Once upon a time ...

 

I have so many half-started and half-finished stories under my bed, metaphorically, I need a stepladder to get to my pillow. Each and every one of them is worthy of rescue, not because of scintillating prose or clever twists, but because the characters deserve their happily-ever-after. 

Starting with the first story I ever wrote in which the heroine retreats to the recently inherited house of her late grandmother to lick her wounds after both a failed career and a failed relationship. I mean … how many tropes do you need? Sure, the conflict is difficult to find, the description goes on and on and on, but the dialogue sings! I discovered early on that I love writing dialogue and I occasionally can’t type fast enough to keep up with the chatterbox characters. The hero is worthy of a book cover, dark haired … no, blond … no, definitely brown hair. And his blue eyes sparkle with humour … except they’re brown. It’s a design-your-own hero book!! The newest fad!

My second story ever written is a retelling of the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea, with magical elements, a foreign prince, and steaming hot sex on the page. Woo boy … not something I want my mom to read! The story opens when the heroine’s car breaks down on a dark and stormy night outside the gates of a castle. She’s on her way home from a cocktail party so isn’t dressed for hiking through the pelting rain. Needless to say, she’s soaked by the time she gets to the prince’s castle. And needless to say, she needs to borrow dry clothes. And needless to say … I’m sure I don’t need to go on, do I? Did I mention the erotic nature of the prose? But there is intrigue, and a bad guy that needs to be defeated, and an overbearing father who needs to come to terms with his daughter’s wants and needs as the royal family moves into the 21st century. A real slice of life story we can all relate to, am I right? But, again, the heroine and hero deserve to be happy.

I guess my problem is I fall in love with my characters and can’t stand to leave them hanging. Unrequited love is no fun for anyone. I put them in that mess, the least I can do is get them out. 

My other problem (how long do you have?) is the never-ending supply of new story ideas. So, yes, I could return to the story of the witch who messes up her spells – oh, how they laughed! -  and is being stalked by a demon who will claim her soul if she doesn’t fulfill a promise, but when would I finish the next book in my contemporary series? Or finish the second book in my paranormal women’s fiction series (as yet unpublished) about the recently divorced real estate exec who discovers she’s a hereditary witch with phenomenal power, a wise-ass cat for a familiar, an angry ghost for a roommate, and a smokin’ hot hero for a love interest – not on your life! – who doesn’t know if he can trust her. 

And so those first few tomes will remain entombed (ha!) under the bed until I get the other stories and characters out of my head. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the cosy mystery series I have sketched out complete with recipes, or the historical series I have all the characters for, or …

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing spicy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband, a spoiled cat, and five hens. 

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