On What It’s Like to Write Romance by Abbie Williams plus giveaway

Joelle Gordon is leaving Chicago and her cheating husband to head for her hometown of Landon, Minnesota. WIth her three beautiful daughters in tow, Joelle is bombarded with an onslaught of memories that Landon evokes. Landon -- home to the Shore Leave Cafe, the restaurant Joelle's family owns -- has some surprises in store for Joelle. Finding herself confronted with the reality of single motherhood, a mysterious but handsome young staffer at the Shore Leave Cafe, her upset daughters, and the prospect of returning to her husband for the well-being of her kids, Joelle must make decisions she never thought she'd face.

A story about heartbreak, blame, family, desire, love, and the difficulties of returning home, Summer at the Shore Leave Cafe highlights hardships to which everyone can relate.

ISBN ebook: 978-1-926760-92-6

FICTION | Romance
Word Count: 66,000
List Price: $3.99
Published: December 17, 2012

Abbie Williams' first novel, Forbidden, hit shelves in June of 2012.

Buy links: Amazon  |  Apple  |  Barnes&Noble  |  Kobo

On What It’s Like to Write Romance

Abbie Williams

Romance writer: a remarkable occupation. 

At least, it is for me. I write that with no hint of sarcasm. I enjoy every little bit of being able to earn money for indulging my most vital hobby: writing a love story. Yes, I am also a realist. You think that romance writers haven’t heard the criticisms heaped upon their work for decades like so much whipped cream, tinged with a splash of venom? I say, bring it! If you don’t believe in the possibility of true love, that is your business; my business is to submerge myself in it, gladly, and possibly convince you otherwise. I enjoy creating sexy lovers for my main characters. I relish in giving them a chance at love. I want you to open my books and become immersed. Slip out of your shoes, sink your legs into the lake, and lean back to watch the clouds for a while. Why not? Isn’t a romance novel the fictional equivalent of doing just that? Relaxing, escaping, and luxuriating? 
 

Sensory indulgence, that’s what reading a romance novel is all about. Writing one as well. The joys of smoldering eyes, intertwined fingers, magnetic intensity, and utter fascination with someone. Infatuation, falling in love, fabulous sex, the thrill of it all! Why does one specific person appeal to another? What draws them together in a crowd, or from across the room, or as they accidentally brush shoulders walking past each other? These questions intrigue me to no end. And as much as I truly love literature in all of its guises, romance novels are certainly my most beloved, both to read and produce. My philosophy is relatively simple: if it is dull to write, then it is surely dull to read. And with that as my abiding guideline, I reclaim my laptop (usually from the hands of one of my daughters) and secret myself away. I type with fervent concentration. It’s often a jolt to come back to reality when I’ve been under a July moon on a night with 90% relative humidity and my characters have just slipped into the lake to cool off. I’ll blink several times in the darkness of my pantry, or laundry room, or wherever I’ve found a moment alone, and hear the chilly whistle of a December wind, and have to reorient myself. It’s wonderful. 
 

I can always picture my characters so well, and hear their voices (no, really, I’m not certifiable), and it’s so totally interesting when a reader explains how she or he envisioned the character. It’s a bit like having a stranger tell you that your child resembles Darlene from the TV series Roseanne. And you think to yourself, wait a second, what? Clearly I would have noticed that before. But that is what makes feedback so fascinating. I love it. It’s the whole idea that once you’ve put something out there, into the world of fiction, it can be interpreted endlessly. This is what makes book clubs lively and entertaining. And class discussions come to life. And married couples speculate on whether or not they could try that one thing that she just read about in that one book…

So, what is it like to write romance? People ask me how long it takes to write a book, and do I make an outline first, and how do I get my ideas? I respond with: it depends, no, and from everywhere. I had the idea for my first novel back when I was a teenager, but hadn’t enough life experience to write it. You could say I had the emotional bones of the story, but not yet the soul. That would come later. If I could treat writing as a day job, I would write for eight hours without ceasing, easily. Not only do I love it, but I must know what happens next. I never make outlines, though I would encourage my students to create them. (What a hypocrite I am.) Outlines are limiting, in my opinion. Ideas crowd my mind, flood my senses; writer’s block is never an issue for me, but then again, I can’t add numbers in my head, so we all have our weaknesses. And now I’ve embarrassed myself by admitting that I basically can’t do math. Without a calculator, anyway.

Bottom line: writing romance is a joyous, lovely, fulfilling and satisfying occupation. I write until I’ve exhausted both adjectives and myself. Furthermore, I find it essential. I hope you enjoy indulging in the places and characters I create, but then again, I wrote for years before I was published, for my own pleasure. Having the chance for others to read my work is truly the cherry on the sundae.

About this author

Abbie Williams has been addicted to love stories ever since first sneaking her mother’s copy of The Flame and the Flower; and since then, she’s been jotting down her own in a notebook. A school teacher who spends her days with her own true love, their three daughters,  and a very busy schedule, she is most happy when she gets a few hours to indulge in visiting the characters in her stories. When she’s not writing, teaching or spending time with her family, you’ll find her either camping, making a grand mess in her kitchen at various cooking attempts, or listening to a good bluegrass banjo.
She is also the author of FORBIDDEN.

**GIVEAWAY**

a Rafflecopter giveaway