Keri Ford

If you haven’t met Keri Ford, you need to. She was one of the first personalities I came across on Twitter and I have since been keeping an eye on this up and coming romance writer. She’s young, and fun and so completely engaging. You’ll want her for your best girlfriend. I did! One of the best things about Keri Ford is she’s in the boat sitting right beside us. She wears all the hats, does all the juggling, and still dreams up the most fabulous romances along her way.

To quote Keri-  because she says it so much better:  “I was raised in South Arkansas on a farm surrounded by family, horses, cows, donkeys, ostriches, emus, chickens, ducks, Canadian Geese, and enough dogs one would think we were a pound…And then I bought a Cosmopolitan when I was twenty-two. I don’t recall what I’m sure was some fantastic sex tip, but I vividly remember reading an excerpt of Christina’s Skye’s Code Name: Princess. One elevator scene and quick thought of, I didn’t know people wrote stuff like this… and my life would never be the same.

Keri, I am so thankful to have you here for this interview! My readers are officially deprived of romance.

KF: Hi, Julie! Thank you for inviting me!

I just don’t have the knack for making the deep emotional connection believable. I also blush at writing intimate scenes beyond a kiss or two. How do you approach writing the chemistry?

KF: Chemistry is my favorite part! The flush of anticipation, fluttering hearts, loss of breaths…ahhh. Writing the chemistry is my favorite part. I like the banter, the teasing. The shy looks and the blushing. It’s the building blocks of their love so that when I get to write that first kiss, I’m so lost in the romance, there’s no time for blushing by me! It’s like watching a movie. Do you blush when Ariel kisses Eric in The Little Mermaid? I sigh and smile.

To write an actual love scene, I have to be energized. If I’m tired, cranky or hungry, I can’t push through like I can for other parts of the book. Don’t rush it, just let it flow. Allow the scene to progress as it comes out. If it’s coming out rougher or nicer than you planned, don’t worry about it. You can always edit it different later. For me, I write all the mechanics of a love scene first and then go back and layer in the emotions and feelings. Oftentimes it can take hours or days to get one just right.

For the blushing, I think that’s something that eases the more you do it. As with anything, the more practice you have, the better at it you become.

Are the relationships ever built upon couples that you know, or situations that you have been in?

KF: I think to some degree, the relationships come from things I’ve seen and read about. Pretty much though, it’s just my imagination at work about conflicts that interest me. In the regency era, it was a big disgrace for a man to marry his harlot. I got to thinking, hmm, I wonder how that affects the man’s grown kids? And that was the start of one of my historicals.

I’ve read your free Valentine story, Paint A Perfect Valentine. I loved it! What gave you the idea to share your complete work this way? Writers are so timid to share beyond a small excerpt.

KF: Thank you! You’re the first to tell me you’ve read it and enjoyed it The idea wasn’t mine. I joined a romance writer’s forum, Romance Divas. They do a yearly Valentine Free Read Challenge and I took part in that. I was very nervous about posting the full read, but did it anyway. It was a good trial run to show me how I’ll handle becoming published and putting my work out there. Guess what? I survived posting the read and I would do it again. Soon I might have another story that I’ll be posting a chapter at time if it doesn’t sell. It has characters I love and adore. I don’t think I can just put them under the bed!

By the way, I can’t recommend Romance Divas enough for a writer (published or not) to join. It’s a great group of writers with a lot of information there.

You are not only an aspiring writer. You are also a wife and a mother, and I’m sure that you wear many other hats as well (we already know that we can add blogger to that list). How do you manage the time? Do you have a strong support system to keep you encouraged and uplifted?

KF: Delicately. Kidding. Sometimes it feels like juggling knives and they’re all about to fall. Typically first thing in the morning as I’m waking up I hope around to the different blogs I follow, forums and twitter. I’m not always in every place every day. Sometimes I just don’t have the ump to do twitter, so I’ll skip for a day. Other days, I’m there all day long chatting. Don’t force it. If you force social networking, it’ll show. Let it be something fun for you! I’m a stay-at-home mom, so my contact is with my toddler and the TV of the day. I’m draw to the internet with adults! …it’s people. Adult people.

Also, I’m a supporter of letting my kid watching educational tv shows. Educational shows run in the morning until noon (Disney channel and Discovery Kids are the ones I keep it on). I get a lot of work done during this time. And bonus, my kid has learned tons. Seriously <mommy brag insert>, he’s ahead for his age (3 years old). While I do work with him, seeing them during those shows really cement information in.

And yes. My husband is wonderful. If I’m really pressing to get something finish, I’ll go to another room as soon as he gets home and work. The rest of my family is also really supportive of my writing, so that helps, too.

Do you have a favorite author or an inspiration that you go back to time and time again?

KF: I have a lot of favorite authors. Too many to list. When I’m in a slump, starting to feel that fear that I’ll never get there, I turn to my keeper shelf and re-read all the books that made me fall in love with the romance genre to begin with.

How do you handle rejections to your work?

KF: Rejections are part of the business. Yes, they suck like wow, but again, part of the business. They can be for any number of reasons. Such as taste, for example. Your voice and style. A reader’s book taste is like their food palate. Reading a book you don’t like is the same as being told to drink Coke and enjoy it when you’re a die-hard Dr. Pepper fan. Unless you’re given specific feedback, don’t read too deep into any rejection letter.

What are some resources that you use to guide and improve your works?

KF: My eyes and ears mostly. Sounds nutty, right? But true. Yes, I’ve read some guidebooks, but most everything that has improved my writing is feedback from critique partners, editors and agents. Be open to what they say. A good critique will tell you what’s not working and WHY. The why is the important part.

The best guides you’ll find are the books on your keeper shelf. Just last week I was really struggling with a scene. The heroine was woolgathering when a dog sneaks up behind her. I couldn’t get the transition correct from ‘relax’ into immediate ‘panic’. I looked at a couple published books to see what that author did as an example. I went back to my scene and got it right on the next try. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this.

What are you working on now?

KF: Several things, plus I just sold a sexy little novella titled Through The Wall to Turquoise Morning Press! I pitched a series idea to my editor that I’m super excited about that I’m diving into now. (can’t wait to announce details on this!)

Wow! Huge hugs and congratulations, Keri! What an amazing feeling. You must be on cloud nine! Please let us know as soon as you have the details on how we can get that on in our hands!!

Any thoughts that you’d like to share with those writers who are just beginning to navigate the writing / publishing world?

Try. Don’t be afraid to try anything. If you don’t try, then you don’t know. Are you given feedback you’re not sure on? Save an extra copy of your story and try it to see what happens. You’ll lose a little time, but gain some tremendous insight. You might find yourself surprised or realize exactly why that particular idea doesn’t work.

Julie I would challenge you to write the most raunchiest, sexiest intimate scene you can. It won’t be to share. You can write it, don’t even have to save and then delete it. Next time you go to write an intimate scene, maybe it’ll be easier for you. Who knows? Might work, might not. Only one way to find out.

Thanks for asking me to come out today!

Thank you Keri! Head over to check out Keri Ford’s blog and don’t forget to take advantage of her FREE romance novella at KeriFord.com