Howdy, all!
I'm sorry it's been a while. Banging out 16 books this year is a crazy undertaking! (Who knew?) I'm behind in my email replies, my FB posts, and basically everything but showering and coffee.
:)
BUT, today, I wanted to get this blog post done. I've been promising all of you some answers to the most widely asked questions.
You asked, so Morgan is going to deliver.
Santana asks,
Morgan, how do you prep for writing a book? Is there something you do? I always wanted to write one, but then i can't seem to make it happen. What's the trick?
I get this one A LOT.
There is no trick. You park your ass in a chair, and you write. That's all I have. Sorry! I've been asked by countless people who think I have some magic way of banging out the books. I don't. I have a love of what I do, and I'm blessed that I don't do it for the money. If you start the process thinking you have no choice but to be a success so you can quit your job, you're setting yourself up for a shit-ton of pressure. I have none on me. I sit, I tell a story, and I move on. I will tell you that I do have a formula. Each book has to have so many sex scenes, so many suspects, and so many points of climax (not the sex--get it out of the gutter! HAHAHHAH)
Other than that, I live in my head a lot.
Now, as for prepping for a book. That I do have a system. I read the previous book, and then when I'm on the treadmill, I'm working it out in my head. By six miles, I have the first eight chapters plotted, and that's the hardest part. Laying the framework is the hardest.
Elizabeth and I run together--a lot!
Beth asks,
I follow a few authors. What do you listen to when you write, and how long does a book take to complete?
Well, it's not a one step process. I sit down and write a book usually on a Thursday or Friday. Why?
The husband is home on the weekends, and i have kids. He steps up and plays mom so I can work. I start Thursday, and I'm done with the first draft by Tuesday. So--6 days. Is this a decent copy?
NO.
There's no sex scenes. It's stripped bare. I then put the book away for a minimum of 4 weeks, and then go back to it. It's like reading a new book for me. I then sit down and for 7 days to detail it. I give the book the sex scenes. I add the drama, and I then call it a wrap--for 1 more week. After that week, I edit it. Then, it goes off to Rachel for two edits, and Laura for one. In between, I do 2 more edits so its as clean as it possibly can be when you get it. We can't catch it all, but we try our hardest. The process takes 2-3 months--per book. We have 3 books going at one time, alternating between the three of us. That's how we pull 16 books off a year.
When I write, I don't listen to music. I sit in absolute silence at 12 am. I work 12 am til 7, get the kids up for school, get them cybered, and then at 10 am go back to work until 2. I make dinner, and then to bed for me. The hubby stays up with the kids. The ONLY time I listen to music, which y'all seem curious about, is when I'm running. See the above questions.
What do i listen to?
I love the Cranberries. I love Bad Wolves (if you've never heard their rendition of Zombie, listen to it! It's amazing!)
I like Nine Inch Nails.
Old school rock.
Why so hard, you ask? That's what Elizabeth likes. She drives the bus :) HAHAHHAH Blame her.
She's hardcore and needs that motivation when on the treadmill. She's brutal.
Mona asks,
In The Killing Times, Elizabeth takes out her 1/2 brother with what seems to be permanent brain damage. Will we ever see George again? Love the flashback books. Will we ever get a "Flash forward" book? The Hunter books were originally going to be a trilogy. Is it confirmed a series? Please? After dealing with the "Family issues" in "True Justice" can we expect more of Dimitri's past to play into their future? Hints? Also, can you talk about the kind of research you do for your books? Science? Locations? Culture? FBI?
Mona is on my FB page, so she gets all the hints she's getting! LOL If you follow me on FB, you know that I do drop teases now and again because that's how i roll. I should have dropped more for Love Knows no Bounds. Who knew so many of you wanted a slaughter-fest for Valentines Day! Sickos! lol. Well, you shall have that for Christmas and Valentine's day next year :)
I promise.
No more simple lovey dovey romance.
As for her questions, yes, you will see George again. I've downplayed his injury--basically not discussing it, but old Georgie isn't out for the count yet. When will we see him? Time of Death--January's book, and you'll also see him in Cause of Death, the January flashback. :)
Ahhhh, the flashback books. Honestly, they were never meant to be. On night, I was sitting there, talking about the books with my husband, and it hit me. We don't have their backstory. I can't put more in a book (They are already 600-700+ pages each) so why not give them a glimpse of what the past was like. I try to keep it consistent, but we all know how crazy Elizabeth is. She likes to mix it up. There will be 2 flashback books a year from here on out. Since dropping Oracle (lack of reviews and feedback) they will be taking the place once during the year. As for the other slot, you may see more Oracle. I don't know. I'm giving everyone this year to blow me away with reviews. Amazon penalizes us if we don't get them. Yes, they are my boss--along with all of you.
Honestly, reviews matter. If you don't leave them, I assume you don't like the book, and I pull it from the rotation. I had planned 2 Croft books this fall. The current book isn't getting the reviews, so I've dropped one of them. It was a best seller. A LOT of people bought it. (thousands) 15 reviewed it. That's all kinds of wrong, people! Help a girl out!
Pulling books isn't fun. I hate doing it, but something has to give, and I let you guys decide what it is. As for Flash forward books, yes, they are in the works, once i get ALL of the Blackhawk-Whitefox-Leonard kids into play. You can't have a flash forward until you see all the characters starting in this series. :)
It is coming. I have a fun twist in the works.
Will they all be alive?
Will the Blackhawks still be married? Divorced?
Who will lead the family in law enforcement?
HINT CHARLIE.
The Hunter books.
Well, I have up to book 5 planned out. It's going to come down to you guys. If you leave reviews, I know you love them, and they will be scheduled. This year, I've scheduled one for November, and a Christmas FBI book.
Atonement
Absolution
Amends
Apology
Acrimony
That's the order. So, as of now, there will be at least 5. Keep reviewing, letting me know you love them, and I will deliver. The first one got 43 reviews. That's a good start, but only you guys have the power to make or break a book series.
Dimitri's past... yes. You have a lot more coming. We've met Natasha, Katerina, Viktor, but we know there are more siblings out there. Will they be the good guys or the bad guys? Can a shitty gene pool make or break a person in life? Or are bad kids made by bad parents?
We shall find out.
Plus, you're going to meet a new player in the game. Enter Nikita Petrova. Will she be their salvation or one more ugly sin? Can she break them apart? Heath has his hands full....that's all you get :)
As for my research...I have a friends in law enforcement who I frequently ask a lot of questions. I pick their brains. As for research, I let the story lead me. Locations...random. I love certain cities, and I've traveled to quite a few. I use them as information in books.
DC.
New Orleans
Atlanta
Philly
etc.
With forensics, I study a lot. I TRY to keep it as close to reality as possible. Do they get DNA results in a day? NO. Unfortunately, you can't write a book without it, so I bend it a little. The FBI gets their results a little faster, but it still takes time.
I was once called out on Quantico not being where the FBI was based, and I used it because I felt the Hoover Building made it harder to write the books. It's a smaller place, and contained. I switched it back, since I didnt realize some people were so UPSET about it. With fiction, I have leeway, and I try not to use it too often--but if it means a better story? Yes, I'll go there.
Anything for you guys!
For research, I don't watch TV, and I don't read ANYONE's books. As in, no one. Nada. Zilch. My books, when you read them, are stories I didnt see elsewhere. If I do watch TV, it's things that only add to the story. Police procedurals, serial killer stories, etc. I pull my forensics from them. I think we are 70 books in, and I haven't really repeated a killing--yet. I feel some more cannibalism coming...
HAHAHHAHAH
That's only a brief sampling of your questions.
If you have more, leave them in the comments below, and you might also be picked to have yours answered. Of the three above, I'm going to randomly pick one of you to receive an autographed book of your choice. I'll send it out to you.
THE WINNER?
Beth. Message me your address, and the book you want, and I'll send it out for you!
Thank you for your time, your love, and your questions!
Keep reading!
OH! REVIEW!!!!
Make an author happy! She needs love too!
Much love, mayhem, and murder,
MK
PS.
The next book is April 13th! Found Curses! Heading your way! Let's get our Littlemoon on!
