My protagonist, Sam, came along at a time when I thought I would never write again. I truly mean that. As a writer, that is a terrifying thought… that you might never be able to articulate how you feel about the world around you or that you will have to stop living vicariously through your character who has it more figured out than you do. Just me? Alrighty then…
All kidding aside, this book was written after some pretty significant burnout, after a series of events that had been snowballing for some time. When the avalanche fell, I was buried deep without a shovel, pick, or even so much as a spoon. My hands were at my sides weighted by the force of it on all sides as the pressure forced the air from my lungs. Perhaps a bit melodramatic now, but I didn’t think so at the time. It felt like every bit of that to me, perhaps more so. What finally got me out was an obligation to my writer group that I had made. I had promised to contribute to an anthology we were publishing as a fundraiser and I hate letting people down. The deadline was looming and I needed a story that featured panties. Thank goodness for the panties. I cursed them at the time, but they made me think outside the sparkly tissued gift bag.
Thing I did right #1 – Made a promise to someone other than myself.
Since it was a Fantasy Anthology and the story was to be on the short side, I knew I wanted to write a werewolf. I loved writing Playing With Fire and thought it would be fun to write another shifter. Because it was to be a romance with a happily-ever-after or happily-for-now in what would amount to about 40 pages, I thought a shifter would also be more likely to get straight to business, if you catch my drift. Keeping it PG here… and moving on.
To add a little conflict, I made the female protagonist an Elf and to make the panties an easy fit (no pun intended), I made her a lingerie shop owner. If you have read my series, you know there is a shopping trip that happens in Book 4 that was too much fun to tie into. Have I mentioned I love leaving Easter eggs in my stories? Have I also mentioned I love Taylor Swift? So fun!
Anyway, once I came up with the characters, I decided it would be fun to poll my readers and come up with the names of my characters that way. As the deadline came closer and I still had no words on the page, I regretted that decision, I admit. Little did I know at the time, that would be one more thing that would drive me over the finish line to complete this story. There were at least two readers now who were expecting me to finish this story, so I had to see it through. As hard as it was at the time, I am proud of what we came up with, and the names couldn’t have been more perfect for these characters. What was a good move on my part was to include some sites in New York City I visited back in 2019, which I was somewhat familiar with and that allowed me to relive a truly inspiring trip.
Thing I did right #2 – Tied it into a location I was familiar with.
It isn’t lost on me that the name one of my readers came up with for the lingerie store owner is of Russian origin, which was given to me after I had decided to include the Russian Tea Room and nesting dolls in the story. The hot dog was also something I had decided to include, which was right across the street from the restaurant the night my friends and I walked to Central Park. Everything came together for this story like magick and it makes me wonder if perhaps it was just that. Because, since then my Muse has been sending me ideas non-stop and I have started (and even finished) other projects. I’m so thankful to Sam and Natasha for that very reason and I have a feeling it may not be the last time we hear from them, or from the other character who waltzed in front of Sam by way of a cameo.
Thing I did right #3 – Wrote in a “cameo” including a past character.
While I wouldn’t wish writer’s block on my worst enemy, I do know it happens in various degrees and for a multitude of reasons. The best thing you can do is be ready for it when it strikes. In my case, I believe it boiled down to depleting myself so completely in all areas of my life, that when I needed a little extra to draw from, I got nothing. The well was dry and then some. That is something I prepare for now by giving myself the time and space I need, no more taking on more than I can reasonably complete. I have had to give some things up and cut some things back, but it has helped tremendously.
What I thought were lemons at the time: the deadline, the panties, the lack of motivation, ended up being a good thing. It forced me to do something I usually hesitate to do… I asked for help. And when I did, the results filled my well. Deadlines can be extended, panties can force creativity, and lack of motivation can provide you the rest you need as your mind works on the problem. Add in a fantastic writing support group, an amazing editor, a phenomenal graphic artist, and the best readers an author could ever ask for and you end up with a story that you can be proud of.
It truly takes a village… and I’m so grateful for mine. They made the entire process easy peasy lemon squeezy! Together we wrote a fun little story about a curvy elf and a romance-writing werewolf who wakes up with a pair of black lace panties on his…
Well now… look at the time 🙂 I have a WIP calling my name, so I hope to see you soon on my subscriber list! In the meantime, Happy Reading!
Subscribers to my Newsletter can get a copy of Wolf Of My Heart by heading here: https://bookhip.com/LJBPPMB
You can expect about one newsletter per month where I share stuff about Books, Travel, and my Shenanigans. This is where I share special events and promotions I am part of, as well as friend’s releases that I think you might be interested in. I hope you join us, but if emails aren’t your thing, you are welcome to follow me on social. You can find the links by heading here: Follow my Journey!
D.A. Henneman - Romance Author 
You must be logged in to post a comment.