I have the lovely award winning author Kristine Charles answering my 10 Questions talking about her favourite characters she’s written, what she’s reading now and lots more.
- How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Eek! My current WIP – Debauchery – which has just been sent into the wilds of submission, took about 18 months. I’ve been working on another, as yet unfinished WIP (London Calling) for about four years. I’m planning on my new one (Emerald Heart) taking about 4-5 months but we’ll see how that goes. I’m trying to be more disciplined, and plot more at the outset. And, on a good weekend, I can knock over a reasonable short story … so it’s all relative!
2. What’s the hardest scene to write?
That really depends. As an overall comment, I often struggle with the soggy middle… I’ll go into a story with the beginning and end fully formed, but the characters often make me work to get them from A to B. It’s weird. As to particular scenes, sometimes the beginning is hard to find, other times the black moment is all but impossible (because I love and hate making characters suffer in equal measure). I usually find the fun ending scenes a breeze (because by that point it’s all rainbows and unicorns, right!)
3. Do you have a favourite character you’ve written? If so, who and from what book?
I have to say, I’m fickle when it comes to favourites… I don’t have just one, and I love different characters for different reasons. At the moment I have a soft spot for the hero in a short I’m working on. He’s young, and fun and just a really good bloke, perfect for a slightly older and more jaded heroine. And while I love my MCs in Debauchery, one of the side characters – Julia – who is loosely based on a close friend of mine – makes me really happy. Like the actual friend, she makes me laugh all the time.
4. Do you have any unique or quirky writing habits?
Um, I don’t think so. I’m a shocking procrastinator, but that’s not new to writers across the globe.
5. What are you reading now?
I’ve just picked up the New Camelot series from Sierra Simone. I heard her on the Wicked Wallflowers Club podcast and was really intrigued… so I immediately went to Amazon and… well, you know how it goes!
I’m also juggling D.I.L.F by Amy Andrews and Snowed in with the Cowboy by Maisey Yates. And my TBR list is just getting longer… Kristen Proby, Clare Connelly, Avery Flynn, Jennifer Probst, Samantha Young… it goes on!
6. Do you prefer ebook or paperback?
I’d like to say paperback, but e-book is just so much more practical for me nowadays – and given my 2-3 hour commute each day, audiobook is even more practical.
I have my iPad, or my phone, with me all the time and e- or audio is so much easier than lugging around actual books. That being said though, there are a pile of paperbacks on my bedside table, and I have quite the book nook in my loungeroom. There are some books I just have to be able to hold.
7. Who are your author auto buys?
Amy Andrews and Christina Lauren. And my friends L. Simpson, Melanie Coles, and Tanya Kean… 😊
8. How do you choose your character’s names?
My main characters are named via internet searches generally… I find one of those 1000 baby names sites and start reading names aloud until one clicks. Then I do the same for surnames. Sometimes one character (usually side characters) take on traits from my friends, so I’ll use their initials but change the actual names. My villains are often named after bosses, work colleagues or old school mates I don’t like (maybe I shouldn’t admit that publicly!).
9. Who’s your celebrity crush?
Right now… Jason Statham (because he’s the inspiration for my current hero!) and Jason Momoa, for obvious reasons (excluding the whole Amber Heard book ripping thing because that was not cool!)
10. Is your writing a full-time career? Or would you like it to be?
ONE DAY! I’d love to write full time but, being realistic, it doesn’t always pay the bills. Certainly not early in a writing career. So, fingers crossed that lightning strikes! But, until then I’ll keep working, and keep honing my craft, and see where this crazy ride takes me!
Love Sabre
The stories are all very well written and hooked me in. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good romantic tale – or just a giggle at a love sabre. 5 Star Amazon Review.
Seven Aussie authors decided the most purple prose phrase they could think of was, “Sheathe your love sabre.” So, naturally, they agreed to each write a story that included the phrase. From those auspicious beginnings, the Love Sabre anthology was born. From spicy hot to sweet, each Love Sabrist has penned a wonderful, yet very different story guaranteed to make you smile, laugh, gasp, or cry. All of them will make you go, “awww.”
Buy the book
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Kristine Charles
Winner of the Inaugural Romance Writers of Australia Spicy Bites sexy short story competition, Kristine loves telling sexy tales, exploring relationships between complex women and the strong men who love them, then working out just how much pain to inflict, or not inflict, before giving her characters their HEA (or, at least, their HFN). She’s also a non-practicing lawyer who now works in human resources, and writes and reads, to escape into other worlds where coffee (and red wine) is abundant, designer shoes and handbags are cheap, chocolate has no calories and men always put the toilet seat down. Find her on Twitter (@wordsbykc), Facebook (Kristine Charles) or Instagram (@wordsbykristinecharles) and drop by www.wordsbykristinecharles.com to check out some more of her words.
