Saturday, August 23, 2014

#RomanceInAMonth Author Interview Jade Kerrion and AROUSED #contemporary #romance #writer


Jade Kerrion has written Science Fiction and Young Adult novels. She joined Romance In A Month and wrote Aroused in two weeks and will be writing the next book in her series, Betrayed, along with the September 2014 class. Here's Jade to tell us about her writing.

Book Description:
Recently divorced, Dr. Vera Rios is too busy navigating the potholes of single parenthood to look for Mr. Right, but along comes a man who cherishes her, adores her daughter, and helps her find her sexy groove. The only problem: Mr. Perfect is an escort.

Rowan Forrester conceals many other secrets, one of which threatens the happiness he finds with Vera. Can love find a way or will Vera have to choose between her beloved daughter and the man of her dreams?

Jade Kerrion defied (or leveraged, depending on your point of view) her undergraduate degrees in Biology and Philosophy, as well as her MBA, to launch her second (and concurrent) career as an award-winning, occasionally best-selling science fiction, fantasy, and romance author. 

Her debut novel, Perfection Unleashed, won six literary awards and launched the Double Helix series, which should be read in order for maximum enjoyment. (Hang in there for the happy ending…) She is a member of the Attic Girls critique group, a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association, and the Regional Director for Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

1. Tell us about your writing. What types of stories do you like to write?
I like to write stories about compelling and complex characters faced with situations that demand courage, strength, and grace under pressure. I try to make my characters relatable and inspirational. 

The genre varies. I started out in science fiction and fantasy based in contemporary settings, and have just ventured into romance.

2. What stimulates you to write? How do you motivate yourself on days you don’t feel like writing?
I have characters in my head nagging at me to tell their story. Often, the story plays out like a movie in my mind and won’t go away until it’s down on paper (or rather my computer screen.) I write every day, be it on a first draft or a revision. And on days when I don’t feel like writing, I have something called a deadline. I’m a firm believer in setting stretch goals.

3. Before Romance in a Month, how involved were you with other authors? How long did it take you to write a first draft?
Before Romance in a Month, I interacted with other authors on socially, e.g., blog tours, Facebook posts, etc. I’m also a member of several writers critique groups. It usually takes me a two to three months to get to a first draft for a 70-90K word novel, assuming I’m working on just one story at a time and don’t get sidetracked. That works out to ~500 to ~1,000 words a day.

4. What made you sign up for Romance in a Month? What did you learn and enjoy the most about the class?
I’d never written a one-plot romance before, although I had incorporated romance into my other novels. I didn’t actually join the class, per se. I joined the group late and instead reviewed the slides for the class. I also read several books on how to write romances, and then I jumped in. The aspect of the class/group that helped the most was seeing how much progress other authors were making on their novels. There’s nothing like peer pressure and a deadline to get you going.

5. 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.
My novel, Aroused, is about a recently divorced doctor who meets the man of her dreams. Unfortunately, he’s an escort. Without the class, I think I would have landed up with a much more complicated, multi-plot story that may not necessarily have worked as well as a pure romance novel. (My science fiction and fantasy background has given me an ability to complicate even the simplest plot, just as a matter of pride and philosophy.) However, the class kept the focus on the romance—how does the couple get together—as opposed to how do they defy death, save the galaxy, explore the universe, and destroy the evil empire while falling in love.

6. What do you do differently now that you’ve written a story with the class?
In this class, I tried something new. I worked with a detailed plot. Typically, I have an end goal and I meander in the approximate direction. However, to finish a novel within a month requires more planning and I decided to plot each scene (who’s the point of view character, where does it take place, what is the goal of the scene, what happens in the scene.) I spent about 2 days developing a detailed plot (my plot word count actually hit about 3,000 words) and then started writing. I landed up with a 37K novel in two weeks, and the story it tells feels solid and complete. I don’t think I could have accomplished it without a plot, and I certain intend to keep plotting my romance novels.

7. What was something you liked most about the class?
The supportive atmosphere. Rachelle Ayala is the most upbeat cheerleader you could wish for and the other authors in the class—some new, some experienced—are incredibly engaged. They’re a great bunch of people, and exactly the kind of company any author could wish for as we embark on our next romance novel together.

Thank you Jade. You're also an enthusiastic friend and fellow author and I appreciate all of your sharing and support both here and on your blog. Can't wait to see what happens in your next book.




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 is addictive.

2 comments:

  1. great interview... it's nice to hear that a sci-fi/fantasy author has enjoyed writing a pure romance novel.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for having me over, Rachelle. I really appreciate it.

    ReplyDelete