What’s it like inside an author’s brain? Allow me to share a glimpse into the chaotic creative process of writing.

It’s been a busy couple of months for my brain, but in a good way. The Dating Debate came out February 5th. Leading up to the release I was writing promotional posts for blogs, creating teasers, and worrying about a bunch of things that are completely beyond my control…one of my special skills that leads to binge eating chocolate, drinking wine, and occasionally rocking in the corner for half an hour.

Right after The Dating Debate came out, I received edits for Burning Bright which is the 5th book in the Going Down In Flames series. If you’ve never seen an edits letter, it goes something like this:

I love this and this and this, but why does Jaxon react this way  and why did Bryn do this and shouldn’t a couple of days have passed between these two events and I don’t know why Clint and Ivy are necessary to the story in this section and the middle part totally sucks and you should probably rework the ending and I know it’s Friday but I’d like this back by Monday. Have a great weekend.

I might be exaggerating a tiny bit. And I should say that my editor is wonderful and great to work with because she is, but I’ve learned to drink a glass of wine before reading my edits letter because no matter how prepared I think I am to take constructive criticism it’s still a painful process. Not because I think the story is perfect the way it is, but because in my head these events happened in perfectly clear manner at just the right time and all the characters said and did meaningful things. Unfortunately the vision in my head does not always travel from my brain to my hands and onto the page in the way I thought it did.

So after a glass of wine and some chocolate and a minimum amount of rocking I add and subtract and mutate various portions of the story into a much better story for people who can’t see what’s going on in my brain. And then I send the newly polished work to my editor. Shortly after that my brain melts into a pile of goo. And then I realize I have promo stuff to do for The Dating Debate so I try to switch my brain from snarky shape-shifting dragons to snarky, slightly jaded, Harry Potter loving teens with family issues.

Just as things start to smooth out requiring less wine and a minimum of chocolate and zero to no rocking I realize that I have another Dating Dilemma book due in a few months. I fantasize about quitting my day job as a speech therapist, remember that I do need health insurance, and start drinking vast quantities of coffee after work every night so I can write Matt and Lisa’s story.