For openers, I’d like to thank Molly for hosting me today. I’ve a strong cup of coffee before me and the opportunity to talk about whatever tickles my fancy. The subject that bubbled to the surface is…writing! There’s a big surprise, right?
Now that I’ve been rubbing shoulders in the writing community for about five years, this question interests me. I’ve asked this of myself and heard countless writers comment about what draws them to a keyboard. I can tell you the reasons are endless. However, a common thread that binds us. Something inside of us wants to get out and onto paper. We aren’t sure why, but once we start writing, we can’t stop. You might say it’s an addiction or disease. For me, it was like opening a Pandora’s Box I can’t close. Don’t want to close.
But it’s not a glamorous pursuit. Many of us crawl from bed before anyone is awake in our homes, and things get crazy, just so we can exercise our passion. Some burn the midnight oil. New writers, like me, must find time around family needs and work schedules…life. Add to that, long hours alone at a computer, low or no pay, rejection up the ying yang and bouts of doubt.
So why write? For me the answer is simple. I love, love, love storytelling. I can’t quit. I’m hooked. Ideas form, characters edge into those ideas and they refuse to leave until they walk on the page. Once a story is told, there is great satisfaction in completion.
Miranda and Keegan in “Teed Up for Love” will always have the distinction of being my first published novel. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving couple. Next February, another great couple, Colton and Kate, will have their story told.
Right now, my personal life is so busy that quality writing time suffers. Family will always be my first priority with writing a close second. Add in the coming holidays and yikes! In fact, life is hectic for everyone. It’s the world we live in. The characters in unfinished stories know this all too well. For example, Mason and Allison are tapping their foot, stuck on page 150, anxious for my return. Little do they know they’ll be dodging bullets! Which brings me to why I write romance; it’s because no matter how many problems I throw at my characters, they still get a happy ending. How great is that! Besides, there’s enough doom and gloom in the world.
BTW, I write contemporary romance with light mystery and humor. My next goal is to make writing a full-time career. What’s your Pandora’s Box? What would you like to accomplish beyond the bustle of everyday life? Dream big. Set a goal. Life is short. And don’t make it a New Year’s resolution. We all know how those turn out!
SOMETIMES A WORKING GIRL BLOWS HER LID…Using her quick wit and take-charge attitude, Miranda Stiltgaard takes a marketing job for Stuart Golf Enterprises in Chicago determined to prove a well-educated girl raised in a small Alaskan town can succeed in a big city.WHEN ACCUSED OF A CRIME SHE DIDN’T DO…Embezzlement of company funds sends aloof London bachelor, Keegan Stuart, roaring into Chicago to ferret out a thief and protect the family business.THEN RISKS HEARTBREAK TO BOOT….Miranda hates that this unreadable Brit sees her as a backwoods frontierswoman dragging bear home for dinner. Or that she’s capable of a crime. But if it’s a fight he wants, she’ll show him how it’s done. Never does Keegan expect a woman of fortitude to rock his resolve and steal his heart…a heart he does not intend to lose.
About The Author:
BARBARA WEITZ lives in a quiet suburb of Chicago with her husband and a mischievous German shepherd, Heiko, thankful her three grown sons are off making mayhem elsewhere. A career executive secretary most of her life, she’s also held a variety of mundane and unusual employment opportunities, during her sons growing years. This, coupled with a passion for animals, music and poetry, has helped shape the fictional characters she creates.
