph.D. It is what one does with those dreams that matter in the long run. You can read the full post here.
Grace Lessageing
Grace Lessageing writes a blog titled Anecdotage where she writes about what is important to her in her life: children, music, food, health.
Writing as Jane Dean she is the author of A Year of Familiar Strangers, a novel about a marriage falling apart as she faces the empty nest syndrome.
Carol Balawyder 
Thank you for sharing, I enjoyed very much.
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Carol – What great responses to these questions. One thing I find really interesting is that you bridge the gap among genres, so that your books aren’t, strictly speaking, fully in one genre or another.Thanks for sharing about your writing.
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Thanks, Margot…Not being strictly speaking in one genre can also be a disadvantage when it comes to marketing…where do I fit in, sort of thing…I’m still questioning that and wondering if I should try to stick to one specific genre. “try” is the operative word .
I finished reading The Passenger Seat by Pascal Garnier. This is the kind of book I wish I would have written. Thanks for recommending him on your post.
http://margotkinberg.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/in-the-spotlight-pascal-garniers-the-front-seat-passenger/
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I appreciate the link-back/mention, Carol 🙂
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My pleasure. 🙂
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Interesting post, Carol. Really enjoyed it.
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Thanks, Drew…Hope all is well with you. 🙂
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I am well. Busy with babysitting and working at my Mum’s house. Going through her stuff. It is difficult. My daughter’s last Chemo is on the 29th of this month. I will be going to help out.
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Blessings to you and your daughter.
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Thanks Carol. You are so kind! I won’t be on as much for a while. Too busy!
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Nice to learn about what you’re working on. I’m impressed you have so many projects going on at once. Good luck with the short story contest!
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Thanks, Carrie. I find that contest deadlines are a good way to keep motivated.
Working on several projects has its advantages in that when I get stuck with one project I can skip to another. It also has its disadvantage: it takes longer to see the end of the tunnels. 🙂
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This is wonderful, Carol. I like what you are doing, and what you write. Keep up the Good Work.
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Thank you for your kind words. Thank you also for stopping by. I greatly appreciate your presence here. Have a great day. 🙂
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The Protectors is a book to look forward to, Carol. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your writing process with us.
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Thanks for your interest. 🙂
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Intriguing description + readaholic = buyer 🙂
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I’m so sorry to read about your sister but glad that the writing has been an outlet for your grief.
It’s always interesting reading about how other writers work, so thank you for sharing!
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I think writing out any confusing, dark emotion is therapy all in itself. I used to keep a journal for a few years during some hard times a while back, too. The great thing is you can bring the nebulous into this dimension and deal with it in the Now. And it gets you hooked into writing, period. Keep on writing, my friend!
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Thanks for the wise words, Claudia. When are you going to dust off those novels you’ve written and share them with the world?
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Im doing so every night! Just need to find a publisher! Working with you on the blog promotion has given me new energy and excitement…glad it came back. Thank you.
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Fabulous post Carol! Of course I want to thank you for inviting me and my books to your blog, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your writing process. Lol, I would never have taken you for ‘disorganized’. I wish you well on your venture to traditionally publish ‘The Protectors’, and look forward to reading it when it gets published either way. I’m looking forward to reading ‘The Dating Club’ as well. It was nice getting to know about other authors and their writing here and I will certainly be checking out their blogs. Great tour! 🙂
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Thanks, Debby…Now, it’s my turn to sit back, relax and look forward to reading about your writing process. Have a fun filled week. 🙂
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Thanks again Carol. Take a breather. Enjoy your week too! 🙂
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Hi Carol, I very much enjoyed reading your insightful thoughts on your writing process. Just love the phrase: “In some ways it is the writing that chooses me and not the other way around.” Echoing Carrie’s comment, you have an impressive number of projects going at the same time. I look forward to the appearance of The Protectors.
And much, much appreciation for your very generous comments on my novels and blog.
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Wonderful to get more insight into your creative process and you as an artist/woman and your passions. I love that you are a writer and a criminologist- these two seem to go hand in hand more often than one would think- I seem to recall other people who have been both as well. I must say you also do a wonderful job of promoting/exposing the other writers, so much so that you definitely make me want to click on their names and check them out!
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Do check all of them out, Diahann. They all have unique and interesting voices.
Thank you for your kind and generous words. 🙂
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Thanks for sharing your style of writing and giving information about other great writers…
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Yes, they are indeed great writers. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
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Good luck with The Protectors, I look forward to reading it.
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🙂
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I always enjoy hearing about the work and methods of my fellow writers. I struggle with whether to work on multiple projects at once or to stick to one from beginning to end. I continue to seesaw between the two. If we can ever wrap up the unpacking and rein in that “in limbo” feeling from moving, I’ll have to see which method takes hold again first!
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I tend to give myself about 6 weeks to work on a single project before going back to another. This kind of works for me because by focusing on 1 project for a few weeks I don’t lose the momentum and because the time frame is not too long I don’t get fed up with it. Of course, the down side of leaving the other projects is when I go back to them it takes me awhile to get into them. I’ve learned to keep notes as to where I’ve left off in the process. Right now, I’m at different stages for each project: editing, querying and creating.
I like what you said: which method takes hold again first. It’s good to listen to that voice. Good luck unpacking. 🙂
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I am embarrassed that I did not know you were a criminologist, Carol! The idea of a literary book with a crime inserted, is a great way to tell a story. The fact that it is not a mystery will make your words mean more. I enjoy a well written book, which I know you are one to show depth and understanding. I am sporadic in my writing but feel that you have given us a good picture of how you handle several projects at a time. I admire for this juggling act, Carol! Smiles, Robin
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Thanks, Robin for your generous, kind words. As I explained to jmmcdowell’s comment, juggling several projects at the same times has its ups and downs. 🙂
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Pingback: Blog hop, an author's writing process, D.G. Kaye, Conflicted Hearts, Meno-What? A Memoir,
I just thought I would stop by after reading DG Gies blog process tour questions and answers. I love that you’re a criminologist first. How exciting. And I will keep that in mind just in case one of my characters in my erotic romance novels ever needs one, lol.
I’ve been following the blog tour for awhile now and I think the same can be said for most. Authors have no choice but to write. If we don’t the stories in our heads just keep growing until we finally give in and post to computer. Nice to meet you Carol, I will stop by again and again.. 🙂
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Thank you for stopping by.Annie. I really appreciate your comments. It will be my pleasure to advise you, if I can on issues of criminology for your erotic novels.I can’t, however, imagine in which situation.
I look forward to more exchanges with you. 🙂
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Enjoyed reading about your writing Carol, and will be sure to follow up on your recommended authors and their blogs. I can relate to writing what you write, because you must. 🙂 Cheers.
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Thanks, Susan for stopping by and commenting. Yes, do check out their blogs. They are all different but all amazing. 🙂
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Terrific blend of answering the travel blog questions about your own writing process and then moving right into the other writers you elected to feature. I’ve noticed this talent in your other blogs as well. You have a sincere and pleasant writing voice.
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Oh, thank you so very much. That is so kind of you to say, Sheri and so wonderful to hear. Writers seldom get feedback and so when it happens it’s precious. 🙂
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I am thinking to become a criminologist.Writing a novel and put the thoughts to it can be helpful to understand the motive of crimes for the society.It is very interesting article,I really enjoy reading it.Have a wonderful day,Krystyna.
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I love these blog tours. I get to learn so much about writers, authors and the things that circulate in their heads, hearts and pens. And thank you again Carol for introducing me to new authors. I can’t wait to explore their writings and more of yours. Bless you!
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Thank you, Ann for stopping by. I truly appreciate having you here and it brings me joy to know that I have introduced you to new writers…although there certainly isn’t a lack of them, for sure. 🙂
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Your book has an interesting twist–a literary thriller/mystery. I’m not sure I’ve ever read that mixture.
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