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Fall has always been my favorite time of year, signaling exciting new changes and beginnings. One of the first new changes I have to report is that the novella I was working on, Paradise Rules has altered from being a novella to a novel. Turns out these characters were just too rich to fit into a short story. So I’ve officially changed it to a novel, which will come out next December (2009) at Berkley. I guess you never know where you’re going to end up when you start a story. This is a steaming hot story featuring a heroine obsessed with doing things her way and a hero who insists that while she’s in paradise, she play by his rules–and he’s just amazing enough to make her bend.
Another bit of new excitement: I just had a book accepted at Ellora’s Cave. It’s still untitled at the moment, so I’ll let you know the title and a little about it ASAP.
I’ve been doing some publicity for Wicked Burn, my first Berkley Sensation book and my New York debut! Check it out here on my website in coming soon and hit the Borders button if you’d like to preorder. I’m eagerly awaiting the cover for my second Berkley Sensation, a sizzling, adventurous time travel called Daring Time.
I just finished the first round of edits on my Cerridwen romance, Flirting in Traffic. I love this book; it’s fun, urban, sexy and fresh. I’ll let you know when I get a release day for it and I’ll share the cover ASAP!
SUBTLE MAGIC comes out in print this summer. I’ll be sure and let you know when it’s available for order.
While you’re here, read an interview for my most recent release Come to Me Freely (below.) I welcome questions and comments! Email Me.
We have a tradition at the TripleXposure chat group I share with the talented writers Lacey Savage (www.laceysavage.com) and Fiona Jayde (www.fionajayde.com), where we interview each other on release days.
Interview: COME TO ME FREELY
1. What was your inspiration for COME TO ME FREELY?
I grew up in the flats of Central Illinois–very rich farmland, horses, blistering cold winters. I wanted a story set there. Since family life is such a central part of that community, I wanted to make a family the center of the story–namely, a woman who longed more than anything to be a member of a close family because of the dysfunction of her own.
2. What was the most challenging aspect of writing COME TO ME FREELY?
This was my first book where I consistently did flashbacks. Really, the first three quarters of the book is present day–trigger flashback–present day–trigger flashback. It was a bit of a challenge, but I like the way it turned out.
3. When you’re blocked on a particular story (assuming you ever are), how do you make yourself get moving again?
It usually takes me awhile to realize I’m blocked. My block isn’t a ’sitting at the computer staring’. I can write, but it’s slower and there is a ‘flatness’ to the story of characters. Just recently, I asked Arwen (tarotbyarwen@gmail.com) to do a tarot reading on a character, and it helped tremendously for development and depth. I’d do that again, to be sure, but I think anything to open up the unconscious into a focused channel would help.
4. What does your writing space look like?
It depends on where I am. I’m either in my work office, which is quite cozy and decorated by yours truly in rosy beiges, tans with accents of crimson or at home in my bedroom where I have a workspace. Sometimes–you’ll think I’m John Lennon–I’ll be propped up in bed, typing away. Haha.
5. Have you ever faced writer’s burnout? How did you deal with it?
I don’t think I have yet, to be honest. I think I will someday. For such a creative endeavor, it can be so demanding on your time and person. I’m having a mild burnout right now–relatively speaking–and I know I’m looking forward to going on a vacation without my computer.
6. Some people say endings are the most important part of any given book. How do you make sure yours are as satisfying as they can be?
Yeah…the culmination of everything you’ve been trying to do and say. I almost always have a clear ending in mind, it’s the getting there that says whether I’ve made it satisfying or not. A good ending involves a clear plot that allows for it, of course, but also depends on how much the reader has connected to the characters at that point. I do better with the latter than the former, probably, but I keep trying.
Thanks, Beth!
Thank you, Lacey. As usual, great questions
Beth
Beth Kery is a published author who writes for Berkley Sensation, Berkley Heat, Ellora’s Cave, Samhain, Whiskey Creek Press and Changeling. She grew up in a huge house built in the nineteenth century where she cultivated her love of mystery and the paranormal. When she wasn’t hunting for secret passageways and ghosts with her friends, she was gobbling up fantasy and romance novels along with any other books she could get her hands on. Currently she juggles the demands of her career, her love of the city and the arts and a busy family life. Her writing today reflects her passion for all of the above.
IMPORTANT NOTE:You must be 18 years old or over to enter this site.