Kristan Higgins on Romantic Angst, Breaking In, and more!

ROBERTA: if I had the nerve to completely swerve away from the structure of writing a mystery, I would love to write the kind of books that today's guest, Kristan Higgins, writes. Since 2006, she's had four romantic comedies published, with the fifth due next February. And CATCH OF THE DAY won the coveted Rita award for best Single Title Contemporary in 2008. Welcome Kristan, we're delighted to have you today!

KRISTAN: Thanks, Roberta! It's a pleasure.

ROBERTA: Coming from a background of writing series where the main characters carry over from book to book, I'm in awe of the way you're able to manufacture an entirely new cast of characters and in fact a new world for each book. How do you manage?

KRISTAN: Sweating seems to be a big part of the process...a little bleeding, some flagellation. The truth is, I've only written single titles, so I don't really know another way. I admit that it's a big job to create everything from scratch...setting, family, career, friends, coworkers. Sometimes those things just leap to life; other times it's a bit more of a deliberate approach (I greatly preferred the "leap to life" variation, just for the record). I like to visit a setting to get a feel for the people and mood of an area, which definitely jumpstarts some of those elements. No matter what, I find that I have to really immerse myself into the characters...their personalities, their families, their neuroses, even their pets. Once I get there, the book really starts clicking along.

ROBERTA: We're interested in the deep dark secrets of your writing process. How much of the story do you know when you sit down to write a book? Do you work on a schedule? How do you keep yourself motivated?

KRISTAN: Well, I write full time, so it's my job. I'm motivated to write a really good book, and that means showing up, first and foremost. So I write almost every day...I try to throw in a day off here and there so I stay at least a little sane. I work when my kids are in school, and rather than having a set amount of hours a day, I give myself a page count. I start each day off by reading what I wrote the day before, fix that up, then get to work cranking out the pages. Once my first draft is done, I let it sit for a week or three, then rip and tear it to shreds. Because I'm a masochist, I don't mind revising...that's when my book starts to really spark.

I'm an outliner...don't believe in pantsing (for myself, that is. If it works for other writers, God bless). I like to know as much as possible before I start the first draft. I believe in outlines...it's so much easier to change a few sentences than rip out an entire chapter. That being said, something always surprises me during the actual writing. Usually something pretty good, too!

ROBERTA: What was it like to break into the world of romance? And how about that Rita?? Who are your role models? what do you like to read?

KRISTAN: Well, it was relatively easy for me to break in for a couple of reasons. First, I was a copywriter for 12 years before I tried fiction, so my writing muscles were quite buff (the actual human body muscles...not so lucky). Secondly, I began my fiction writing journey with a cold and calculating viewpoint...I wanted to sell a book. The whole "write the book of your heart" works if you're writing for the love of the activity, but it might not work so well when it comes time to sell. I wanted to do both: write the kind of book I loved and sell it fast. I'm very hard on my own work, and honestly, that helps a lot in terms of getting out the best product I can. At any rate, the gods must've been smiling, the timing was right, and voila! I got a fabulous agent (Maria Carvainis), HQN took a chance on a new author, and my first book came out about two years after I sent out that fateful query letter.

Winning the Rita was just amazing. I was operating under the model of "it's an honor just to be nominated." When my name was called, I practically spit out my teeth, I was so shocked. It truly was one of the happiest nights of my life. Plus, I got to wear a gown!

Role models? Hmm. Michelle Obama is a great role model, I think. She's well educated, well spoken, happily married and seems like a great mom. I like the fact that she compartmentalizes her days so that she's not always trying to be in every one of her roles...she's doing her mommy thing in the morning, then she sits down in her office, works till the girls come home, and tries to give them as much time as she can, the same way I do. We also both like cardigans. Honestly, I think Michelle and I are best friends waiting to happen. I can't believe she hasn't called me to the White House for drinks.

I read a wide variety of genres...I love historical fiction (just read a mystery called Silent In the Grave by Deanna Raybourn and can't recommend it enough). I read a lot of literary fiction, and of course, I love humor...Merrill Markoe, Elinor Lipman, Monica McInerney and Carl Hiassen are some of my favorites in that genre. And I love mystery, especially when the protagonists are people I can relate to. When it's someone who's a Jason Bourne type, I don't feel the connection quite so much, as I'm not a trilingual-black-belt-stunt-driver-assassin type (though Matt Damon is extremely cute).

ROBERTA: We know you're happily married so the romantic angst can't all come from real life. Where do you get the ideas for all those broken hearts?

KRISTAN: Well, I'm happily married NOW! You didn't have to screen the other guys!

In all seriousness, I try to find a universal feeling to base my books around. For example, in Catch of the Day, the heroine has a huge crush on the local priest. I think most women have fallen for someone completely inappropriate and have been trapped in some kind of helpless, impossible love. And heck, we writers are all thieves, aren't we? We just open the front door and look around, and it seems that everyone has a story.

ROBERTA: With mysteries, there is a structure: crime, detective, clues, suspects, red herrings. Does something like that exist for your genre?

KRISTAN: Sure, there's structure in a romance novel. It may be more of an emotional hero's journey rather than a plot that needs to be solved, but the structure is there. And just as you can pretty much expect a mystery to be solved by the end of that type of book, you can expect that the hero and heroine are going to end up better off when the sun finally sets on a romance novel. Better off for having loved each other, that is. I think that's pretty dang nice.

ROBERTA: And finally, tell us a little about the book that came out this summer. And what's up next?
KRISTAN: TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE is the story of a woman who makes up a boyfriend when her ex-fiance starts dating her younger sister. As I said, I try to tap into something universal when I write, and I'd bet the farm that most women have faked a boyfriend or three. (Yes, yes, of course I have!) I thought it would be fun to see how far Grace, my heroine, could take this while exploring the reasons why the fake boyfriend was more satisfying than a real flesh-and-blood guy.

THE NEXT BEST THING will come out in February. It's about a young widow trying to find another husband...but this time, she's going for someone she doesn't love quite so much, since her first husband's death just about broke her. She comes from a long line of widows, and she's definitely bucking tradition by trying again. This subject is near and dear to my heart, as I myself am from a long line of young widows. And my hubby's a firefighter. Taking out a hefty life insurance policy was one of the first things on my list, let me tell you! But the book is also about putting the past to rest and taking chances, even when the worst has already happened to you.

ROBERTA: Thank you Kristan for visiting Jungle Red! She is standing by for your questions and comments...

TEN MILLION BOOKS IN PRINT!

New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers' name means a gripping story you won't be able to put down. Now, with The Mist, she brings readers into a world where few can be trusted and appearances often deceive...

More than 50 titles and 10 million copies of her books are in print! Carla Neggers is known for writing action-packed suspense blended with romance--and in real life, she's absolutely a treasure. Generous, intelligent and hilarious. And check out this amazing list of books!

Continuing our suspense theme--JRW welcomes this international sensation. (Carla's laughing now, I bet. But hey, its all true.)

HANK: The first time one of your books made the New York Times bestseller list--how did you find out? What happened and what did you think?

CARLA: THE HARBOR tied for #15. My editor and agent called me at my signing at the Brentano's in Boston. It's since gone out of business, but I was chatting with the store manager, who just loves books, about what we'd read lately (which is one of my favorite things to do!). My mind wasn't at all on bestseller lists. It was a cold, cold, cold January night in Boston. I definitely remember that! My daughter and her then-fiance and I went out to dinner to celebrate. I love that it was Boston...it's "my" city. THE MIST, my latest novel, is set there, with a dash of Ireland and Maine.

HANK: The MIST is your newest...tell us about it.

CARLA: THE MIST is about a woman who sets out to stop a dangerous billionaire from exacting revenge on the FBI and Boston Police Department. Lizzie Rush isn't in law enforcement herself -- she's a hotelier and the daughter of a spy who taught her everything he knows. She's such a fun character! I "saw" the opening scene early on -- I love it when that happens. Lizzie had just given the slip to a *real* spy -- a Brit, aristocratic Will Davenport, who appears briefly in THE ANGEL -- and confronts a killer in an ancient Irish stone circle. Then it's on to Boston...

HANK: Your heroines are so--brave. Are you brave? What's it like to write about them?

CARLA: There's an old Eleanor Roosevelt quote that I just love: "A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water." That's true for Lizzie Rush in THE MIST and probably for a lot of us. We're not always faced with a good option and a bad option -- then it's easy. Take the good one! To me bravery is more about doing what we have to do in spite of our fears vs. not having fears. I think that's more compelling in a character, too. Lizzie has her fears -- but she's also strong, resilient and capable. And she loves lavender bath salts. After kicking butt in an Irish stone circle, it's nice to take a hot bath in lavender bath salts, don't you think? ;-)

HANK: Do your books start with a character? Or a plot twist? Or a setting? What’s the nugget that you know will make it work?

CARLA: My creative process tends not to be regimented, routine or predictable -- every story's different. With THE MIST, I knew Will Davenport, a mysterious British lord who appears briefly in THE ANGEL and takes center stage in Lizzie Rush's quest to stop a billionaire from exacting violent revenge. I also knew the billionaire: Norman Estabrook plays a minor role in THE ANGEL. I didn't "know" Lizzie yet. I first "saw" her when I imagined a woman in an isolated village pub on the southwest Irish coast as Will walks in, and she gives him the slip and ends up taking on a knife-wielding thug in an ancient Irish stone circle. Who would such a woman be? She emerged as a member of an eccentric family that owns boutique hotels around the world, the daughter of a spy who taught her everything he knows and a woman who never knew her mother. I think of her as always being there. I just had to get to know her.

HANK: Promotion—you’re always on the go! How’s life on the road? Can you remember that it’s glamorous and wonderful?

CARLA: Yikes, I have been on the road a lot these past few months. I love meeting readers and booksellers and seeing new places. I always try to take time out for myself. On this July trip, I had an afternoon off in New Haven and took myself to the British Museum at Yale. At Thrillerfest in New York and the Romance Writers of America convention in Washington, DC, I have the plus of getting to see writer friends and so many wonderful people in publishing. Being on the road reminds me how many people work so hard to get our books into readers' hands, and just how much fun we all have reading books we love. The glamor -- well, I have to say, the Harlequin party celebrating their 60th anniversary at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington should be a glam night! What to wear, what to wear... ;-)

HANK: Well, we'll certainly be taking photos! But we just came back from Thrillerfest.. and we're both now at the Romance Writers of America Convention in Washington, DC. That is a bit--of culture shock? What's on your mind, comparing the two?

CARLA: What Thrillerfest and Romance Writers of America have in common: dedicated, wonderful volunteers who make it possible for us all to get together and talk writing and books. We are incredibly fortunate to be part of two organizations that offer so much to their members. I've been a proud member of RWA for a long, long time, and I'm a vice president of International Thriller Writers. They're different but share a love of books and writers who are passionate about their work. The best conversations I have at both events center on my favorite question...'what have you read lately?' ;-)

HANK: And also: "How are you going to carry home all the books?" But finally, are you different now, then when you started? How? What advice would you give to not only new authors, but those who are just beginning the writing life?

CARLA: I love to write now as much as I did when I first grabbed a pad and pen and climbed a tree at 11 and spun stories. My advice to writers at any stage of their careers -- to myself -- is to be mindful of the yin-yang of writing as "work" and writing as "play." Find or create a synergy that's exciting and productive for you. I highly recommend Ken Atchity's book A WRITER'S TIME -- read his take on the continent and the islands. It's brilliant.

HANK: Thanks, Carla! You are really...an inspiration. Questions on writing? Promotion? Kayaking? (Yeah, she kayaks.) Carla (and I) are in Washington, DC at the Romance Writers of America Convention (photos to come) but she graciously agreed to stop by JRW whenever she can.

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A magna cum laude journalism graduate of Boston University, New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers is the daughter of a Dutch immigrant and a southern mother. After growing up in western Massachusetts, often climbing a tree with pad and pen to compose stories, Carla enjoyed a brief stint as an arts and entertainment writer before she turned to writing fiction full-time. Her latest bestselling novel, The Mist, a July MIRA Books hardcover, takes readers to settings Carla loves to visit: Boston, Maine and the Beara Peninsula of Ireland. Her 2008 hardcover, The Angel, is a RITA® finalist

For more information on her latest books and to contact Carla, please visit: http://www.carlaneggers.com/