All is Revealed - My Writing Process (blog hop)

Many thanks to Stacy Juba, whose forthcoming romantic comedy Fooling Around With Cinderella, I'm very much looking forward to reading, for including me in the Writing Process blog hop.  This seemed an interesting way to explore how I approach my writing from story idea to printed page, and to share my latest project.  Next week Misty Beller and Deborah Court will post their responses to the questions below.

1) What am I working on?


Due for release next week, my latest story is a contemporary romance with suspense The Nightclub.  Here
is the blurb: 

Trying to make a living for her teenage sister and herself, Laura Hamilton accepts a job offer as a hostess at an infamous nightclub. As she struggles to survive in a world of sex, drugs and corruption, she certainly doesn't expect to find her own knight in shining armour in the club's owner, Julian. But will he really save her from a future as a fallen woman? And is he involved in the criminal organisation that threatens not only her sister's life, but will change her own fate forever?

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Like Stacy, I've published in a variety of genres, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, a psychological thriller and a modern ghost story.  I've even co-written a short science fiction story with my darling son.  All my stories involve people facing a dramatic emotional journey, which I try to make as realistic as possible to allow my readers to identify with them.  Although I like to include emotional or sexual tension, I don't write erotica and consider my romances to be 'clean'.  The Nightclub probably goes one step further than the rest, and I'll leave it to my readers to decide if that's a step too far.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I like to write the kind of stories I enjoy reading involving characters with whom I can really empathise, since I want readers to do the same.  That's not to say they are without flaws—Ellis Crawford in Killing Jenna Crane, for example, is one of the most unlikeable men imaginable; he's deeply flawed and his journey to self-discovery is fraught with difficulties.  Despite his faults, readers still manage to understand him and some even like him.  I'm not sure if I do, though.

4) How my writing process works

I used to need to have the whole story mapped out in my head before I began writing, but nowadays I've been known to sit at my computer with only the sketchiest of ideas and let the story evolve according to its own whimsy.  I wrote my best-seller Wishful Thinking that way.  It's great fun as it allows stories to evolve organically.  When I'm not writing, my brain is still swamped with ideas.  I have packs of pens and Post-It notes in every room in my house so I can grab one and scribble down ideas as they come to me.  I stick all these into an exercise book on my desk that I use for jotting down relevant names, places, dates, any details likely to recur throughout the story.  Once I've finished with each sticky note, it goes in the bin—nice and tidy—though believe me, I'm anything but a tidy worker!

Do be sure to catch the two great writers nominated to continue the hop next week—just click on their names to take you to their blogs:

Misty Beller was raised on a farm in South Carolina, so her Southern roots run deep, as does her love for Christian novels. Misty is a semi-finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writers 2014 Genesis Contest in the Historical Romance category, and is looking forward to the upcoming release of her debut Historical Romance novel by Prism Book Group.

Deborah Court lives in a picturesque European small town. A health

professional by day, at night she loves to write romances about elven warriors of deadly beauty, capable of making a woman die from sheer pleasure - or stories to awaken the deepest, most secret fantasies of her readers.

Deborah's bestselling debut novel Bound to the Prince, a fantasy romance featuring an Elven hero, was nominated "Best Book of 2011" by The Romance Review. Writing in both English and German, her favourite genres are fantasy/paranormal, erotic and historical romance; she also publishes young adult mysteries for Harlequin Books, Germany.

The Nightclub - a New #Romance with #Suspense by Lynette Sofras @ManicScribber - ARCs now available

I'm very excited to announce my forthcoming release - a modern romance with suspense and to be able to offer advance review copies for interested readers.  The book will be on sale in mid-June.

The Blurb

Trying to make a living for her teenage sister and herself, Laura Hamilton accepts a job offer as a hostess at an infamous nightclub. As she struggles to survive in a world of sex, drugs and corruption, she certainly doesn't expect to find her own knight in shining armour in the club's owner, Julian. But will he really save her from a future as a fallen woman? And is he involved in the criminal organisation that threatens not only her sister's life, but will change her own fate forever?


Excerpt

Julian left the Inner Sanctum and let himself back through the office and into the club.  A few cleaning staff were still at work, vacuuming the acres of blue carpet and wiping down tables, but Lucy-Laura sat huddled at a side table, fully dressed now, her body language clearly speaking her dejection.  She looked very different from the delicious creature who'd danced in his arms to song after song last night.
'Hi,' he said, sitting down opposite her.
'Hi to you, too, Mr Manager.  So you work here, Julian, just-call-me-James.'
'Yes Laura, my-name-is-Lucy, or at least, I will do so as from Tuesday.'
'All the girls here change their names, for obvious reasons.  But I didn't know the staff went around tricking them into talking about the club for their own sneaky reasons.  It isn't fair.'  She gave a little aggrieved sniff, which made him smile.
'I know it was a shabby trick, and I'm sorry, but I wanted to get a holistic feel for the place.  You didn't talk yourself out of a job, if that's what worries you.  I was impressed by your honesty and discretion, actually.'  And quite a lot more besides.
'Thank you.  But why did you choose me… or did you just ask Loz to bring you any girl?'
'He has a bit of a soft spot for you, you do realise?  But yes, I did ask for you.  I saw you with Ken Featherstone the other night and thought that if you could charm that old lush, you must be worth getting to know.'
She smiled for the first time and he liked the way this lit up her face.  'Then I'm sorry if I disappointed you.  I have no idea what to make of Ken.  When Loz took me to his table on my first night, he was with another woman.  I presumed she worked here, but she left after a while, seemed to be going on somewhere by herself, and I haven't seen her since.  I don't know why he asks for me when most of the time he's too drunk for coherent conversation and when we dance, I practically have to hold him up.'
He laughed.  'Well you'll soon build up your upper body strength that way.  He must weigh twenty stones.'
Laura gave a little giggle.  'And some.  And the other night, he kind of slumped down on my arm and then—can you believe this—he bit me.'  She pulled up the sleeve of her T-shirt and displayed an angry, deep purple bruise on her upper arm.
Julian stared at the welt in shock and disgust.  He stretched out his hand and touched it gently with his finger.  'He did that to you?  You could have him arrested for that.  You should have reported him.'
'To whom?  I'm probably the one who would have been shown the door.  He's a valued customer, I'm just… the hired help.'
'He's not that valued.  Not after this.  I'll make sure he doesn't come back.'
'No, please don't.  He's not a bad man; he just drinks too much and loses control.  I know he wouldn't hurt someone otherwise.  I'm sure he's a lovely person when he's sober.  He's probably just one of the lost and the lonely.'
He gave her a quizzical look.  'Lost and lonely?  That sounds very sentimental, maudlin, even.'
She gave him a little smile.  'My stepmother had this favourite song.  If she wasn't playing it, she was forever singing it.  It was about some woman in a nightclub singing songs "for the lost and lonely".  That's how I think of him.  I'm sure he must have a good reason for drinking himself into oblivion.  From what I understood the other night, he holds quite an important post in some government health agency.'
Julian shook his head.  'I think Mel's right.  You do belong in church: Lucy-Laura, Little Miss Do-gooder.  Well, he's certainly going to receive a strong warning that if he gets too drunk, he's out.'
'Now that's a far better idea, James-Julian, Mr Do-gooder.  So you're going to manage Ferriby's Nightclub and sober up all your customers?  That's a novel way to do business. You told me you were in the music industry.  Were you telling the truth?'
'I was, and still am, since I won't be abandoning it entirely.  If you can juggle two jobs, I'm sure I can.  Now, are we still friends?'
She smiled up at him looking sweet and trusting.  Dammit, he thought, don't get involved.  But something stirring within him told him he already was.

If you are interested in receiving a review copy, please contact me at ManicScribbler@gmail.com