“I see the setting almost like another character,” Lisa said. “The setting depends on what your book is about. I know a lot of readers love small towns. In a big city, it’s harder to write suspense because [the character can just] go to the police station. So to make it more remote, it’s almost a given for romantic suspense.”

The post Finding the Perfect Location With Lisa Harris and Jessica R Patch (Episode 64) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“The story was originally contemporary romantic suspense but it was missing something,” Danielle says. A few years ago, “Wisconsin started having a milk shortage with farmers having to dump their milk [because there wasn’t a market for it]. … I learned that’s not the first time that’s happened. There was actually a huge milk strike in 1933. … So I took my contemporary romantic suspense and set it [back then] and it just brought it to life.”

The post The Milky History of Danielle Grandinetti’s Romantic Suspense (Episode 63) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“Most of my plots come to me, but I’m sure it’s based on the news and life experience,” Sharon said. “Also from things I hear from other people, reading other books, and it comes of just evolves.”

The post The Plot Thickens With Sharon K Connell and Tanya Stowe (Episode 62) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“My books are based in Florida and Florida’s a great place to base your books,” Mary says. “It seems like weird and crazy crimes are committed in Florida. There are also a lot of things in Florida that can kill you—sinkholes, gators, hurricanes. There are a lot of hazards in Florida.”

The post Why Mary Dodge Allen Sets Her Books in Florida (Episode 61) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“Some things can be fiction,” Patricia said. “In my very first series, I moved the Tennessee River down close to Memphis.”

The post Taking Liberties With the Facts With Patricia Bradley and Lynn Blackburn (Episode 60) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“It’s because we live in a dangerous and unpredictable world, and there’s a lot of people out there who are afraid,” DiAnn says. “And they often turn to fiction for an adventure. … The goal is to show the reader that yes, we live in this dangerous and unpredictable world, but there are trained people who will do whatever it takes to keep us safe and to prevent crimes from happening.”

The post How DiAnn Mills Uses Danger to Show Caring (Episode 59) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“I used to do collections, where I based the books around the same town,” Susan said. “But then I thought … I should think more like a TV show like Dr. Who. There’s a thread that goes through Dr. Who that pushes us the story, so even though every episode has its own story arc, there’s also a series arc.”

The post The Serialization of Lynette Eason and Susan May Warren (Episode 58) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“This is the hardest book that I have ever written,” Carrie says about Behind Love’s Wall. “I do normally plot my novels, and with this one I did also, especially the back-and-forth part. … My husband and son are good brainstorming partners too.”

The post How Carrie Fancett Pagels Brainstorms Her Stories (Episode 57) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“My first book, Fatal Flashback, was inspired by the setting,” Kellie says. “For example, my husband and I were living in Texas, and we went on a camping trip out to Big Bend National Park and I fell in love with the setting. I had never written anything book-length before and I thought this would be an amazing place for a romance between a park ranger and somebody else, and there’s going to be action and adventure.”

The post How the Setting Got Kellie VanHorn Into Writing (Episode 56) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.

“It’s definitely a discipline to write,” Kimberly says. “I do teach a lot about writing … and people ask [how do I write when I get writer’s block] all the time. My answer is writer’s block is not an option. You have these big dreams [about the creative process], … but writing is hard work. It is a discipline—you have to make yourself sit down and write. You can’t wait for the muse to hit and you write something brilliant.

The post Kimberly Woodhouse’s Discipline of Writing (Episode 55) first appeared on Author Sarah Hamaker.