Author Interview: WS Carmichael

About the author:
WS Carmichael is the author of the Laurel Creek series, attempting to write the world into romantic bliss one novel at a time. Based in upstate NY, she travels as often as her hectic schedule will allow. When she isn’t busy writing, she’s a mother, nurse and avid sportswoman.
WS Carmichael fell in love with romance at an early age when she would sneak Harlequins from her mother. A voracious reader, she eventually made the jump to writing.
Writing is her passion and she’s always jotting down new storyline and character ideas. Often, her characters take on a life of their own and don’t always cooperate with her plan for them. She loves to create well developed, strong alpha male characters that don’t fit into the typical romance hero mold. Believing whole heartedly in happily ever after, she gives her heroes the heroine they deserve.

What inspires you to write romantic fiction?
There is so much ugly in the world, I love interjecting some happiness. Nothing is more beautiful to me than two people falling in love and living happily ever after.

Tell us about how you write.
I'm an in sequence writer. Is that a real term? I don't know. I've heard other authors talk about writing different scenes and piecing them together, or re-writing different chapters. I envy writers who are able to use that process. I write the book in the order you read it. That's how my brain works.

Do you listen to or talk to to your characters?
Not directly. If I'm stuck on a scene I'll close my eyes and let it play out in my head. The characters will show me what should happen next. There's even been a few times a new character introduced him/herself to me during a scene. In At Long Last, there was a character who didn't even exist until she knocked on the door. I needed someone to interrupt the scene and she showed up with an entirely new subplot. It was a very cool experience.

What advice would you give other romance writers?
Oooh. That's a tough one. I think I would give the same advice to any writer – Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Sharing what you've written can be scary. Will people like it? Will they think it's stupid? Don't worry about any of that. Write the best piece you can, then share it.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
I wrestled with the traditional vs. self publishing decision quite a bit. Ultimately I decided to self publish for two reasons. One, because I'm a control freak about my writing. I didn't want to give up any amount of creative control. Unfortunately, writers lose some control when they're picked up by a traditional publisher. Two, I'm impatient. I was excited about the work I'd done and I didn't want to wait the 2-3 years it usually takes to be published by a traditional publisher.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think there's room for both types of publishing in today's world. There will always be readers and writers who want the validation of traditional publishing – no judgement here. Even though I self publish, I'd be open to traditional publishing if the fit was right.

Which romance sub-genere(s) fit your stories best?
Contemporary

My books are available in the following formats:
eBook, Print