~ By Victoria Pinder
Why is an author of science fiction and fantasy in the contemporary blog?
My first release in the contemporary world doesn’t come out till April 2014, Chaperoning Paris, from Soul Mate Publishing. The first in my brothers series, and my true love of romance was always contemporaries. To talk to my father, science fiction and fantasy were safe topics. I can converse on Klingons, Vulcans, and talk a good game a sci fi convention. But my secret in my bedroom, without the prying eyes of parents, was contemporary romance novels.
Personally, I was a secret Harlequin Desire reader. I read every book that came out every month. Even in stressful law school, I needed the romantic escape. My parents would have called it trash, but to me my heart raced and stress levels decreased from reading the novels. But the books were not something I discussed in public. Heaven forbid anyone finding out then.
So it’s no wonder I want to write both. And I do write both. People ask, how do you get your ideas? And my fiancé is taken to tell people that it’s because I hold the coffee cup on my cheek when thinking at the computer. But I don’t think it’s the coffee. (It’s just warm.) And like most writers, the ideas come from everywhere. Contemporary ideas come faster to me. As I type this, I’m in the room with two strangers. We’re in a college class room setting, and no one speaks. So my mind can wander. What would happen if the boy whose a young liberal who dreams of law falls in love with the girl whose dream in life is to be both the devil and an animator. Lawyers turn jaded one day after a case. Artists loosen up into free spirits, but with the devil may care attitude, she’d shake up an attorney’s life.
The ideas is already forming.
Friends often read historical, but I drifted towards the Harlequin books all my life. I’m a huge fan, and it’s a huge inspiration on everything I write. I do recommend writers read, but it’s a different type of reading.
Back to the topic of cross genre writer. To me the two different worlds means my worlds stay fresh. I have dear friends, great writers, and to me, their stories echo each other. Now for branding that’s AMAZING. But on a personal note, I stay more on my game toes when it’s genre switching. One day I might tackle that historical. A pirate novel as that always appealed to me. Or I might tackle one of those shiek books for contemporaries. And while I know nothing about cowboys, Texas or the West, I do love reading those stories. Someday this reader will tackle a country western theme too.
But staying fresh is the most important thing we can do to stay motivated to write. Otherwise things end and seasons change because as human beings we need change. So my body switching aliens stay in one world. And the society darling who falls in love with a small town doctor can find happy ever after in a contemporary novel. Why not?
So I hope all contemporary writers take a shot at one point in another area. We all find new opportunities out there when we shake things up.
Happy Friday! And hope everyone has a good Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. He taught us all about acceptance and fighting for social change.
Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston before moving to the Miami sun. She’s worked in engineering, after passing many tests proving how easy Math came to her. Then hating her life at the age of twenty four, she decided to go to law school. Four years later, after passing the bar and practicing very little, she realized that she hates the practice of law. She refused to one day turn 50 and realize she had nothing but her career and hours at a desk. After realizing she needed change, she became a high school teacher. Teaching is rewarding, but writing is a passion.
During all this time, she always wrote stories to entertain herself or calm down. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, and Victoria spent too many years living other people’s dreams, but when she sat down to see what skill she had that matched what she enjoyed doing, writing became so obvious. The middle school year book when someone wrote in it that one day she’d be a writer made sense when she turned thirty.
When she woke up to what she wanted, the dream of writing became so obvious. She dreams of writing professionally, where her barista can make her coffee and a walk on the beach, can motivate her tales. Contemporary romances are just fun to write. She’s always thinking whose getting hurt and whose story is next on the list to fall in love. Victoria’s love of writing has kept her centered and focused through her many phases, and she’s motivated to write many stories.
Member of Florida Romance Writers, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA, and in Savvy Authors.
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