Road Trip Ideas

I have traveled across the United States many, many times. And I’m doing it again as I move back to Los Angeles. One of the things that I absolutely love about the open road and doing nothing but looking out the windscreen is the time it gives my mind to wander and think up stories. In fact, in just two days I’ve a new book playing through my mind, about two different types of men who fall in love.

I’ve never written a book with two heroes but these two men just called out to me and I hope I get the chance someday to put what’s been going through my head onto paperI’ve always wanted to be the type of writer who diversifies her stories. This can be a good and bad thing because on one hand I can appeal to a wide variety of readers, but on the other hand, I can repel those readers for that same reason. Writers are readers and I will be the first to admit readers are a fickle lot. We tend to stick to what we know; afraid to spend the ungodly amount of money for a paperback in case we won’t like it. But that’s the beauty of ebooks, I suppose. It’s easy, ok, and not so much of a risk to branch out of our comfort zone.

For many years I read exclusively Amanda Quick (aka Judith Ann Krentz, aka Jayne Castle). Amanda’s historicals were filled with dashing heroes, quirky heroines with unusual hobbies which caused the hero untold strife, set in the glittering arms of Regency England. Yes, they were somewhat predictable, but that’s what I loved about them. I knew that the titled hero would bring the impoverish heroine out as an Original, and she would be lauded as beautiful, lucky, and intelligent. Each book was better, funnier, more dashing and I would read them over and over. But then something changed. I suppose she was tired of the same old, same old, but unfortunately, I didn’t like her books anymore. I felt she had become stagnant in her love stories and I stopped reading her work.

This is one of my greatest fears. I realize that there will be readers out there who won’t like my writing style or agree with stuff I write about. I can’t please everyone, right? But that’s not my fear. My fear is that my stories will become boring, the romance tepid, the passion between my characters forced and unbelievable. So these road trips are important for my brain to jumpstart, for me to find characters who are unique, different, and whose love is just waiting to be explored. Today is Texas, tomorrow is New Mexico, and a whole different day to think.