I thought I'd answer a few questions in this week's Food for Thought.
What do you think about when you're on vacation?
I get the feeling most people can sit on a beach, close their eyes, and let their worries and tensions slip away.
That's not me.
I left the work at home, but my imagination came along anyway. Apparently my characters don't understand the meaning of taking time off.
During my cruise to Canada, a character from one of my books started knocking on the door of my brain, demanding attention.
As so often happens, my imagination doesn't stop just because I'm sleeping. Apparently, it doesn't stop when I'm enjoying a beautiful sunset, either.
Before I knew it, I was having a conversation with a character who wanted to tell his story.
The result? I'm still finishing Book Five of the Prospect Tower series, but Book Six already has an outline, and a character whose time has come.
I guess that means I have more writing to do!
When you're writing a book, do you already know what the next one will be about?
Not necessarily.
There are things I want to explore or explain about the world I've created, but I don't always know how those stories will unfold.
More often than not, as I'm writing the closing chapters of one book, another character bounces into my brain, demanding some time with me.
And before I know it, the next story begins taking shape.
Which book was the most difficult to write?
Without question, my first book, The Option.
I had the idea and knew the story I wanted to tell, but I didn't always know how I was going to get there until I was knee-deep in the water.
Since then, the world of Prospect Tower has become familiar territory. The challenge now is exploring the parts of that world I haven't yet revealed and explaining the rules that govern it.
Of course, my characters occasionally have ideas of their own.
Will you ever write books that aren't about reincarnation and romance?
Possibly!
I've been asked more than once to write an autobiography. I've also been tempted to write a story about a house haunted by a gangster.
Both ideas are sitting on the back burner, simmering away.
But for now, I'm still energized by writing psychic paranormal romances. There are more stories to tell, more mysteries to explore, and apparently more characters waiting impatiently for their turn.
So much for taking a vacation!
Now I'm curious. When you're on vacation, does your mind finally slow down, or does it keep right on working?
Mj