About Ami LeCoeur:
Like most romance writers, Ami LeCoeur is a romantic at heart, but in her heart it’s the classic Romanticism of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
She is also a painter, glass artist, and award winning poet, as well as a writer.
When she isn’t traveling, she lives on California’s Redwood Coast with her husband and two kitties. She loves her wonderful ocean view, and when the fog comes in – as it always does – she’s either curled up with a good book, or busy writing.
What inspires you to write?
My mom was an avid reader, and she passed it along to me. I love a good mystery and all of my stories contain some kind of suspense. I particularly enjoy stories that are character driven, including science fiction and suspense. I never read a lot of romance when i was younger, but I like to read about characters and relationships that develop into more. While I write in the “romance” genre, that is only one part of the story in my books, and I particularly enjoy that so many reviews say my books are not the “normal” romance books the reader is used to reading.
Tell us about your writing process.
My stories generally pop into my head with a beginning and an ending, and some details in between. But I find I always have to outline. If I don’t, then I end up being stuck for days (or weeks) as I untangle the different threads running all over the place, so that I can get them woven into a coherent story. This doesn’t mean that I always stick with the story as I first imagined it. Often the “beginning” becomes backstory that is woven into the rest of the book, and the ending may suddenly move in a different direction based on new ideas the characters communicate with me. But I always have to have a direction. Otherwise the story becomes too unruly.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I ask my characters questions. “Why are you doing this, what is your thinking?” or “How do you want this to resolve for you?” Sometimes when I’m writing, my characters suddenly spout things that I had no clue about. in my High Stakes Seduction serial, one of the antagonists suddenly and unexpectedly took a larger role than I had anticipated, just by uttering a couple of sentences in one of the books. Suddenly this person became much more important to the story, and so that role became a much bigger influence. When I am writing, I am often in the “flow” of the moment, and that’s when the surprises show up. I even dream about my characters sometimes.
What advice would you give other writers?
Write. As they say, Butt-In-Chair. Seriously, stop researching and start writing. And don’t be discouraged. My first works were nonfiction. Next came fiction, but even though I was writing what I really liked (and you should do that, too), and my feedback was good, that genre didn’t click as I had hoped. So I tried something a little different, and this current genre seems to be hitting the right spots. Be willing to play a little. to shift your focus within the genre, and pay attention to what is working for you. Having a mentor is great, if you are in a similar genre. But trust your own gut more than anyone else’s advice. Keep writing and moving forward, let your earlier works go, don’t try to keep rewriting them, move on to the next book/series/serial. Believe me, you will continue to improve over time. Oh, and get a good editor. As soon as you can afford it, get professional covers made. Having an avid reader base is extremely useful. I have a very active street team who help with each release. Start capturing emails from your readers as soon as you can – your list is gold.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Indie publishing was the only way to go for me. I had no interest in traditional publishers. And I’m glad I chose to be an indie. It gives me a lot more control over everything. I can upload corrections, change bookcovers, etc. whenever I choose.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think it’s wide open. Things have changed a lot just in the 3 years I’ve been publishing. I can’t imagine where it will be in 3 years from now.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers, Co-writer, Professional Editor, Ghostwriter
What genres do you write?: Romantic Suspense, Erotic Romance, Contemporary Women, Coming of Age
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Ami LeCoeur Home Page Link
Link To Ami LeCoeur Page On Amazon
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