Behind the Books...a look inside

How I Ended up Writing a Tie-in Book for a Soap Opera!

Lots of readers have wondered how I ended up writing a soap opera tie-in book. Where here is the official scoop how I came to be the author of The Guiding Light: Jonathan’s Story:

It’s not what some people seem to think: I did not decide on my own to write a book about the popular character of Jonathan Randall. This was a classic “work for hire” situation: the Guiding Light crew wanted a book with a specific story, and they needed an author to write the book. I was approached about writing the book by my publisher, who had a detailed plot the Guiding Light folks had developed, and one that would tie in to their show. They flattered me immensely by asking me to write the book. How fun was that?

Sagging Middles

When I talk about sagging middles, I am usually talking about one of my works in progress. I don’t know why, but the middle is always the hardest part of the book for me to write. I bog down, wonder why I thought the idea was so great to begin with. I begin to question my characters and their motivations, second-guessing myself. Its weird—the first part of the book usually flies. The last part usually flies because I am on a deadline and I have to wrap it up. But that sagging middle takes the most work to de-sag it.

Working through that middle takes a lot of mulling over, muddling, and really crappy writing before I have something I can work with. Once I have something down on paper, and I can go back and trim it, tighten it up, tone it into an appealing middle you’ll want to read.

The Thrill of a Blank Page

Wait…let me back up. I love starting a new book. My head is swimming with characters and ideas and a book that sounds so fabulous to me that I can’t imagine how it won’t be a huge bestseller. I can’t wait to get started. People and things become obstacles to opening that new document and getting it all down. Life (husband, dogs, bills) is an intrusion on what I suddenly believe is a true artist’s mind. I think to myself, “Can’t you understand that I have a genius book in me? Can’t you understand that I don’t have time for dinner or laundry or sex or anything else? That I have to get it down on paper NOW?”

Miracle of miracles, he and the dogs say, “Yeah, okay. Go for it.”