Hi everyone and welcome to another day of madness. Only that
this time, I am not alone in my endeavors. The lovely Chantel Rhondeau is here
with me to talk a little about her book and the process of writing it. (And do be honest, I'm giving her some blog space to fill up too, since I'm being so lazy about it).
Stef: Hi Chantel, and welcome to the loony bin Across the border!
Chantel: So happy to be here, Steph. Thanks for inviting
me over.
S: Great to have you. And as long as you don't go through that door, everything should work out well. So, let us know, Chantel, how do you churn out a literary masterpiece?
C: I actually write best in the midst of complete and utter
chaos. Since I’m a mom, I don’t like to lose any time with my kids if I can
help it. I write on my laptop, sitting in the living room in my comfortable
recliner (usually with a cat vying for space with the laptop). The TV’s
blaring, the kids frequently interrupt me for this or that (I hate when they
want help with a math question—I suck at math!), and I generally write in short
stops and starts. Well, except for the peaceful weekend mornings when everyone
in the house is asleep except me.
Before I ever get to the stage of using my laptop, I like to
plan out my characters completely.
That’s all the real plotting I do. I sit down with a regular notebook
and my purple gel pen. I start with a secret someone wants to hide, and that is
where I get my plot from. Secrets are always great motivation for characters to
do the wrong thing and make mistakes. I think it is also important to have a
good understanding of the characters beliefs and values. I do this for both my
heroes and my villains. I finally round off by writing down how old everyone
is, their names, and their physical descriptions. (Even for characters with a
small role to play, I always write down their ages and physical
descriptions— it’s so easy to forget someone’s eye color!). Once that is done, I
start writing and let the characters tell me where to go. I can’t over plan the story, or I get bored
and want to move on to something else. I just let my Muse go where her fancy
takes her, and I enjoy the show.
Of course, blogging, Facebook, and Twitter are a part of my
daily routine, and I take time out to do critiques for other authors through
the Critique Circle
If I didn’t have a day job, I might actually get a little
sleep once in a while!
S: Wow, that does sound hectic. Thanks for sharing your process with the world. Us writers know it's the secret ingredient to our work. (sugar, spice and a ton of murder - that's how it went, right?).
Now, just to make things confusing for everyone, let me throw some random questions your way.
So, how does your process influence the plot and
characters?
C:
It’s fun to allow my Muse to take off and do
whatever she wants to. Some of my best plot points were things I never imagined
would happen.
S:
Do you pre-plan, or do the plot and characters
take over?
C:
Beyond a glimmer of an idea about what will
happen, I let the characters tell me what to do.
S: Ugh, me too. We all know how dangerous that can become (cough *150k novel *cough).
What was your favorite thing about writing
Always & Forever?
C:
Well, first drafts are always great fun and I
love them, but the best thing about A&F was connecting with other authors
throughout the process of writing and getting their critiques and help along
the way. I’ve made a lot of great friends on the road to publication.
S: Yay for writer friends!
What was the scariest thing about it?
C:
Spending so much time in the mind of a seriously
abused woman, putting myself in her shoes for every scene. It was actually
quite horrible, but I knew I had to tell this story, and I had to be deep in
Lilly’s character to do it justice. Though, it probably didn’t help my blood
pressure anyway :) Also,
letting a stranger read my work for the first time, that took a lot of
courage—and at heart, I’m a really big wuss!
S: You're not a wuss. It can be a hard confidence knock back if a lot of people come at you with knifes and shred your masterpiece apart. *shudders* Happened to me, too. Fortunately, I was wise enough to see they were right, and also to have some supportive people there.
So, I pretty much know this, since I’ve read the
book, but what do you as the author
believe makes the story stand out and stick with readers?
C: I’m a pretty positive person, despite the
darker parts of this book. I hope what stands out is that your past (or
present) circumstances don’t define your future. Lilly and Zach have both had
hard lives, but are able to reinvent themselves. Ultimately, I want readers to
close my book with a sense of hope lifting them up.
S: I'd say you've got that one nailed. Do your characters tend to borrow some of your
traits?
C:
Haha – well, there’s a little of me scattered
within each of my characters. Lilly is a bookworm, I love to read. However, it
goes to the deeper traits too. Insecurity, kindness to others, inability to
trust easily, all sorts of things.
S:
How would you describe the experience of being a
now published author?
C:
There’s a LOT
more work to be done on the marketing front, which does take away from writing
time, but it is very exciting!
S: I know what you mean. I wish I could be a first-draft writing machine and let others handle the rest. But, alas... one can only dream.
Did you have fun?
C:
Writing is one of the greatest joys I have ever
discovered. I might be a little obsessed with it, but yes, it’s tons of fun!
So, there you have it folks. Don’t miss out on
this brand new, fresh out of the oven story of love and trust.
A huge thank you to Chantel for letting herself be subjected to my questioning. Just so you all know, I've twisted most of her words around and put everything out of context. This is by no means a true interview. Or maybe it is... you'll never know! Mwahahahaha!
Now for some nifty info!
A
suspected murderess flees her former life in search of tranquility, but ghosts
she left behind refuse to die, threatening to destroy her happiness.
Lilly
Price is desperate to escape public scrutiny once released from her
incarceration. She moves to a lakeside community in hopes of remaining
anonymous while rebuilding her tattered life.
Widowed
Zach Woodbridge is in no hurry to find a new bride. He longs for a peaceful
summer, writing at his lakeside cottage. Things change after an introduction to
his grandmother’s new assistant, Lilly.
When
Lilly’s secrets are revealed, can their fragile relationship weather the
storm? And when a man from the past
returns to reclaim Lilly, using any force necessary, can she and Zach protect
the people they love?
CONTENT
WARNING: Violence, mild language, sizzling love scenes.
Follow Chantel on her blog tour! Next stop is on Melinda Dozier's blog.
