The Trouble with Relationships

   A continuing warm welcome to to my guest, E.A. West, who is going to talk to us today about something everyone can relate to...

As we all know relationships take work. Some take more work than others, but if the other half of the relationship is worth it, you’ll do whatever it takes to nurture that relationship. The same is true of relationships in fiction. The very foundation of romance novels is the development of the relationship between the hero and heroine. They can face all kinds of dilemmas and pressure, both internal and external, but in the end their love for each other conquers every challenge.

In The Key to Charlotte, Zakaria faces a unique challenge with being attracted to Charlotte -- she's autistic. While this really isn't as big a deal as you might think, it can create some interesting 

relationship situations. After all, one of the key components of autism is social deficits. This can mean a lack of social graces, an inability to participate in small talk without going insane, missing the subtle nuances of social gatherings, speaking out of turn, or even a complete lack of comprehension of what a relationship entails. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I think you get the idea of what kind of challenges Zakaria could face by considering a relationship with Charlotte. To find out exactly what kind of social deficits Charlotte has, you’ll have to read the book.

Relationships are complex, evolving things that run a spectrum from flowing fairly smoothly from the start to seeming like nothing will ever go right. When it comes to romance novels, you’ll see both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. I like to write stories that fall somewhere in the middle, with enough smooth moments to give the reader hope all will turn out great for the hero and heroine and enough rough spots to make readers wonder if there will be a happy ending.

The development of relationships may drive you crazy or leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. If the relationship is in a romance novel, the development probably involves a combination of the two. Non-writers may not realize it, but fictional people can be just as exasperating as real people. The biggest difference (aside from the fact that one is a figment of the imagination and the other isn’t) is that if authors get too frustrated with their characters, they can rewrite them with different personalities or make them conform to the author’s will in some other way. That doesn’t work with real people, which is just as well. If everyone did what you wanted all the time and you could make them act however you wanted whenever you wanted, life would be so boring.

So, enjoy your relationships with others, appreciate their differences, and realize that your hard work now is worth it in the end. Even if the relationship doesn’t work out, at least you’ll know you gave it your best shot, and that’s always a good feeling.

To celebrate the release of The Key to Charlotte, I’m giving a copy to two lucky commenters on this blog tour. The rules are simple. Between October 28 and November 6, leave a comment on any of my blog tour stops (including this post) with your name and email address letting me know you want to be entered into the drawing. You can find a complete list of the blog tour stops on my blog http://thewestcorner.wordpress.com. I will draw two names at random from all of the entries and announce the winners on November 7 (winners will also be contacted by email). The two winners will each receive a free PDF of The Key to Charlotte. 

Good luck to you all!

A Visit With Author... E. A. West

Today, I'm looking forward to sharing a visit with my friend, 

E.A. West 

author of 

THE KEY TO CHARLOTTE 

a wonderful book that you can find out more about by clicking on Lilly's Book Club link where I will be posting my review. But first, let's see if she will share a little bit about how she works, and how she comes up with such engaging characters...

Well, E.A., I know what's first on the top of my mind, and here it is... Writing is hard work! In a competitive industry, too, and you end up spending a lot of time alone. That said, what is it that keeps you going? What do you like best about writing?

I love creating new characters and coming up with plots. It is so much fun to take a character or two and ponder “What if...” Then I toss them in the scenario and see what happens. Can you tell outlines and I don’t get along? I think getting to see the story develop just as a reader would, although with a few more insights into where the story is headed, is so much more exciting than knowing exactly what is going to happen next as I write.

What are the tools of your trade? Are there any particular computer programs you use when writing?

For the actual writing, I use Microsoft Word. While working on a story idea, however (and sometimes during the writing process), I also use Mozilla Firefox. There are times when an idea for the story or the characters will come to mind and I need to do a quick bit of research before I write another sentence. Google has become one of my best friends over the years.

The Key to Charlotte has one of the most unique plots for a romance I’ve ever seen. Why did you write this particular book?

The idea originally came to me because I was trying to come up with a way to show autism from the inside. By writing an autistic heroine, I hope to give readers a glimpse into the mind of an autistic, albeit a fictional one. I had to rely a lot on my own experiences and emotions as an autistic adult in order to realistically write Charlotte, so it’s almost like sharing a piece of myself, although I’m nothing like Charlotte and nearly all of the details are the product of my imagination.

Which really worked out beautifully. Now, I can’t wait to see what comes next. What manuscript are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m doing a final read-through and revision on a sweet romance that involves kilts, a redhead, and a golden retriever mix. Once that’s submitted, which should be soon, I have an inspirational time travel romance and a sweet romantic suspense waiting for attention.

All kinds of good stuff to look forward to! You seem so comfortable with where you’re going in this business, E.A.. What advice encouraged you most along your writer's journey?

Write what you know, but don’t be afraid to learn something new so you can write about it. When I first started writing, I heard “write what you know” from a lot of people. The trouble was that the ideas I had usually involved elements I had very little or no knowledge of. Then I met another author who had trouble with “write what you know” as well. His theory was that you should write what you know when you can, but if you want to write something you don’t already know, go learn about it. If you want to get technical about it, once you’ve done the research you’re still writing what you know. What it all comes down to in my mind is that you should write the story that’s on your heart regardless of whether you already have the knowledge you need to write it or you have to do some research before you begin.

I couldn’t agree with you more. Now, just for fun, what does your dream "writing room" look like?

Lots of bookshelves line the walls. A desk with plenty of workspace sits near a large window that overlooks fields and/or woods. A comfortable couch occupies one corner — every author needs a place to dream up the next plot or to figure out how to get the characters from point A to point B, right? Most of the light in the room is natural, coming through windows and skylights, and a glass sliding door opens onto a deck for outdoor writing or taking a break on nice days. There are a few houseplants scattered around the room, but they are all hard-to-kill plants like air ferns and cacti. I have a bad habit of forgetting to water things in pots. 

It sounds absolutely wonderful, and here’s hoping you have exactly that someday. In the meantime, where can your readers find you if they want to stop by for a visit?

My website is 

http://eawest.mcphitty.com, 

and my blog is at

http://thewestcorner.wordpress.com. 

If you’re on Facebook, I post periodic updates from my writing life on my author page 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/EA-West/34280264617. 

I’m also on Twitter 

http://twitter.com/eawest 

and ShoutLife 

http://www.shoutlife.com/eawest.

I’m so glad you stopped by to visit with me today, E.A. West. It’s been fun catching a glimpse of how you think, and the things you think about. Here’s wishing you much success with The Key to Charlotte, and many more successes in the future. 

Thanks for a great interview, Lilly! It’s always a pleasure to spend time with my fellow Pelican Book Group authors.