In the midst of this A to Z Blogging Challenge I have been tagged on another blog challenge from one of my new writing friends for the “My Writing Process Blog Tour,” which, I suppose would be the title of my blog post today, were it not for the fact it doesn’t start with F and I need an F theme.

Writing with the hopes of publication can be a lonely, disheartening, tear-your-hair-out, why-don’t-you-give-up-now kind of occupation. Writing friends will “get” you in a way not even your best friend can understand.

My new writing friend, Amy Nichols, is debuting her novel Now That You’re Here (Duplexity, Part I), a YA science fiction thriller, on December 9, 2014. We’ve only met recently, as the newbies invited to hang out with the already-published YA authors in Arizona. (I knew there was a secret club!!!)

The other night we were all gathered around with our burgers and salads and chicken sandwiches, and Amy looked at me across the table and mouthed something like, “Can you believe this?” Yes, it’s a crazy debut year for the two of us and I’m glad we’ve met so we can talk each other off the cliff if need be.

How this works, is I answer the following four questions and then introduce you to some authors who will pick up the tour next week.

1) What am I working on?

Believe it or not, I am still working on my debut novel, Cinderella’s Dress (Entangled Teen), that will be out in less than two months. LESS THAN TWO MONTHS!  As I type up this blog I am waiting to hear back from my editor with notes for my line edits. We like living on the edge at Entangled Teen; it keeps us young and in tune with our target market. I may be pulling an all-nighter or two.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

There are so many fabulous authors out there writing fairy-tale retellings. I wanted to do something other than a basic retelling. So, I took the backstory of Cinderella, borrowed her dress and her servant (she had to have one or two after she married the prince, don’t you think?) and moved up the timeline to the 1940s where the descendants of all the players are still fighting over the dress. Perhaps, instead of classifying my book a fairy-tale retelling, it might be more of a historical magical realism tale. (But that is such a mouthful when trying to tell someone what my book is about!) Maybe a Cinderella spin off?

3) Why do I write what I do?

I love fairy tales.I love historical novels. Why not combine them?

And why do I write for the age groups I do? As a reader I am so grateful to the authors who came up with such brilliant stories to entertain, and give courage to a shy girl like me growing up. I want to contribute in any way I can, to give kids today the kind of imagination-filled growing up that I had.

4) How does my writing process work?

I write in spurts, but pretty consistent spurts. Most of my novels were started during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). When it comes time to actual drafting, I need quiet and alone time. Sometimes that means I have to pop in some earbuds to block out the ambient noise (ie children). Fortunately, my kids love NaNoWriMo for Students, too so we all buckle down in November and get lots of work done.

Where next for the  My Writing Process Blog Tour? Next Monday, April 14 check out:

AJ Pine writes stories to break readers’ hearts, but don’t worry—she’ll mend them with a happily ever after. When she’s not writing, she’s deciding between team Stefan or team Damon. Jury’s still out on that one. Pine’s debut New Adult study-abroad romance, IF ONLY, just released with Entangled’s Embrace line.

Sandi Greene is a college English professor and YA author. She lives in Arizona with her two children. You can find out more about her and her books at: www.sandigreene.com