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Welcome!
Whew. I just finished up on my first Berkley Heat novel called DARING TIME and I’m feeling exhausted. Couldn’t be happier with the book though, and it was awesome to finish it on the same day that SUBTLE DESTINY released at Ellora’s Cave.
While you’re here, read an interview for recent release SUBTLE DESTINY (below.) I welcome questions and comments. Email Me.
We have a tradition at the TripleXposure chat group that I share with Lacey Savage (www.laceysavage.com) and Fiona Jayde (www.fionajayde.com), where we interview each other on release days. I thought you might like to read these quick interviews about my new releases.
Interview: SUBTLE DESTINY
Lacey: Congratulations again on your new release, Beth! Hope you’re ready for your close-up. 
How do you keep track of all the minor details you mentioned in previous series books when writing a new installment in a series? Do you keep a series “bible”, or use some other method to keep from getting confused?
Beth: I don’t keep a ‘bible.’ The series does come with a glossary that has to be occasionally updated. I don’t know how I remember the details, to be honest. Since the facts aren’t random facts, but things that are integral to the Subtle Lovers, it sort of forms a framework that I just continue to hang things on. I haven’t found any inconsistencies yet, but that just might be writer blindness when it comes to my own work. Strangely, there are some small seeming inconsistencies that have a future purpose. For instance, no one has ever asked me why Bale Ammadon doesn’t have a ’secret’ magical name. Not that anyone would, haha, but that’s the kind of little detail that was purposeful for future books.
Lacey: Do you usually know where you’d like to take the next installment of a series when you finish a previous book, or do you find yourself having to start the plotting process from scratch with each new book?
Beth: I generally know what I wanted to happen in the ‘world’ and also what characters I’d like to focus on. SUBTLE DESTINY was especially rewarding for me because Jax’s and Skylar’s story has been told in all four books, with SUBTLE DESTINY being a kind of climax for the series thus far. I knew there was a big change in the Watcher world coming up in the future, but the first four have been a sort of build-up to this pinnacle in the series.
Lacey: You clearly prefer full-length novels to writing short stories and novellas. What advice do you have for those of us who are intimidated by the idea of writing longer books?
Well, I would first really examine whether or not you want to write full lengths. Some writers are masters at the short story (you being one of them.) I guess it also depends on why it seems intimidating. If it’s an issue of wanting more frequent gratification for the work you’ve done, you might consider building in some kind of internal reinforcement system that will help motivate you. For PRETTY LITTLE FAKE and for DARING TIME, I kept a calendar and its only purpose was to record word count every day. I found it really gratifying to see the progress I made in a week, two weeks, etc. first hand. Building a support network of readers that provide excellent feedback and perspective really helps keep motivation going, as well.
Lacey: Do you take breaks between projects, or jump into the next story immediately after finishing the last?
It depends. Sometimes I’m burning to tell a story when I’m done with a book, sometimes I need to gestate. *grin* One thing is for certain, I’m going to rest right now!
Lacey: How do you decide what to write next (assuming you don’t already have a deadline that pushes you toward a certain project)?
Beth: At the present time I feel like I’m trying to figure out my rhythm in regard to future projects. Since I’ve gotten the two Berkley contracts, I don’t really know what to expect from myself or the editing process yet. I know I have to write these novels, but I haven’t figured out yet how many e-books and future proposals I can fit in with that. I have all these worries, like for instance, ‘I don’t have to get in the next book until Dec. 15…why not write something for e-pub?’ But then I think, what if my editor asks for major re-writes on PLF or Daring and I have to use the time I’ve allotted for Book 4 doing edits?’ Angsty stuff like that, but until I can get an idea how things will work, I guess it’ll continue to be that way for awhile.
Very good questions, Lacey! Can I toss my thinking cap in the fire for now? lol.
Thanks,
Beth
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