Every writer has an author that:
- Never fails to inspire.
- Awakens the writing muse within us.
- Whom we look up to, hoping to emulate their success.
For me, I have three such authors.
The Author Who Awoke The Writing Muse Within Me
It was midway through reading her Fever series that I realized I had a story I wanted to tell. I couldn’t get enough of Mac and Barrons. I wanted more and yet I wanted something different. Mac is the quintessential romance heroine: blond, skinny and irresistible and while I enjoy her character I was tired of reading about irresistible skinny women. I knew there were women out there who were plus size that would read this and many other books and wish this could be them. I wanted them to know that it could be. You can be fat and still found irresistible but you hardly ever see this portrayed in movies or books. If you do read a romance with a plus size heroine you spend the whole book listening to her put herself down, not believe she is worth the attention of the hero and fear he is just looking for the experience of boinking a plus sized girl. Slowly, I started thinking about what kind of heroine I would create, how she would portray herself, how she would interact with the hero. Then a freak floor surfing accident left me bed ridden for a month (yes, you read that correctly) and as I was scrolling through Pinterest I stumbled across a character worksheet. Intrigued with nothing better to do I filled it out. One thing led to another and Destiny Be Damned was born. While I don’t write in the same genre or style as KMM her ability to foreshadow and weave plots together never ceases to amaze me. Not to mention her books are just “feckin” awesome!
The Author Who Inspires Me
Back in 2009 I was going through a major vampire kick and when I say major I mean every single book I read was about a vampire or centered around someone dealing with a vampire. I was coming off an almost 8yr reading dry spell due to my kids being little and taking up any free time I had so when I realized they were starting to need me a little less I googled popular series to check out and the Anita Blake series popped up. Since my local library had almost all the books in series thus far I jumped at the chance. I am a sucker for a very long series. I never want the story to end. Anyway, I cracked my first book open and was blown away. The amount of detail, the explicit and inventive sex scenes, the suspense… AH! Just thinking about it has my heart racing. I’ve read stories from a lot of great authors in my lifetime but none have ever transported me like LKH can. I open her books and it’s like an addiction. I feel compelled to read them in one sitting and they are not small books. No other writer can simultaneously enthrall, entice and irritate me like she can. I don’t recommend her as freely as I do KMM because her stories are not for the faint of heart. They are raw and intense with splashes of humor sprinkled in so you don’t die of a heart attack! She inspires me to reach past my comfort zone, to dive deeper into the darkness, to write in so much detail that you are transported out of reality without even realizing it. Not to mention her very detailed and imaginative sex scenes…
The Author Whose Success I Wish To Emulate
Honestly, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. If you’re a romance writer in America you are going to look up to Nora Roberts. The sheer number of books alone is enough to inspire awe. Just in case you were wondering it is well over 200. Her first book was published in 1981 (Irish Thoroughbred) which would mean she’s been churning out books for at least 35 yrs. I’m no math wiz but I’m pretty sure that means she has had times where she’s published more then 2 books a year. Here I am still trying to get my first book ready since 2013. Nora isn’t the only author to achieve that level of production. However, she hasn’t just churned out books, she’s successfully entrenched herself in the romance genre around the world, her books are always on the New York Times best seller list and usually resides in the #1 spot for weeks at a time. Not to mention she has amassed hordes of loyal readers spanning generations not only under her original pen name but other pseudonyms as well ( J.D. Robb, Jill March & Sarah Hardesty). Her online advertising and the way her name is marketed are always on point. Even though she’s been highly successful for many years you wont find her hold up in some out of the way place just enjoying her success. She has been and still is very much in touch with writers and readers alike. You can find her attending events throughout the year. Matter of fact she has 5 events listed for this year, check them out. Did I also mention she is a fellow RWA member who hails from the same state and county as I do? While I doubt I will ever reach the number of books she has published I do hope to gain loyal readers like hers who will pass their love of my books onto the next generation. I also hope to be as connected and available to my readers as she is.
Who Inspires You?
Wednesday @ 9am “Romance Heroes To Die For”
Friday @ 9am “Plus Size Actresses & The Characters They Play”
- Who inspires you? What author inspired you to write a certain way or even at all?
- Have you read the Fever series from Karen Marie Moning? What did you think of it?
- Have you read the Anita Blake series from Laurell K. Hamilton? What did you think of it?
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