My Writing Process Blog Tour

photo by patrisyu,  freedigtlaphotos.net

Today I'm participating in the My Writing Process Blog Tour, an excellent way for readers to learn about an author's work and for authors to gain exposure to new readers. Sara Gauldin, full time teacher, author, and blogger kindly invited me to join the tour. Sara writes fantasy, spiritual, and mystery novels. Her latest book, The Corporeal Pull, is a story of love that transcends both time and the mortal plane. You can find out more about her writing at SEBGwrites.wordpress.com You can follow the tour on Twitter via #MondayBlogs or #MyWritingProcessBlogTour. Now on to my writing process:

1) What am I working on?

I write family dramas with real medical issues and tend to juggle projects. Right now, I've got one complete but unrevised novel on my desk, Perfect Match, the story of 14-year-old Jamie Diana who meets the father she never knew for the first time when he comes looking for a bone marrow donor for his daughter who has leukemia. I started the project in 2004 and it's been waiting for its chance at publication for years. Now that I've had success with indie publishing it may make it. I plan to launch it sometime in early 2015. 

On my computer, I'm currently crafting another novel with a teenage heroine, Swim Season, about high school senior Aerin Keane, the new girl in school and a champion swimmer, who challenges a long-standing school record. The story is about more than swimming, however, as Aerin also tackles issues related to her parents' divorce, a pregnant stepmother, two stepsisters she doesn't want, and her Army nurse mother's PTSD and drug addiction following two tours of duty in the Middle East. My daughter was a high school varsity swimmer for six years and I always wanted to write a story about the girls and how their season unfolds. All of the special elements in this story serve to heighten the drama and the tension and it's truly a blast to write. 

Still in creation phase is a special project, a fundraiser for the HEART School in Haiti, called Akisse and Gaspard Go to School, a day in the life of two schoolchildren, one in the US and one in Haiti. A good friend, Maria Blon, who is a strong supporter of this school, asked me to write this book and it's been both a learning experience and a mission. The children are wonderful. I have actually met Akisse who lives nearby and know Gaspard through interviews, photos and videos. We will run a crowd funding campaign to raise the needed money to publish this book (written in English and Creole) and will need to find artists and formatters willing to collaborate with us for little to no payment. Interested parties can contact me at mariannesciucco@gmail.com.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I write literary fiction that overlaps into woman's fiction. I bring years of experience as a nurse and certified case manager to my work. I write clean fiction, no overt sexuality, violence, or objectionable language.

3) Why do I write what I do?

My experience as a nurse has given me the privilege of hearing hundreds of stories, both happy and sad, most of them true. I feel I've been entrusted to tell these stories, which relate to the human experience, and to share them with others to add richness to their lives and to broaden their outlook on life.

4) How does my writing  process work?

My writing process is complicated by the fact that I have some long-standing repetitive strain injuries that make it difficult for me to use a computer or write for long periods of time. My process starts with an idea that germinates in my mind for many weeks or months, putting together plot lines, subplots, characterization, setting, and the drama. I may do some research for some of the more driving points, but prefer to write the first draft of the story without spending much time on research, allowing the story to unfold and to let me know what research I must do to complete it. Because of my repetitive strain injuries, I must be sure not to waste any time on story lines, scenes, or other elements that don't serve to complete the story and may end up being deleted. I put a lot of effort into making my first draft as close to finished as possible because I don't have the luxury of being able to write and rewrite endlessly, quite frustrating for a perfectionist.

As a member of the tour I have the honor of inviting three fellow authors to join me.  Next week my good friend Maria Blon climbs on board. Maria is an inspirational speaker and author whose most recent book is SPARKS of Passions, 20 stories of people who found their passion and how you can too! Check out the book, pictures, and videos of the authors at http://www.sparksofpassions.com/

Fellow author Lilia Fabry is also coming along.  Her latest work is Ordinance 93, a novel set in a world where having a baby without permission is against the law and the first four people to break it. She also writes about everything from reaction injection molding to low fat recipes while indulging her need for creative outlets, including novels and screenplays. Find out more about Lilia on her site or Twitter .

My third author remains a mystery as I await the response to several invites.  My blog post was due today (#MondayBlogs) and I wanted to fulfill my commitment so went ahead without a third author committed to the tour.  If you or someone you know would like to join us, send me an email.  It's easy and fun.

Update: 
May 28, 2014

The lovely Caroline McMahon has joined me on the blog tour. Caroline and I met in a most unusual way. I track my novel via Google to see where word of it appears on the internet. One day I received a Google Alert about a book called "Blue Hydrangeas." Thinking this was a notice about my book, I followed the link and it brought me to another book called "Blue Hydrangeas."  Strange coincidence, right?  Not the most common of titles, especially for a book not about the care and cultivation of blue hydrangeas. What was most astonishing is that Caroline is also a nurse, a Registered Midwife from Perth, Western Australia .I contacted her and our friendship was born.  Her book - Blue Hydrangeas - A Midwife's Memoirs - is a reflection of her early Midwifery career, learning not only about how to become a Midwife, but about herself and those around her. When she's not busy running her own company, Caroline's Angels - Baby Sleep Specialists,  she enjoys blogging about the joy her family and friends bring her, as well as interesting things she learns along the way, on her website www.mumorablemoments.com