Sizzling attractions and romance on the sands of Montauk
Jingle Bell Love
A
Montuak Romance Book 2
By
P.C. Zick
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Love On the Wind
A Montuak Romance Book 2
**On Sale
for Only .99cents!**
P.C. Zick describes herself as a storyteller no matter what
she writes. And she writes in a variety of genres, including romance,
contemporary fiction, and creative nonfiction. She's won various awards for her
essays, columns, editorials, articles, and novels.
Zick offers a variety of nonfiction books, which include a
book on vegetable gardening, a compilation of her essays and short stories from
her decades-long career as a writer, and a primer for writers on taking an idea
and turning it into a published book. She has also published and annotated the
journal of her great-grandfather based on his experiences as a Union soldier
during the Civil War.
Her novels contain elements of romance with strong female
characters, handsome heroes, and descriptive settings. And all of her works
express her philosophy of living lightly upon this earth with love, laughter,
and passion.
She and her husband live in Tallahassee, Florida, where they
enjoy gardening, kayaking, golfing, hiking, and traveling.
Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bluesky * Bookbub * Amazon
*
Goodreads
GUEST POST
Writing Advice
My inspiration to begin the journey myself came from the leader of my writer’s group more than two decades ago. His words delivered me from the desire to tell my story to the creation of a book. He kicked me in the seat of my pants, and I landed in front of my computer where I spent every spare moment finishing a novel that had languished in a file cabinet drawer for fifteen years. How did he do it? He yelled at our writers’ group when none of us had brought the assigned writing practice from the month before. We all had excuses, just like the ones we’d used at the previous meeting. At the time, I was teaching high school English, so my excuse was particularly adept—my students had taught me well. No matter. He let it rip.
“Either you’re a writer or you’re not. Stop making excuses. Writers write, and if you don’t do that, you’re not a writer.” He slammed some papers on the table in front of him and left the room. The others exited the meeting, vowing never to return. Despite my shock, I heard him, and I went home and began to write. Within six months, I had finished the novel, and within another six months, a small publisher made my dream come true with the publication of my first book.
Writers write. Simple. Precise. And so very true.
Writing Advice to My Younger Self
I would tell my younger self to be patient with the process and keep expectations reasonable. The Oprah dream really derailed me for a few years. I was perpetually disappointed and would have to pull my chin off the floor and sit my rear end back in the chair and start all over again. I have no such illusions today. I write for myself. I would also tell my younger self to write about things that inspire me or fascinate me. Good writing always results.
A Writer on Reading
Folks often tell me they want to write a book, too. They have a story to tell. I ask questions about what they like to read. If they tell me they like horror stories but want to write romances, I tell them to start reading romances. Study the genre of what you want to write.
But then there are those who tell me they don’t read but they want to write a book. I firmly believe that writers must first and foremost must be readers. Study the craft. Read the masters. Even a poorly written book can be instructive.
I started out as an avid reader. My father used to accuse me of faking the flu whenever I wanted to finish a book rather than go to school. He’s probably right. And I most likely learned more form that book than I ever did a full day in school.
Do your family and friends support your career as a writer?
I credit my daughter, an artist, for giving me the courage to leave my teaching career to write fulltime. When I was first considering the leap, she was a freshman in college. She told me to have faith because I knew how to survive know matter what happened.
My husband loves everything I write and reads my books with great interest, but with a critical eye. A few friends and a family member here and there are loyal fans. The rest just ignore me. I think they’re under the impression this is just a hobby like refinishing furniture. So, I don’t say much. Every once in a while one of them surprises me by telling me they enjoyed something I wrote.
What surprised me the most about becoming a writer
I discovered early in my life as a novelist that I loved doing research. It’s so much fun to learn new things, and then incorporate real events or facts into a work of fiction. However, beginning writers must be careful. It’s too tempting to do “research dumps” in books thinking the readers need to know everything you’ve learned. Not so. The writer needs the information to create the mood, tone, characters, and conflict to make it believable and interesting to the reader, but not all of that needs to literally make its way onto the page.
