Today I welcome guest author Victoria Price as she shares about the thing authors are taught to do: write about what we know.

Writing what I know

In writing Redemption, I wrote from the perspective of a young girl all alone in the world, which was how I saw myself when I first arrived in the US as a student. I spent a good many years in Tennessee and loved it so much that for my first book I wanted the main characters Darren and Sara to meet Tennessee. The circumstances they met under is drawn from one of the rare snowstorms that Tennessee experiences. The state literally would shut down and cars would breakdown and people would stay home long before work from home was an option.

The second setting for the book is San Francisco, a city I visited frequently through work and therefore it was easy to insert the work atmosphere into the book. To build Darren’s character I had to draw on my own experiences in a work environment. How we all rely so much on technology and how the workday stretches into the weekend. I wanted to make Sara and Darren more than employee and employer and again my own experience in a fast-paced IT company helped me contrive situations where they had to be more honest and lose the reserve that their jobs required.

In the book Sara has a disabled sister who plays a key role in the plot. This character required a lot of research into what kind of injury could make her so severely disabled that she functioned at the level of a 10-year-old. Kate had to be portrayed as lovable and vulnerable at the same time, here I was inspired by a child born with Down’s syndrome and based Kate’s mannerisms on her. The setting for her nursing home was more difficult. It first started as a convent with nuns based on my own convent school upbringing. The first edition of the book was published that way. However, when II revised it the next time, I changed it to a care facility which is more relatable to current readers.

The other supporting characters are some larger-than-life people I have met who left an impression, especially Paul. Paul is the jolly friend everyone loves with his quaint Southern charm and manners. I intentionally made Paul out in such a way that he incites curiosity in the reader to see more of him. I fully intend to make Paul the hero in another book.

Any romance must have a conflict and of course their respective pasts play keep Darren and Sara apart. However, for a Happily ever after ending, the conflict needs to be resolved, usually through mutual interests and experiences. I chose Volunteering and the common ground as it is a big part of my own life and it made sense to have Sara volunteer her time to help pay for her sister.

 Darren’ character development is one of the things I enjoyed about writing this book. Darren starts out as entitled and a player not so likeable, but towards the end the readers will be rooting for him.

About Victoria

Victoria Price is a romance American author, who lives in Michigan.  She writes clean new adult/young adult romances. While not writing, Victoria loves to travel, read and garden.

Victoria's Books

The Hoyden and the Rake 979-8985583403

Redemption 978-1980533764

Find them here:

https://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Price/e/B07PGQY8WT/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Connect online:

www.vpriceauthor.com.   Please subscribe to my mailing list on my website to get an eBook of Redemption

Victoria Price (Author of The Hoyden and the Rake) | Goodreads

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