Welcome to day two of the Paranormal Romance Blog Tour.
I hope you enjoyed having a look at all the great discounted books, competitions and offers that were introduced yesterday. At the end of this post I'll, once again, post a link to the other Paranormal Romance authors.
Today we will all be writing a sneak peek of our lives as writers. I always think of authors as living these romantic but sheltered lives, sat at an old fashioned typewriter, next to a bay window overlooking the ocean. Maybe a glass of wine sits next to the typewriter, the author waiting until the end of the chapter to take a sip. A cigarette burns untouched in an ashtray, filling the air with smoke.
Nope!
That's not it at all. Not for me anyway. I'm currently sat in bed on my purple laptop writing this. 'Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on' has just come on my playlist. My partner has very kindly volunteered to get the kids dressed so I could catch a few moments to write to you. Once I've finished this, I'll be taking them to the cinema because it's half term.
See - just an ordinary life. How I started writing though, that was not ordinary.
It started with a baby.
A few years ago I decided to become a surrogate. Why? I'm not sure. I think it came from the same part of my mind that also said "Let's skydive," or "Climbing Kilimanjaro sounds like fun!"
I just seem to have this need to do crazy things. I justify it by telling myself ' a life is to be lived or it's not worth living at all.' Haha. It's probably insanity!
Anyway, I'd had my kids, my family was complete and I was really happy. I began to think of those women who couldn't have what I had. Healthy happy children.
I researched becoming a surrogate online and eventually met a wonderful, wonderful woman. She had tried IVF to have her own kids and it had failed many times. Her doctors had told her that it was just not going to happen for her. she should look at other methods. Adoption, maybe or surrogacy.
She found me. We clicked. She lived a four hour train journey away from me, but when I met her and her husband, I just loved them both. They met my children and were great with them. They were a mother and father in waiting. They just didn't have a child.
We spent a whole year getting to know each other. I'd travel to London often to see them. I also had to have lots of tests, psychological as well as physical at a London IVF clinic. It was on one of the trips to London, on the train, that I conceived of the idea of Endless Winter. (The surrogate baby was conceived not long after!)
I began thinking how strange it was to have a baby for a reason other than to be a mother. I wasn't going to be a mother to this child, but I was going to carry him for the first 9 months of his life.
I then began to ponder other reasons for having a child. What if you had to have a baby for the sake of humanity. a baby that was only ever conceived to save the world. Thus Endless Winter was born.
I published it in January 2014 when I was four months pregnant with the surrogate baby. By the time book two was finished he was born.
He was given straight to his mother and I didn't get to hold him, but that was how it was meant to be. Just looking at his mothers eyes, and how emotional and overwhelmed and grateful she was to be holding this much longed for and waited for little boy. It made everything worth it.
It was the most wonderful experience of my whole life. I did get a cuddle the next day just before he went home to London.
I don't see him very often but he, along with his parents will always hold a special place in my heart. He was the inspiration for the whole Guardians of The Light books and Endless Winter is dedicated to his mother. I won't say why, but, whilst it may seem that it was me giving her the best gift, in many ways, it was her that gave me the greater gift.
I hope you enjoy Endless Winter - It is currently free here
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HOIHR2K
When you read it, just know that there is a little boy out there who started the whole story!
If you want to know how the other authors write, check out their blogs here. (Maybe they do have an old fashioned typewriter, a glass of wine and a view of the ocean!)
Marilyn Vix Website/Blog:
http://marilynvix.com
And please come back tomorrow where I'll be reviewing one of their books (I won't say who just yet - you'll have to wait and see, but I'll tell you now - It was a great book!)
Happy reading
J
