Paul Anthony was kind enough to tag me in the Writing Process Blog Tour. In addition to be a prolific writer, Paul is one of the biggest supporters of indie authors I know, and I am always grateful and flattered when he asks me to participate in a blog hop.
Paul Anthony is the pseudonym of a man born in Southport, Lancashire. He has
written a number of fictional novels and a collection of poetry in print, Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad and PDF Download. He has also written
television scripts, screenplays and film scripts as an individual or
with the award wining scriptwriter, Nick Gordon. The son of a soldier,
Paul Anthony settled in Cumbria before becoming a police cadet. Seconded
to Haigh Colliery in Whitehaven, he mined the pit face and then worked
at a biscuit factory, in Carlisle, as a machine operator. He
also worked with deaf people and was trained in the treatment of drug
addicts and alcoholics. Paul went to Eskdale Outward Bound School but
eventually joined Cumbria Police proper. Working as a detective, he
served in the CID, the Regional Crime Squad in Manchester, the Special
Branch, and other national agencies in the UK. He has an honours degree
in social sciences, and diplomas in management and office management.Please visit Paul at his blog, and find out how he answered The Four Questions and to find out more about his books. Follow the participants in the tour to meet some great authors and read about their writing processes as well as their fantastic books.
The Four Questions
Every author in the Writing Process Blog Tour must answer the same four questions. So without any further ado, here are my answers to the four Q's:
1) What am I working on?Right now I’m working on several projects. I’m doing final edits for the second book in my Goose Pimple Junction mystery series, Heroes & Hooligans, in which Martha Maye and Johnny Butterfield are the main characters. Louetta, Tess, Jack, and Pickle will be back, but the story will be centered around Martha Maye and her soon-to-be ex-husband, who doesn't want to be an ex. Add some new characters--big flirt Honey Winchester and Louetta's sister Ima Jean, who has left the store without all her groceries, if you know what I mean. And then there's the thief who's stealing the town blind, and Martha Maye's stalker...
I’m almost finished writing a GPJ novella, Short & Tall Tales in Goose Pimple Junction, that will go in between GPJ books one and two; and every once in a while I work on the third book in the series, Rogues & Rascals, although it’s slow going.
2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I think what’s different about my GPJ series are the quirky characters and the quaint but idiosyncratic small southern town in which they live. They’re a right neighborly sort, full of colorful talk and good intentions. And they don’t let little things like murder and mayhem get them down.
That’s a darn good question. Actually, my idea for Murder & Mayhem came from family history involving--what else but--murder and mayhem. I wanted to write about the stories I’d heard all my life. But I decided I wanted the town to be a little kooky. My father and grandfather were always coming up with colorful southern phrases, such as “I’ll be there if the good Lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise.” Why answer with a simple "fine" to the question "How are you?" when you can say, “I’m still buying green bananas?” or "If I were any better I'd have to be twins." Those sayings and more stuck with me, and when I started writing, I researched and found gobs more. So that's how I started writing humorous mysteries. When I finished writing the first book, I found that the characters wouldn't go away. They kept coming up with new ways to create murder and mayhem, so as long as they hang around in my head, I'll keep writing humorous murder mysteries.
4) How does my writing process work?
The first drafts are bare bones. I try to get down the gist of the plot as it comes to me. After that, I go back and start layering. I add details and reword things. After that I go back and start layering. I add details and reword things. Yes, I really did say that twice. But actually, I add details and reword things over and over and over until I’m sick to death of the story. I also do this after each beta reader gives me feedback. And I continue to do this as I go through for typos and errors. I’m learning not to give the manuscript to an editor until I’ve layered about a hundred times. After an editor looks at it, and I make changes due to her suggestions, I go over it again. And again. Knowing when to stop is my biggest problem.
Thank you again, Paul Anthony, for inviting me to this blog hop. What better time to be in a blog hop than the week before Easter? Sorry, bad joke. At the top of this post, I said Paul is one of the biggest supporters of indie authors I know. Also on that list are three authors I invited to the blog hop. Check out their blogs and their books. You'll be glad you did!
Next up...
I have tapped Leti Del Mar, Christoph Fischer, and Billie Thomas to take part in the Writing Process Blog Tour. Watch their blogs next Monday for their posts.
Leti Del Mar lives in sunny Southern California with her husband, daughter, and abnormally large cat. When she isn’t writing, reading, or blogging, she is teaching Biology and Algebra to teenagers. Leti is also a classic film buff, passionate about Art History, and loves to travel. Find Leti at her blog, Words With Leti Del Mar.
Leti's Amazon author page
Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border. After a few years in Hamburg he moved on to the UK where he now lives in a small hamlet, not far from Bath. He and his partner have three Labradoodles to complete their family. Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. He completed the historical Three Nations Trilogy last year and will publish his first contemporary novel Time To Let Go in May. Find Christoph at his blog.
Christoph's Amazon author page
Billie's Amazon author page
