Chantel Rhondeau is a romance/romantic suspense author who joined my inaugural Romance In A Month class. She completed her first draft within a month of writing and is busy revising and editing. Here's a sneak peak of her story, Happy Endings.
Happy
Endings (McCallister's Paradise - 1)
Coming Early 2015
Contemporary Romance
Handsome, wealthy Quinn McCallister is the most eligible bachelor
on McCallister’s Paradise. Making his family's island resort a success is all
that matters to this workaholic. Everything changes when he meets the beautiful
new massage therapist...
Larissa Benner may have survived cancer, but its aftermath left
plenty of problems besides the ever-looming fear of relapse. Her family nearly
went bankrupt paying for her previous treatment. She desperately needs the
full-time therapist position on the island and the benefits that come with it. The
last thing she wants is problems with her boss, or a complicated office
romance.
Chantel's here to tell us about her new book and also her experiences in the #RomanceInAMonth class.
Tell us about your writing. What types of stories do you
like to write?
I have mostly written romantic suspense, but after taking this
class, I’m really enjoying contemporary romance without the mystery line!
What stimulates you to write? How do you motivate
yourself on days you don’t feel like writing?
It’s tough. Having deadlines is
the most effective way to get me to write. That’s what I liked about the class.
I basically had a deadline every day so that I could tell everyone what I did.
Before Romance in a Month, how involved were you with
other authors? How long did it take you to write a first draft?
I have some
friends I talk to regularly, but nothing like this. First drafts were taking me
from 3-5 months. My fastest before this was 2 months.
What made you sign up for Romance in a Month? What did
you learn and enjoy the most about the class?
Well, I signed up because
Rachelle is the bomb! LOL I learned a lot about archetypes and tropes and I
most enjoyed interacting with all the other writers throughout the class.
Tell us about the story you wrote for the class. Was it
something you would never have written without the class? What about the class
made your story different from how you would usually write?
I had planned on something like Happy Endings for a while, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. I knew the setting and that my heroine was a massage therapist. Through the class, I learned a lot more about the McCallister family and was able to streamline the story and keep on target. I have been nervous about writing contemporary romance, sure it would end up being boring, but I’m really pleased with Happy Endings. I think it is a great novel.
I had planned on something like Happy Endings for a while, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. I knew the setting and that my heroine was a massage therapist. Through the class, I learned a lot more about the McCallister family and was able to streamline the story and keep on target. I have been nervous about writing contemporary romance, sure it would end up being boring, but I’m really pleased with Happy Endings. I think it is a great novel.
What do you do differently now that you’ve written a
story with the class? What was something you liked most about the class?
The
daily questions were a big help to me, getting my brain thinking outside the
box about things I might not normally know about my characters. In a few cases,
this lead to new scenes I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I think in-depth
interviewing of your characters is a great idea. You don’t have to write about
everything you find out, but it is good information to know so that if you ever
get stuck, you have some material to work with.
Do you think it is possible to continue writing a romance
in a month consistently now that you have taken the class?
It gives me great
confidence knowing this is possible. One of the reasons I’m not releasing Happy Endings until early next year
isn’t because it’s not ready (I could release it anytime), but because it is a
series and I want to have the next two books written and released at the same
time. I’m also writing a book for another series that is due in October and so
I have a lot to get done!
Fortunately, I know it is possible now. Happy
writing, everyone! I’m excited to participate in the next class!
Chantel, thanks for the kind words and for doing this interview. I've read Happy Endings and it is a great story and makes me want to meet more of the McCallister family.
I hope we’ll meet many more classmates for
the next #RomanceInAMonth class.
From Sept 1 to Oct 15, 2014, we're opening up the Romance In A Month group. There is no cost for the class. If you're interested in writing along with a group of friendly, fun, and slightly crazy romance authors, please contact me (Rachelle) at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RachelleAyalaWriter.
The Romance In A Month textbook is available now on Amazon. It contains all of the lessons and slides [in bullet form], as well as resources for brainstorming, and a reading list. I hope you'll join us and share our adventure in writing a Romance In a Month [and every month after that].
Watch my blog for more author interviews and exciting news from the RomanceInAMonth authors or RIAMers - because writing romances are addictive.
If you're interested in joining us for the September-October class, please contact me at my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/rachelleayalawriter
Watch my blog for more author interviews and exciting news from the RomanceInAMonth authors or RIAMers - because writing romances are addictive.
Thanks so much for inviting me to the class, Rachelle! Can't wait for the next one!
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