Thanks to our kickass blogging sisters, Patti Hall

And Sandy Ramsey, we have now officially been passed the torch of ‘My Writing Process Blog Tour’.

We are honored they would choose us; especially given we are such huge fans of their blogs. All of Patti’s breathtaking photos of the picturesque Pacific Northwest. And when Sandy’s serious topics aren’t warming your heart or challenging your mind, her funny posts are making you laugh your ass off. So, if you’re not familiar with these ladies then head on over to their blogs: MOTHER OF IMPERFECTION:  http://motherofimperfection.com/  & THE WRITE PLACE: http://1writeplace.com/

We have to admit, though, we we’re hesitant about relaying the daunting task of our “writing process” to our readers. ‘Two Voices… One Thought’ is, after all, a rather precarious notion and one not easily digested. The technical aspect of writing novels has already been explained in our interview on Arlene Lugo’s Writing Pieces of Me, but we will go through the process once again for those of you that haven’t read it.

 

It’s the creation phase that’s a bit tricky and a phase we refer to as our ‘pretend-time’. So let us begin with the four questions:

  1. What are we working on?

Sigh* Mathair and I have been vacillating over this question. We had originally started our editing break to work on our third novel, which is the first in our third, YA fiction series, New Salem Chronicles: The 13 Reapers, but have concluded that it’s far too great a project to squeeze into a Summer Break. So, we’ve put away Sara and the children of The Mildred Pierce Academy to focus on the second installment of our first published novel, The Perfect 7; Book #2: The Crazy 8

2.   How does our work differ from others of its genre?

Inion N. Mathair’s signature cliffhanger endings have always made us stand out in some way. Whether you love or hate it, many readers have come to us over our chapter endings and/or book endings. We also try to infuse a fair amount of reality into our fiction stories, where the lines of fantasy and reality blur and readers dare to consider “Could this really happen?”.

 

3.  Why do we write what we do?

There can be so many responses to this particular question. We write…. because it’s a form of self-expression, because it’s all we’ve ever known, because it helps us work through our problems. And though writing has become cathartic for Inion N. Mathair and we’ve both made no qualms that we were destined for this eccentric path, Inion N. Mathair writes because the voices in our heads tell us to. *If you’re a writer, you’re probably laughing your ass off right now and empathizing with this mother-daughter writing duo. If you’re not a writer, I’m sure you’re probably wondering what the hell you’ve wandered into and how the hell you can get back before things get weird. But just wait… we get weirder.

It all started with a voice and not a tiny, insignificant one by any means. For those of you that have read The Perfect 7, you know that Kevin Yager’s mouth is anything but tiny and insignificant. It was two in the morning and Mathair was plagued by a belligerent, egotistical seventeen year old with a story to tell. Once she could quiet him for a moment, she came to me with the seed, planted it in my brain and the two of us haven’t been able to shut that scrawny, delinquent up since. That is but one of our many voices. Others include a shy, yet independent teenage girl who’s a modern day Nancy Drew; a fiery, travelling teacher with a heart of gold and a bewitching secret; and the dozens of other voices from our short stories and poems. So, you ask why we write and we tell you, “We write because the voices tell us to.”

4. How does your writing process work?

Now, here’s the sticky wicket. Though we are two voices and one thought, an idea will originate in only one of our heads. There’ve been times the voices have turned to Mathair and times they’ve come to me, but the real intricacies don’t begin until the two of us have joined forces. After that, we play pretend. We talk out the story, (always making sure to stay true to the voice of the MC), and make sure to cover any and all twists and turns the plot might take. Now, we approach things logistically. We loosely blueprint the entire novel and/or series, assign chapters per our strengths and weaknesses, then come together and form a cohesive story. Though it may sound crazy for us it’s become a way of life and all very ritualistic and necessary to get to the story.

And now comes the passing of the torch.

Mathair and I pride ourselves on being fans of writers, first and foremost, which is why we dedicate much of our time to the promotion of fellow authors. We’ve posted interviews and have many upcoming author interviews over the next few months, not to mention the bloggers that we’ve shared on multiple social networking sites. This is by far our favorite part of the Writing Process Blogging Tour… sending much love and support. 😉

Our first nominee happens to be one of the first bloggers we connected with after the conception of Two Voices, One Thought, the wonderfully talented, Catherine M. Johnson. Catherine’s imaginative poems, whimsical illustrations and colorful blog sucks readers in and has them coming back for more. Not to mention, Catherine is one of the most supportive authors and bloggers, constantly spotlighting other poets, authors and illustrators. You can find her here, http://catherinemjohnson.wordpress.com/ which is her blog and on Amazon.com alongside her brilliant poetry collections.

The next nominee is a standout blogger/writer with a warm spirit and a beautiful heart, Coleen Patrick. She’s without a doubt, one of the kindest people we’ve met through this crazy blogosphere. Coleen has an effortless way of making you feel right at home on her blog, http://coleenpatrick.com/ Mathair is currently reading her novel, Come Back To Me, and can’t put it down; (even though we’re supposed to be editing! I’m always catching her on her laptop’s Kindle.)

Linda Rue Quinn is our final nominee. She’s an author from our neck of the woods (Western North Carolina) and has some serious Southern Sass. She’s a mutli-talented author with edgy novels and a collection of poetry Mathair and I are dying to get our hands on. She is also a loyal supporter of local artists and has organized multiple events for authors in our area. We are so grateful to be able to call her a true friend. http://authorlindaruequinn.com/

Make sure to check out these wonderful ladies. Trust us when we say, you won’t be disappointed. We hope you have a safe/fun Summer Break; as for Inion N. Mathair, we will keep churning out stories and playing pretend.

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