Accused by Wendy Byrne (VNBtM, guest post, excerpt and GIVEAWAY)

It is my pleasure to have a guest post from author Wendy Byrne!

 

What is my writing process?

by Wendy Byrne

I like to write in the morning. I’m an early riser and find that my creative energies are best in the morning. First I have to do my morning ritual and check emails, Facebook, and get my morning dose of chai tea going. After that—on a good day—I start writing. Yes, I’m human, so some days I’m more disciplined than others.

In my earlier writing endeavors, I would concentrate on one book at a time and wrote as a pantser (by the seat of my pants). This means I wrote whatever came to mind—sometimes those thoughts came chronically—most times they were random ideas for scenes or conversations. As I tried to be more productive, I had to develop a better plan for getting books written. Some writers do elaborate outlines, color-code scenes and conversations to make sure there’s a balance, but that wouldn’t work for me. Which is an important point—never let someone else tell you how or what your process should be. It’s important to do what works for you. Sometimes that changes as you grow as a writer.

I write for two different publishers and also self-publish, so that means I typically am working at multiple projects at a time. That took some getting used to, but I’ve managed to develop some ideas that work for me. I compartmentalize my time and work on one project for a period of time before moving on to another. I usually do something non-writing related in-between like take a walk or run to the store to clear my mind. I also have a much more structured approach to the process. I might not have everything set in stone when I begin to write a new story, but I have an idea of the high points of my story. I find there are some tools that help me along this journey—Scrivener helps me find things easier if I need to switch scenes around in terms of chronological order, and Jamie Gould’s collection of story beat sheets also keep me aware of where I should be at certain parts of the story. http://jamigold.com/for-writers/worksheets-for-writers/. I also find it invaluable to have other writers to keep me on track and give support in those times when I’m pulling my hair out. I’m also a big fan of NANO http://nanowrimo.org.  It’s a commitment I make in November to get 50,000 words on paper of a new work of fiction. It might not be pretty, but it’s something I can work with. In order to accomplish such a feat, it’s important that you don’t revise and just write, even when you have nothing to write. And I get it done because…well…I’m stubborn that way.

You have to find out what works for you as a writer, as we are each individuals and what works for some doesn’t work for others. Happy writing!

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Accused

by Wendy Byrne

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GENRE: Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

Spawned from the depths of every parent’s worst nightmare, Jillian Beckett’s 16 year old troubled son is charged with murder. He’s unable to remember what happened and swears he’s off drugs, but should she believe him? Her ex-husband doesn’t. The high-priced lawyer she hired doesn’t. Where does motherly instinct intersect with reality?

Afraid and alone, she reluctantly enlists the help of her son’s football coach to find the truth of what happened. As they battle to uncover the guilty party, confidences are shattered, lives are on the line, while her son is one step closer to spending his life behind bars.

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EXCERPT

Sam spotted Travis sitting with his mother. In a sea of average, Jillian Beckett stood out. With a model’s face and body, she drew attention even when dressed in a pair of old jeans and a pink oxford shirt. There was a part of him that found her attractive—okay, a huge part of him—even though it made him feel like shit thinking of her like that. His first priority should be Travis, and it was. It wasn’t the kid’s fault he had a babe for a mom.

 He watched her get up and start to pace while Travis sat at the table looking nervous. Neither one seemed to be talking and Sam could sense tension between them even from across the room. It didn’t feel right to interrupt, but he didn’t have a choice once Travis spotted him and waved him over.

Jillian turned and stopped her frantic pacing. Hesitation played out on her face once she saw him. Something was going on between her and Travis and she didn’t want Sam’s interference. Before he could reconsider, Travis walked across the room and ushered him back to their table. “We could use some help, Coach.”

Her face was pale as she shook his hand and they both sat down. At least she’d stopped pacing. Still, he fought the urge to touch her as she clasped and unclasped her hands.

“What’s going on?” Sam didn’t want to linger on thoughts of his past.

Travis looked at his mother, then at Sam, then hung his head. “I am so screwed. The blood on my shirt matches Max Gill’s and the gun I had in my room was used in a killing a while back. I swear I didn’t do either, but the evidence says otherwise.”

Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Wendy lives in the Chicago area. She has a Masters in Social Work and worked in the child welfare field for twelve years before she decided to pursue her dream of writing. 

Between teaching college classes, trying to get her morbidly obese cat to slim down and tempering the will of her five-year-old granddaughter, who's determined to become a witch when she turns six so she can fly on her broom to see the Eiffel Tower and put hexes on people--not necessarily in that order--somehow Wendy still manages to fit in writing. She spends the remainder of her days inflicting mayhem on her hero and heroine until they beg for mercy.

She has written three books in the Hard Targets Trilogy, Hard to Kill, Hard to Trust, and Hard to Stop. In addition, she has a contemporary romance through Entangled Publishing called The Millionaire's Deception , a self-pubbed Christmas short story called The Christmas Curse and two interracial romances, Fractured and Mama Said.

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