Been missing in action…

Sorry to anyone out there who has wondered what has happened to me these last two or three weeks. I try to stay focused and keep my writing and networking up to date but lately life has thrown a few things at me that I cannot ignore.

As writers, we tend to concentrate on the artistic, creative juices and other things tend to blend into the background. I’ve not meant to be missing in action but the one ‘job’ that comes before my writing is being a mom to my beautiful daughters.

As April has drawn to a close and May is just around the corner, more of my time this year is being spent on my kids. One is completing her first year in college and debating what major she should pursue. One with great job potential? One that is more interesting to her but may not lead to any solid positions when she graduates? Perhaps one that is incredibly interesting or incredibly boring or just incredibly basic. And my other daughter graduates college in just a couple of weeks, with her eyes already set on the Masters program she starts in the fall.

As I’ve counseled and cheered on my daughters the month has slipped past me. But I can’t be too upset with myself (although this cannot become a habit, missing my posts) because I have been missing in action for a very good reason.

Being a mom has always been foremost in my life. And these two are my greatest cheerleaders.

Sorry I’ve been missing most of this month,

KW

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Should a writer stick to one genre?

Most of the writers I admire seem to stick with one particular genre in their work. Romance novelists write contemporary, historical, paranormal, erotic and other types of books. One thing they all have in common though is their penchant to be fictional romance stories.

History books, some of my favorites due to research for my own work, are almost always based on nonfiction and relate events from the past as accurately as possible. Whether it is following the battles and soldiers of wars, the clothing and hairstyles of a particular era or relating a country’s historical timeline, it is all based on facts.

Mainstream fiction also is a genre that is defined by its writers. Not necessarily romances or nonfiction, these books often follow crime or suspense or famous people’s lives and are not subject to being defined (at least to me) as a particular genre. When one enters a bookstore each shelf of books is listed under its own type of label, be it adventure, travel, romance, teen romance, references…so many types of books.

I adore writing romance. Historical romance to be exact. And yet, at times I find myself intensely attracted to a story about other characters, other times and other areas of interest.

As writers we develop our craft in our own ways. For me, I believe romance is a perfect way to express myself. However, maybe I should incorporate crime or suspense…I enjoy reading these books. And what a writer enjoys reading often works its way into the writer’s own stories.

One genre or many, one era or another…writers write what they feel,

KW

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Living vicariously…

Wow, it seems all those attending the RT BookLovers Convention being held in Los Angeles are having a wonderful time. I have been reading posts about all the fun events and envying all the photos authors are publishing to Facebook. Due to other reasons, I am unable to attend this year but have been enjoying it vicariously through friends online…and is just beginning! It runs from April 6 through April 10 so I will be keeping up with the wonderful events for a few days via web posts. Workshops, dinners, contests, giveaways and fabulous balls…and that is just the tip of the iceberg…

Cover models, authors, industry professionals, readers….they are all in attendance. A perfect event for anyone who enjoys writing or reading novels.

If you are one of those lucky enough to be in attendance, have a dance for me,

KW

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