Inside My Creative Process by Debbie Herbert

I’m excited to be part of this "Inside of Your Creative Process" blog tour. Thank you Gioconda Lyss  for introducing me to it. Gioconda writes erotic romances and is the author of Heaven on Earth.  Find out more about her creative process at:  http://www.giocondalyss.com/2014/02/inside-my-creative-process.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GiocondaLyss+%28Gioconda+Lyss%29 It's always nice to sneak a peek inside a writer's mind and "see" how their mind works.  Here are more ways to connect with Gioconda: 
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gioconda-Lyss/1431368857076465?ref=hl

http://www.amazon.com/Gioconda-Lyss/e/B00FW6LN4E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?

http://tinyurl.com/lemh2vp


So here are the questions:

Q. What am I working on?

I’m working on book three of my Dark Seas series, published by Harlequin.  The books are about a secret mermaid clan living deep in an Alabama bayou. The first one, Siren’s Secret, is available at: http://goo.gl/cdgxFT.  Book two, Siren’s Treasure, will be published in October.  My current book, Siren’s Call, is scheduled for publication in 2015. In it, Lily – siren extraordinaire – has met a man immune to her enchanting voice. It’s mermaid mythology meets Native American lore.

Q. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

The majority of paranormal books feature love between paranormal men and human women.  Mine are the opposite – with the exception of my current work-in-progress.  My books also have a strong suspense element and, I hope, a strong cast of secondary characters.

Q. Why do I write what I do?

I’ve never outgrown my love of fairytales and mythology. One of my fondest memories in Girl Scouts was reading about the housekeeping elves in the official Brownie’s Handbook.  It’s the possibility of magic that tingles my creative drive and curiosity, the speculation that there is more to reality than we can perceive through our senses.

Q. How does your writing process work?

I’m somewhere between a plotter and a pantser.  The first two books I wrote were total pantsing jobs – I didn’t know enough about story structure to plot them out.  With the third book, I had success storyboarding, although I quickly learned I didn’t always stick to the outline.  Basically, when I storyboard I buy a huge posterboard, mark it into 20 squares for twenty chapters, and fill in scene ideas for each chapter.  It helps me remember the plot threads and what has happened, and what needs to happen further in the book.  I color code the scenes too so I know if it’s written from the point of view of the hero, heroine, or villain.  I’m too technologically-challenged – and impatient – to make spreadsheets and use writing software programs.

Q. Who will we meet next week?

Next week we will meet either Sherrie Lea Morgan or Mia McKimmey, my fellow bloggers.