I’ve had more than one person suggest to me that I find some sort of “hook” for my stories – a nice neat niche that I can claim as my own and therefore set myself apart from the rest of the many talented romance authors out there – like the new NASCAR romances that Harlequin has introduced. Or a country music theme like my good friend and fellow Cerridwen author Sonya Kate Childers uses (TIDES OF TIME – you really should read her book!)
It’s not a bad suggestion, it’s just got me stumped. My mind doesn’t really work that way. It’s pretty rare that I can even come up with a tailor made story from a broad suggestion of a theme that publishers often include in a call for submissions.
I’d love to be able to find a way to say “hey, this is my THING” but so far that THING hasn’t presented itself to me. Unless having characters with convoluted internal struggles and past baggage to deal with while they reinvent themselves (and fall in love along the way) counts!
My stories come to me from a scrap of overheard conversation, funny anecdotes, a song, a scent, a color, a sunny day. My muse is a subtle and fickle beast and doesn’t always hand me the story in one lump either. My current WIP came to me on a whiff of freshly cut grass one summer afternoon in Ohio and I had no idea there was so much story to tell when I started out! I’ve been getting it out in 500+ words a day chunks for the last several weeks. Every time I think I’m nearing the end something else happens! It’s fun and frustrating and maybe that explains why I have so much trouble thinking up a story to fit neatly into some predetermined slot.
If I come up with anything though, you’ll be the first to know 
