Jessica Lauryn Writes Contemporary Romance
Romance author Jessica Lauryn is here today to tell us about her writing life, facing writer’s block, and her upcoming novels.
Welcome, Jessica,
Is writing something that comes easy to you?
I’ve always been writing in some form or another, even before I called myself a “writer.” When I was a kid, I had a number of dolls, a couple of dollhouses and a schoolhouse which I used, first as a schoolhouse, and later as a gift shop. I created my own world with a large cast of characters which probably could have served as great adventures for kids, had I written anything I was saying down.
You’d think this would have been a dead giveaway to me that I wanted to be a writer but it wasn’t until I was a young adult just out of college that I decided to make my suppressed dream a reality. Though I had a lot to learn regarding the craft of writing and editing, ideas for stories have always come naturally to me. I don’t have an infinite number of stories in my head, but I do have many and I never do seem to run out of new ideas.
For me, developing those ideas is when the “work” kicks in – breaking a 60,000 word paragraph I call an “outline” into a “rough draft, “showing” what I’m trying to say versus “telling” it by adding as many sensory details and in-the-moment actions as possible, polishing my work until it sounds like an actual book. Editing is work. Writing, for me, is play!
Is anything in your books based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
When I was first starting to write, I relied on real life experiences as a bit of a jump-off point, to get my feet wet. “Write what you know,” as they say. As a recent college graduate, I worked long hours in grueling jobs, hours that I wished I could be spending writing and instead spent fantasizing, both about what I wanted to be writing and about what I wanted to be happening in real life, which essentially were the same thing at the time, i.e. I wanted Prince Charming to come walking through the door.
My mind was all over the place in those days, and I was spending so many hours at work, “work lingo” running through my head that when I finally did manage to carve out a bit of writing time, those jobs and the experiences that I had while working in them found their way into my stories. Though I will stress that the stories themselves are purely fictitious, my time working at an ice cream parlor, a hotel and a day care center served largely as inspiration for Dangerous Secret and Dangerous Proposal, the first two stories in my debut series, The Pinnacles of Power.
Do you ever experience writer’s block?
I find this question pretty ironic as I’m actually experiencing a bit of writers’ block at this very moment. This rarely happens to me, but I’m at the point in one of my stories where I’ve just completed the first love scene, which I generally time to take place about half-way through the book, and I’m asking myself, how do I get from here to the end? I’m not even sure of when and where I want the second love scene to take place, and that’s rare for me.
As a plotter, I like to write my stories out in the form of an outline before I attempt a rough draft. Typically, just telling myself that I’m writing an “outline” and not a “rough draft” is enough to cut through any writers’ block as it eliminates the fear of the blank page many writers experience when they sit down at the keyboard. I generally have a good idea of where I want a story to go before I write it, so I simply take what’s going on in my head and transfer it onto paper as quickly as I can and preferably, when I’m at my most inspired.
I know the basic formula for fiction and for romance, so I have a general idea of where I want to time my first kiss, my first love scene and the “black moment.” When I do experience the occasional writers’ block, I try to spend some time just thinking about the story away from the computer, imagining how I see things playing out, focusing on whatever I know is coming for sure and taking as much time as I need to figure out the best way to get there.
How did you choose the genre you write in?
I enjoy reading all sub-genres of romance—historical, contemporary, paranormal, etc.—and while it is important, as authors, that we make clear to our readers what sub-genre we’re writing in and meet the expectations of said readers, I take my inspiration from wherever its most inspiring. I appreciate the pretty sound of historical romances, the danger that fuels the fire that is the romance found in romantic suspense and the idea that, if the characters in a contemporary romance novel can find love in this crazy modern world we’re living in, so can the rest of us.
After more than a decade of whole-hearted consideration and finding my way as a writer, I’ve come to define what I write as “contemporary suspenseful-romance.” I find much “romantic suspense” to be grittier and more violent than what I write, and I hesitate to lump my titles into that category because they’re not exactly the same. In my stories, danger exists primarily for the purpose of fueling romance and passion and while a villain my appear to be very much off his hinges, there’s something oddly sexy about him and you just may see him reform and come to be a hero in one of my later titles. I like to throw in the occasional paranormal twist, too!
Can you tell us about any upcoming books, series, or writing plans?
Struck by a bout of mad-crazy inspiration (I blame the pandemic, and all the extra writing time, for this) I’ve currently got my head in about 13 different stories. Yes, you heard that right! First off, I’m currently editing the final story in my Rabourn Theater Series, An Enchanting Song. Sebastian Nathanson, son of Briarcliff Manor’s most diabolical villain, is back in town and he has his sights set on the one thing he has from the start—Rabourn Theater. But when he encounters a mysterious woman at Evan’s costume ball and realizes the secrets she’s keeping are even more dangerous than his own, the perfect plan begins to come apart at the seams and Sebastian’s attraction to the alluring Madelyn Bennett threats to turn the world he covets more than life itself crashing on its head.
While I put the finishing touches on this long-anticipated story, I’m also drafting two new series, one set in summertime at a casino on the beach and another at a ski resort in Vermont during the peak snow season (See what I mean by ‘I’m all over the place?!’)
In my casino series, tentatively titled The Shores of Avalon, three young women (who’ll later be joined by another friend, and her mother) arrive in the quiet beach town of Avalon hoping to find themselves and bring their dreams to fruition. But things get to be more than the girls bargained for as Mia, Sky and Ally stumble upon the workings of a criminal operation and unexpectedly find love just when things are getting crazy.
In my ski resort series, tentatively titled Peril and Passion on Blackberry Mountain, Emma Stevens seeks closure in the aftermath of her sister’s tragic death, but there may be a lot more going on, on Blackberry Mountain than everyone believes, causing 3 unlikely couples to find passion as they fight to beat the clock, solving a mystery that threatens, not only their business but their lives. I’m having a blast with all of these stories and I promise to get them released just as soon as my head can turn them all out!
An Intoxicating Interlude
by Jessica Lauryn
Will the monster who almost ruined Dani’s life make her dreams come true?
Former exotic dancer Dani Talbert is determined to leave Briarcliff Manor and raise her son in a place where he won’t be branded by her mistakes. She’s dreamed of being a star on Rabourn Theater’s stage all her life and it’s time she put the dreams that have cost her everything behind her. But when Ryder Nathanson, the conniving man who once blackmailed her, comes back to town and arranges for Dani to have the lead role in her favorite play, her plans of starting a new life are brought to a halt. Ryder may be a monster, but he intrigues her a lot more than she realized.
Ryder Nathanson wants revenge on everyone who has wronged him, and the woman responsible for sending him to prison is at the top of his list. He’s hatched the perfect plan only, being married to Dani Talbert, the woman he’s wanted since the day he first set foot in Rabourn Theater, isn’t as simple as he wanted to believe. Dani is a temptress, warm and sensual and capable of turning his world on its head. As a series of dangerous accidents befall the people of Rabourn Theater, Ryder prays the end won’t come sooner than he’s prepared for.
Jessica – WOW – you are all over the place AND I LOVE IT! Good for you, especially keeping different settings and characters on the straight and narrow. Well not exactly- they do sound like they all have a lot to overcome, so more like a winding path for your characters. I do love that you call the first draft and outline. I may have to start thinking that way 🙂 Best in moving forward with all your series.
Thanks, Deb! Calling the first draft an outline definitely helps me with the writers’ block – I was just working through some plot points as I walked around the neighborhood this afternoon and hope to get some more writing done tonight “outline” style. I hope you find this trick helpful, too!
Terrific post, Jessica!
Thanks, Lena!
You’re always so inspiring, Jessica. Good luck with all your new stories. I love how you rehabilitate villains.
Thanks so much, Sue! Reforming former villains is the best!
Great post, Jessica.
Thanks, Anna!