Welcome to WIP Wednesday! My guest today is Sarah Hegger. Welcome, Sarah. Can you tell us one thing most people don’t know about you?
SH: I have a thing for beautiful evening gowns and would wear one every day if I could.
MJ: What is your secret talent?
SH: I know the words to more show tunes than is healthy.
MJ: If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?
SH: Acting, I started off as an actress and a part of me always wants to go back.
MJ: If you had a theme song, what would it be?
SH: “Respect” (Otis Redding/Aretha Franklin).
MJ: Name one thing you won’t leave home without.
SH: My toothbrush, and my mascara.
MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.
SH: I am lucky enough to have my writing space. I have a study that’s all mine. Best of all, it has a door that I can shut when I want to work. Although my children view this as a challenge to be overcome.
MJ: Briefly describe your writing day/process.
SH: I start with getting social media set up for the day. Then, I write my new words first. Once I’ve met my daily word count target I get to editing, sorted into a delivery date order.
MJ: Name one writing-related website you use a lot.
SH: I recently signed on to Autocrit. An amazing site where you can load your book and it spots all those common traps I fall into as a writer. It weeds out the dreaded adverbs, POV filters and overused words, and so much more. I also keep my membership to the Oxford Online Dictionary very close.
MJ: Name 3 things on your desk right now.
SH: San Pellegrino, nail polish, a potted hydrangea.
MJ: Do you listen to music when you write? Explain.
SH: I can’t listen to music, I get distracted and start singing the lyrics.
MJ: What do you love most about your WIP hero?
SH: His kindness, although I’m still trying to persuade him to let it shine through.
MJ: What do you least like about your WIP heroine?
SH: She believes she’s a one-woman army, battling through life all on her own.
MJ: What genre is your current WIP?
SH: Contemporary romance.
MJ: What is your favorite genre to read?
SH: I’ll read any genre, just tell me a good story about characters I care about.
MJ: How did you come up with your hero and heroine’s names?
SH: I like old-fashioned, more traditional names and tend to default to that. Then, I just go with my gut. I can’t say why a name fits or doesn’t, it either feels right or I change it.
MJ: Do you ever base characters on people you know?
SH: Elements of people I know always creep into my characters somehow.
MJ: How did you choose the setting for your current WIP?
SH: Especially when writing contemporary, I try and keep it to an environment I know well enough to know the taste, smell and feel of the setting.
MJ: Now it’s time for the lightning round. Addams Family or The Munsters?
SH: Addams Family.
MJ: Wine-red or white?
SH: Red
MJ: I Dream of Jeannie or Bewitched?
SH: Bewitched.
MJ: Beer-can or bottle?
SH: Bottle
MJ: Stephanie Plum or Eve Dallas?
SH: Stephanie Plum
MJ: Cinco de Mayo or St Patrick’s Day?
SH: St. Patrick’s Day.
MJ: Last movie you saw in a theater:
SH: Captain America: The Winter Warrior
MJ: Favorite TV Show?
SH: Master Chef.
MJ: Flintstones or Jetsons?
SH: Flintstones.
MJ: Favorite band when you were in high school? (Marching band doesn’t count.)
SH: Depeche Mode
MJ: Coke or Pepsi?
SH: Coke.
MJ: Introvert or extrovert?
SH: Introvert.
MJ: Favorite ethnic food?
SH: Thai
MJ: Now, for the meat of the interview. Will you share the first few lines of your current work in progress?
SH: Of course. This is from Handle With Care, which is a working title only.
Chloe took a deep breath. Money. Even the air of Michael Knightley’s apartment smelled rich.
The front door slid shut behind her with a dull thud.
“Darling, I’m home.”
The sun split through the horizontal blinds and painted the oak floor in rich chocolate stripes.
She would mop today and keep that deep, wooden glow to the wood.
“How was your day?” She dropped her purse and backpack on the travertine countertop that separated the kitchen from the den. “Mine totally sucked.”
MJ: Sounds like a great read! You have a current release now–Sweet Bea. This is an amazing cover. Where can we buy it?
SH: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kensington.
MJ: And how can readers stay in touch with you?
SH: I have a website, a blog, and a Facebook page. I’m on Twitter, Pinterest, Linkdin, Google+, and Goodreads.
MJ: Thanks again for joining me, and good luck with your books!
