Getting To Know You Blogfest

JL Campbell coordinated the fantastic Getting to Know You Blogfest for the romantic suspense group from Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Crusade. Wow, that was a mouthful. (For some reason my blog hasn't been wanting me to post badges/photos on the sidebar. It took a week of continual trying to get the last one up.)

Since it's in the middle of NaNo, J.L. kept it short - but maybe not so sweet, since, yanno, it's romantic suspense. Or maybe the romantic part makes it sweet. You decide.

Thanks again, for heading this up J.L. It's much appreciated!

1. Name two romantic suspense authors who inspire you.

I'm not sure Nora Roberts wouldn't be in many romantic suspense readers'/writers' top five at least? She's definitely in my top 2. But, the author who most inspired me--I'm not sure his work was ever put under a genre umbrella? Sydney Sheldon. I read my first Sheldon novel (Rage of Angels) around 13 and I promptly devoured the rest (starting in order).

2. How did you start writing in your genre?

This is kinda a hard one for me. I don't know. I sat down and it came out. I do actually write in multiple genres, but they all lean heavily towards romance. The two I've consciously gone into trying to avoid romance still turned out as romance. It was meant to be, how romantic (sorry).

3. You've landed a meeting with your dream agent. Write a one-paragraph pitch to sell your novel to him/her.

Brainy Kasia Taylor is determined to focus on college, not guys, in order to get into the FBI and track down her long-missing parents. When up-and-coming rocker Jake won't take no for an answer, and Kasia can't help but fall for his intelligence and easy-going nature, she learns he has family secrets that link to her murky past and the human trafficking trade. Secrets that lead her straight into the hands of the man who may have murdered her parents.

4. Sabotage or accident - which would you put your female lead through, and why?

I guess I'm an extra special kind of mean. I put her through both. An accident in the first book, sabotage in the sequel. Why? I like to see how much I can make my characters suffer, but still manage to come back from. I heart tension.

5. Plotter or panster - who are you?

Panster. I write purely linearly and have found out the hard way (twice now) that trying to plot screws everything up in a big way for me, and writing chunks then trying to bridge them together, is even worse. So I get the idea for a story in my head and I sit down and let the characters dictate where we go from there - but we always go from front to back.

Make sure to click the link above and check out the others! Thank you. :)

Comments

Old Kitty said…
Awww what fun! Loved how you set out not to write a romance but ended up with one anyway! It was truly meant to be!

Yay! take care
x
You are extra mean to your characters!
DL Hammons said…
Your magnetic North Pole is romance! You can't escape it. :)
Anne Gallagher said…
Oh wow, this is great! Love your pitch. Sounds like the back cover of your novel.
Slamdunk said…
Fun stuff Tara.

Sabotoge, accident, scandal--that is what MC are for: to overcome.
Meredith said…
Clearly I need to read more romantic suspense--your idea sounds like so much fun!
Len Lambert said…
I've read Sydney Sheldon a long time ago and liked it. I have book by Nora Roberts but haven't read them yet.

Thank you - it's nice to know more about you, Tara!
Carol Kilgore said…
I'm hoping plotting is going to work for me. I'll know in a couple of months.

You are so mean to those characters :)
Denise Covey said…
Was good to see you get your post up. Many of us chose Nora Roberts.

Denise
Anonymous said…
Hi from the Blogfest!

Nora Roberts is definitely a favorite of our Blogfest because I think I've seen her name listed in nearly every post. :)
Lola Sharp said…
Our writing process is the same. (natch) :)

And who wants to read a book, in ANY genre, that doesn't have some kind of love story in it?? I don't care if it's parent/child love or romantic love or friendship love or pet love (Old Yeller! *sobs*)...or love of humanity, country, and/or all life. But somehow, there really HAS to be a love story...because, A) love IS the meaning of life, and B) there really cannot be high stakes if there is not love to lose. Amiright?
But, still, I prefer there to be some kind of romantic love in everything I read, watch, write....no matter the genre. <3

I've never read a Nora Roberts/JDR book. Not one.

Your pitch is great. :)

Hugs,
Lola
Mary Aalgaard said…
Fun answers. Write on!
Deniz Bevan said…
Hi there fellow pantster! I remember Sidney Sheldon. I devoured those books back in high school, but I wonder if I could read them now?
Jai Joshi said…
How interesting that being a plotter doesn't work for you. I'm just the opposite! Can't be a pantser to save my life!

Jai