This Sunday's guest is none other than Laura Browning. Show her some love, y'all!
I
grew up in a family of readers. My father read non-fiction and
action-thrillers. My mother was more organized. God, was she more
organized. The woman had a reading list probably before anyone had
ever thought of the 100 Books Everyone Should Read. We were regulars
at the library where I worked my way through every horse book known
to man and became an instant expert on everything from archaeology to
Russian history.
We
were also letter writers. I remember carrying on weekly
correspondence with my eldest brother’s then fiancée, beginning
when I was nine years old. And honestly, if I had to track my love of
writing back to anything, I’d say it’s rooted in reading and the
letters back and forth with my sister-in-law.
But
I was going to be an artist, not a writer…until a school friend
handed me my first Harlequin Romance.
We
both dreamed of writing our own books. I actually finished a
horrifyingly bad gothic romance written in longhand when I was
sixteen. Shudder. I’m not sure where it is, but I hope it’s gone
to a better place—like the dump or up in smoke. Like most romance
couples of that long ago, he was rich and experienced and she was
young and naïve. I even had a sex scene in it, which is pretty good
for someone who had barely even kissed her boyfriend. But hey,
writers are supposed to have imagination! Besides that, I’d read
some Barbara Cartland, too, so I already knew that having sex was so
divine, even the first time, that the angels would sing. Wow, I’m
making myself gag.
I
eventually went into journalism and became a very snappy and cynical
news producer. I am not ashamed to admit, though, I was still a
romantic at heart. So I continued my attempts to write a romance
novel. I had tons of ideas. In fact, ideas have never been a problem
for me. I’ve gotten inspiration from riding horses, from songs I
like and from people around me. I try to get ideas down on paper as
soon as they occur. The danger is, since I’m a pantser, I start
getting too detailed and the next thing I know, I’m already twenty
thousand words into a new manuscript and backpedaling to write down
character and plot details in a separate file so I don’t have to
keep hunting them in the manuscript.
Serious
writing began about seven years ago, but I still hadn’t worked up
the nerve to do anything with it. It’s not easy hanging yourself
out there. Having someone rip into your writing is a bit like having
skin flayed from you with a metal tipped whip. So I was a chicken.
My husband gave me the kick I needed, and in 2009 I submitted to The
Wild Rose Press with two paranormal novels The
Silkie’s Call
and The
Silkie’s Salvation.
Both were accepted. I enjoyed writing them and may eventually do
more, but my heart is really in contemporary romance.
With
my confidence back in place, I pulled out a manuscript that had been
sitting in my stash and submitted to Lyrical Press. That submission
became Winning
Heart,
the precursor of the series I’m doing with them on the
Barlow-Barretts, a family of media moguls similar to a combination of
the Kennedys and the Hearsts. Bittersweet
came out in December 2011. Book 2, Balancing
Act,
released last month and, I’m thrilled to say, will be coming out in
print in December! And Remember
Me
comes out February 3. Three more books are either in the process of
submission or being written.
The
bottom line for me is I love to write, and I feel incredibly blessed
to be able to teach students to write, too. You see, I gave up the TV
career and now teach English at an alternative ed high school.
Watching a teenager get fired up about something she’s writing is
almost as good as finishing a manuscript. Almost…lol.
Here’s
the blurb for my latest release, Balancing
Act:
He has high expectations. And she exceeds every one.
Seth
Barlow picks his teeth with the bones of secretaries he's chewed up
and spit out. Except Tessa Edwards. She's completely unruffled by his
bad attitude--and completely undone by his touch.
But
Tessa is balancing on a high wire with no safety net. Her job is the
only thing that keeps her from losing custody of her little brother
to her money-hungry aunt and uncle, who care less for the dyslexic
child than for the hefty trust fund that comes with him.
When
ten thousand dollars goes missing from Barrett Newspapers and shows
up in Tessa's personal bank account, not even her budding
relationship with Seth can help Tessa keep her job...or her little
brother.
Warning:
One bad-tempered boss, one super-efficient secretary, and a whole lot
of sparks!
Oh,
and I have to include a picture of the cover of Remember
me,
too, because I absolutely love this cover! You rock, Renee!
Hey,
thanks so much for letting me share some of my writing journey with
you. I love hearing how people end up as writers.
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