Welcome, everyone. Today we have the lovely AbbyWheelerRomance

A big thank you to her for taking the time to answer these questions.

If you haven't read her books then please do. They're amazing...

Without further ado...

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1. What inspired you to start writing?

Reading did. Before I knew what fanfiction was, I used to make up my own endings when I didn't like what happened or wish it had just been different. I did write two entire romance novels (burner novels. They will never see the light of day. LOL) before I discovered fanfiction and started posting my own fic. I got kind of addicted to the feedback/interaction and got stuck in it for years, writing plot bunny after plot bunny, before I decided I really wanted to write my own characters in a world I created. But I still really love the feedback along the way. I was so happy to find Wattpad where I can get that interaction/feedback that keeps me motivated. I guess I'm a people-pleaser at heart and it's much easier for me to write when I know someone is waiting to read it.

2. Did you have any writers' block along the way? how did you get past them?
God, yes! It really depends on the kind of block. Sometimes it's just a difficult scene as far as action/ too many characters so I needed to knuckle down, break it into smaller sections and get through each at a time before cobbling them together. Other times, I'm just too busy and overwhelmed to be creative, so I allow myself to walk away for a few days. Other times, I do a throwaway exercise. For some examples: write the scene as only overheard dialogue, write the scene as if the characters took truth serum and cannot lie or hide their feelings, write them in danger and see if that raises the stakes. It's not usually full of lines I keep, but it's a good way to shock yourself out of a slump.

3. Do you see yourself in any characters and why?
I see myself in all of them, to an extent. In The Lady Pursues, I'd say Charity has my silliness, and imaginative tendencies, but she's much braver and more outgoing than I am and socially savvy. Ian is a bit more like me in how he goes through life, kind of holing up and shutting out the world, and he's awful at accepting help, as am I. But there are bits of me in all of them. Emilia's control-freak streak is in me, Pru's snarkiness and fangirling over classic literature, Ernie's love for food and his brattiness. Everyone is based on bits of me and bits of my family and friends, both good and bad.

4. How old are you?
Can I be cliche and say "a lady ever reveals her age"? I'm north of thirty, I'll say that much.

5. How old were you when you started writing?
I was just out of college. I'd always written a bit, here and there. I was a theatre major and I'd write skits and songs we put on at events and I wrote sketches when I was with Second City after college. But I didn't start writing novel-length works until I was a frustrated reader who wasn't getting what I wanted out of most romance novels and just started writing my own.

6. Can you remember what you felt when you first started writing? what did you feel?
Control and power and synchronicity. I'd get such a thrill out of a good bit of dialogue or when I had something happen in chapter 3 that I realized would be useful in my endgame. Add in the feedback of fanfiction and, subsequently, Wattpad, the enjoyment was much deeper when I got to share what I wrote and have people laugh where I hoped they would or feel things on lines I cried while writing.

7. What's your outside life like?

I am a singer, which sounds glamorous, but isn't (though I do dress pretty fancy). I do mostly senior homes and parties, singing old jazz standards. Somehow, I've managed to make a living at it for a decade. Don't ask me how! Besides that, I have a relative I spend a good deal of time looking after so it's nice that I'm my own boss and have a flexible schedule. That helps with getting time to write as well. 

8.where do you get your ideas from?

Mostly from reading or watching TV and movies. Whenever something doesn't go the way I want or there's something I wish was explored more, I make a little note of it for the future. I try to stick to the story I'm writing without veering into other plot bunnies (learned my lesson from fanfic), but when I come back to those little seeds later, I can dive into them, think of the tropes involved and why I might want to explore them, then start to develop them into something others might want to read. For The Lady Pursues, I was a bit exhausted with romances where the alpha male seduces the innocent miss. I wanted to flip that, have a heroine where it isn't in her to be demure and wait for him to make the move. I'm not saying that's a bad trope. It's the most popular dynamic. I just wanted to read something fresh, so I wrote it! 

9. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Besides singing, I cook. I love cooking. I also have lots of DIY plans to improve my living space, some of which I even carry out -- painting and redoing my floors. I like learning these handy things. Makes me feel self-sufficient.

10. What does your family think about your writing?
It's complicated. They can be very pragmatic. They still refuse to think singing is a "real job" despite me paying the rent with it for a decade. Because I'm not yet in a place where I'm making money off writing, there are only a few who are supportive. My sister, for instance, makes me read my stuff out loud to her (which helps me catch typos). My aunts are semi-supportive but have yet to read my works. The men in my family... eh. Everyone did brighten up a bit when I won a Watty, but it hasn't translated to them actually reading it --- then again, that may be a blessing. They might recognize some of their flaws in my characters. LOL.

11. What do you think makes a good story?

Good characters, I guess. If the writer can make me like their main characters, root for them and empathize with them, and understand them, then I am along for the ride, no matter where it goes. Also humour. I can get behind a little angst, but I prefer writers who break the tension with a well-timed joke or bit of snappy dialogue. 

12. What's your favourite genre?

My default is a historical romance, as a reader. But I'll read anything if it's good. I love Jane Austen, I used to binge Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha Christie, C.S. Lewis, I love Julia Quinn for her dialogue and Diana Wynne Jones for her whimsy. I love the Harry Potter series and wish Rowling had another good series in her. But I'd have to say Stephen King is my number one. I don't write horror, but I always read his like crazy. His world-building is insanely good in that he can make that horrible happening seem reasonable and even when he branches out into mystery and drama, his characters leap off the page. 

13. Do you write on wattpad or do you use software (like Microsoft word)?

I use Scrivener. I just find it really easy to organize my story, my notes for that story, and even notes for future books all in one space. The formatting is a problem, but I go through Word for that.

14. What's the hardest thing to write, for you and why?
Group scenes (as in four or more people) and action-heavy scenes for different reasons. With the group scenes, there are just so many characters to juggle and you want to keep things flowing while also making sure you address all people involved. It's a slow slog, but when I get it right, I feel great about it. As for action scenes, it's just about pace, which is a hard thing to pinpoint. You want the feeling of escalation or danger, certain things need to happen -- the cause and effect of it all -- but you also need to check in with your characters because their emotions also drive the scene and the feeling of it. Finding that balance between emotion and action is tricky and usually takes a few passes before I'm happy with it. 

15. Do you work on an outline or just go with the flow?

I do a bit of both. I do have an outline when I start, but that outline evolves as I go because the characters usually evolve. By that I mean, as I spend more time with them and get to know them better, what they would or wouldn't do changes. In the middle of a story, I tend to go with the flow up to a point, then sort of look ahead, make sure what I'm writing is serving the story I wanted to tell at the start or restructure on how that story needs to change.

16. Do you have anything specific you want to say to readers?

To my current readers... Thank you. Sharing this story with you has been so rewarding. I love our interactions and even when your comments are just emojis, I treasure them! You've reminded me why I love to write and, even if I never make a red cent off my work, you've made this experience something special and rare. To potential readers... I hope you give me a read. I think you'll have fun.

17. And lastly, Do you have any advice for new writers.

Just start writing and try to finish what you start. And if it's not perfect the first time, it doesn't have to be. You can work on it. Draft 1=Get it done. I have spoken to a few aspiring writer friends/family who thought the story has to come out perfectly on the first go or it's not meant to be. Don't get caught up in magical thinking on this. Writing takes work and multiple tries and edits. Keep working and don't wait for it to be "easy." More than half of your writing is editing. Do you know that quote that is about how an invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration? It applies to writing too. If you have an idea that won't go away, start it, work at it, and see it through!

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