The Writing Process Blog Tour:

Last week, Angela Roquet invited me to participate in the Writing Process Blog Hop. She asked me to answer a few questions and to introduce a few other authors. I immediately accepted, because if there is anything I like more than writing and reading, is talking about the great authors I’ve been fortunate enough to meet through Twitter and Facebook. The camaraderie and support of the indie community is something rarely seen in other fields of life. People who were strangers to me helped me in a way I never thought possible. I am honored to count them as my friends now.

I met Angela last year, when a common author friend, Clare Davidson, invited both of us to participate in yet another blog tour. Angela is one of those individuals with sunny and supportive personalities who are a pleasure to have around. Her series, Lana Harvey, Reapers Inc., is urban fantasy with a twist, because it takes place in the underworlds, since—in a very democratic way—every religion is accounted for. I started reading the first in the series, Graveyard Shift, which is currently free everywhere, and I had such a blast I had to read them all. Its main character, Lana, a reaper, is an independent woman with a great sense of humor, and quite the interesting love life. Despite she would like nothing else than to be left alone, she gets from one big trouble to the next in a series of daring adventures. Angela Roquet is currently working on the fourth title in the series, and I can’t wait for it to be published. Meanwhile, she is coauthoring a book with her husband. How cool is that?

Now, for my questions:

1) What am I working on?

I’m working on a new paranormal romance series. The first title, The Lost Centurion, is ready to be published, while the second, The Immortal Greek, will be in my editor’s capable hands tomorrow. I’m already outlining the third, The Broken Angel, and I’ll start writing it next week. I am quite excited for this series, because this is the first time I work also on the covers almost all by myself—my husband is helping me whenever I lose my patience with all those technical things I don’t understand,  and there are a few of them.

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

The whole series is set in Italy, with flashbacks in the ancient times. I’ve been refreshing my knowledge of the Roman and Ancient Greek cultures for a different project, and decided to incorporate details here and there in this series too. I researched both on paper and online any little detail I can find about food, clothing, games, anything related to daily life in those ancient times. I even followed a Roman recipe and baked libum, a type of bread soaked in honey, to have a taste of what they ate. I had forgotten how much fun is studying.

3) Why do I write what I do?

I write love stories. They can be dystopian, fantasy, paranormal, you name it. The common denominator is always love. I believe in humanity’s fundamental goodness. In the end, Amor Vincit Omnia. Love conquers all.

4) How does my writing process work?

My writing process used to be whatever the plot and characters dictated, which wasn’t very effective. Starting with this new series, I have drastically changed my approach. Now, I outline the whole story, chapter by chapter, and the characters. Then I write at least three thousand words a day. I am pleased with the result of the new method, and I am trying to write faster so that I can dedicated a few hour a day to marketing.

And now, here are the two author friends I have the honor and pleasure to introduce:

Julia Hughes, is the author of several series, and among them The Griffin Riders’ Chronicles which is a great example of YA fantasy done right. If you want to give it a try, The Griffin Cryer, the first in the series is currently only 99 cents. I loved it, and immediately downloaded the second, The Griffin Boy, when it came out. Her Celtic Cousins’ Adventures series is testament to Julia’s ability to write with the same level of expertise in different genres. A Ripple in Time, one of the titles in that series, is part alternate reality, part fantasy, and part dystopian. Through a ripple in time, its main characters end up altering the course of the Titanic, creating havoc in the universe. Truly a fascinating concept, isn’t it? Not only Julia is a great author, she is also a great supporter of the indie community, always ready to give a hand to the marketing-challenged authors like yours truly. We are both participating in the #OperationMallory, a great cause started by Sean Campbell to help thriller author, Stephen Spencer, who is currently going through a bad moment in his life. If you want to give a hand, please consider spreading the word on Twitter and Facebook and/or take Sean’s challenges on his blog. This week was all about writing a blurb and several authors came up with great ones!

Javier Robayo is one of the most prolific authors I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Javier can write like no other and in the most disparate environments. He is a trooper when it comes to churn out words. He is the author of several great titles. Among them, The Gaze series, that is probably the only contemporary romance series I’ve ever read. Javier’s writing and storytelling is that good that made me read in a genre that I’d never tried before. The first, The Gaze, is centered on a love story that not only is unusual, but makes you think about how everything is relative when it comes to human feelings. Its main character, Samantha, is probably one of the most complex characters I have ever read. The second title in the series, The Next Chapter, narrates the evolution of Lewis, Samantha’s best friend. If possible, since I truly enjoyed reading The Gaze, The Next Chapter is even better. Javier has also published the first in the My Two Flags series, a bittersweet memoir of his teenager years as an immigrant in a new and not so welcoming land. If you prefer shorter reads and want to get a taste of Javier’s literary talent, he has also published several shorts. At the moment, he’s probably working on ten projects at once and already halfway through all of them.