Pay It Forward Blogfest AND Author Spotlight with Ciara Knight!

Click for bloghop list

Two great tastes that taste great together. Yep, I'm smashing two posts into one. I couldn't pass up the Pay It Forward Blogfest because it's 99.9% pure extract of righteousness.

I'm always plugging my buddies Laura, Deb, Sarah, and more recently, Julie. But I would love it if you could get to know these other gals a little better. You won't be sorry!

Krispy/Alz at a Nudge in the Right Direction. Kooky stick drawings? No-holds barred book reviews that will make you spew soda out of your nose? Little bits of culture/food/whatever that are always entertaining? They've got it all. I love them. Cyber hugs to my girls.

Olga at Artful Nuance. I am NEVER disappointed when I visit Olga's blog. She is an artist, and her photography always takes my breath away. Can red be made to look any redder in a picture? I don't know how, but Olga always does it. She's thoughtful, introspective, and a wonderful person.

Rachna Chabria at Rachna's Scriptorium. Rachna has the kind of blog about writing where you want to pull up a chair, grab a steaming mug of chai, hang out and talk with her forever. She tackles all things writing-related with depth, gentleness, and yet a keenly sharp eye. She always gets me thinking.

There you go. Meet this ladies. You won't regret it! Thanks Alex and Matthew for hosting the blogfest!

Okay, now on to our Author Spotlight. Please welcome the lovely Ciara Knight!

How do you plot, if you’re a plotter, and how do you revise?

I have a strange writing process but it’s what works for me. I will brainstorm while driving or hiking because I can’t stand looking at a blank page without a story. It’s too intimidating. After I have the entire plot worked out in my head, I’ll write an outline. This will include setting, who’s POV (If writing multiple), goal, conflict, motivation, and disaster. Then I’ll open up a word document, close my eyes, and type like a crazy person. This is my rough draft that no one should ever see. After that, I’ll go through and just clean it up. At this point it is more of an extended plotline with dialogue. The third pass I’ll start layering more emotion, internal thought, ect…. I’ll usually send this version to critique partners. Once it is back in my hands, I’ll incorporate their changes and clean up sentence structure, repetitive words, etc…. Then it is ready to see the light of day.

How do you manage to do so much in 24 hours?

Caffeine. Seriously, I’ve always been a workaholic. In college I worked full time, went to school full time, and worked on a scholarship project. I’d work all week from 5:00AM – 11:00PM then sleep all weekend. I still do this. Caffeine up all week then crash and sleep in on Saturday morning. With three boys in the house, I know there won’t be any writing that day.

(OMG, this has become my new schedule too! Saturday morning sleep-ins are kind of sacred at my house now. :) )

Is there a different genre you might like to try and write someday?

I’d love to write sci-fi but I’m way too intimidated. I’ve always been in love with all things not of this world. Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot, but right now, I think I should keep my feet firmly grounded.

Favorite season of the year?

Fall! I’m a diehard hiker and there is no better time to hike in the southeast then in the fall. The sound of leaves crunching under foot, brisk air carrying the sounds of birds flying south for the winter, and the fact people aren’t so cranky now that the heat wave has ended, makes fall a fantastic time of year.

Sammy Lorre was cast from Heaven for conduct unbecoming an angel. Living in a demon-infested small town with no memory of her previous life, she faces never-ending purgatory until Boon saunters into her life with a promise of angelic love. But is he an angel from Heaven or a minion from the underworld preying on her human emotions? To discover his true identity, she must risk eternal damnation and her heart.

Love’s Long Shadow is Available at: Turquoise Morning Press | Amazon Kindle | Smashwords | Bookstrand | All Romance Ebooks/OmniLit

You can find Ciara on Twitter and at her Blog!