I’m extra, extra delighted to be hosting my CP bestie on my blog today as we continue our blog tour. And look, she brought treats… Janet always knows how to woo me!
Pours the coffee and slices a lovely Red Velvet cheesecake, in honor of Valentine’s
I’m thrilled to be back on the “2 Questions With” blog hop, discussing one of my favorite topics, with my favorite critique partner. I can’t wait to jump into the discussion, and you guys should pop over to my site next to see Anne’s answers.
Q: Slow burn or insta-love?
I appreciate that some writers and readers are all over insta-love. It can certainly provide interesting problems for the fated couple to overcome. If that’s your catnip? Embrace it.
My catnip? Let’s put it this way—#TeamSlowBurnForevah.
Much like good barbeque (because I cannot leave the food metaphors alone, anymore than I can leave foodie moments out of any of my stories), a tasty relationship should marinate and cook at a sensual, low heat until done.
Slow burn has allll my love.
For me, seventy-five percent of the fun is the buildup, the will-they-or-won’t-they anticipation, the little touches and surprise glances. The building heat and intimacy (and adorable awkwardness) as two people either discover or acknowledge their attraction is delicious. I kind of revel in that extended period of getting to know the characters, and them getting to know each other—especially if at least one is an avowed anti-relationship grump. That’s my recipe for the perfect read.
(Anne: See? This is why Janet and I are such good friends…)
Q: What’s the most difficult aspect of writing romance?
Honestly? Plotting. Plotting in general is my nemesis. Ask Anne how many times she’s talked me off an I-can’t-write-this-story/kill-it-now ledge. She deserves a lifetime supply of cheesecake for her service above and beyond the required CP code of conduct.
Because my stories always start with characters, and are largely character driven, I’m then left to create the perfect plot to drop them into. Invariably, I either under-plot, my most common mistake, or go wild an over-plot, cutting into my romance arc and leaving too many threads to try to tie together.
Beat sheets and group CP brainstorming sessions have saved my stories more often than I can count, yet another reason to cultivate your writing community and nurture those friendships, y’all.
(Anne: It’s true! Find your writing people. Because that ledge Janet mentioned above? She’s saved me from more than I can count.)
Janet Walden-West lives in the southeast with a pack of show dogs, a couple of kids, and a husband who didn’t read the fine print. She has an unseemly obsession with dusty artifacts, great cars, and bad coffee. A founding member of the East Tennessee Creative Writers Alliance and The Million Words craft blog, she is also a member of Romance Writers of America member. She pens Urban Fantasy that escapes the neat confines of the city limits in favor of map-dot hillbilly towns, and inclusive Romantic Suspense and Contemporary Romance. A #PitchWars alum, her first short story, Road Trip, is included in the Chasing the Light anthology.
Find Me At:
Website: http://www.janetwaldenwest.weebly.com
Twitter: @JanetWaldenWest
Instagram: janetwaldenwest
Chasing the Light
I’m super excited to be hosting the following authors on these dates:
February 4: K Bird Lincoln
February 11: Janet Walden-West
February 18: Ken Schrader
February 25: Don’t miss the recap of all my answers across the series, plus a bonus pair.
Stayed tuned for all the interviews! And check out the rest of our series on these fantastic blogs:
K Bird Lincoln’s What I Should Have Said
Janet Walden-West’s Blog
Ken Schrader’s It’s All In My Head
~Raven
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