Having an Angel of a Good Time with Liv Rancourt

Today I welcome the delightful Liv Rancourt to my blog. In Forever and Ever, Amen, Liv has mixed humor, quirky characters, romance and paranormal to create a “can’t-put-down” read. Welcome, Liv.

Thanks so much for having me as a guest on your blog, Betty. I’m very happy to be here!

Great to have you, Liv. Please tell us a little about yourself.

I’m shy, which is something you’d never know if you only met me on-line. The internet is a dream come true, because I can be as kooky as I want on Facebook or Twitter, and no one knows it’s me. I’m sneaky that way.

As a shy person, how do you handle spicy sex scenes and relatives? Are your family and friends supportive or do they choose not to read your books because of their sensual nature?

Hmm. I have one long-time friend who skips the naughty bits in my books because it feels weird to her, like she’s peeking into my bedroom. Then there are books I tell my mother NOT to read, because she won’t like them. (She also doesn’t like to read F-bombs, so I try to use them only when no other word will do.) Other than that, I haven’t had any blow-back.

I do try to be careful about writing sex scenes, and go back and forth over how far to go. On the one hand, writing naughty is very popular right now, and I feel like you almost get penalized if you don’t include fairly graphic material in your work. On the other hand, I don’t want to do something just because it’s trendy. On the third hand (hey, I’m talented), I agree with writers who say you can reach a deeper level of openness and vulnerability with your characters by getting them physically naked. It’s a fine line, and one I’m continually working on.

I agree, and treading that fine line means plenty of revision. When you get the edits back from your editor, how do you work through that process?

Somewhere I read a strategy that works pretty well. I read through the comments, trying to stay fairly neutral and open-minded (which can be easier said than done). Then I make a pass and fix all the easy bits: spelling problems, commas, word multiples like when I use the same work three times in two sentences, stuff like that. Then, depending on the extent of the bigger fixes, I’ll either dive in and start wrestling with them, or I’ll put the piece away for a day or so and ponder how to handle what the editor’s asking for.

I like that strategy. Having been through extensive editing for your own books, has being an author changed how you read books now?

Oh yeah. I’m forever making mental notes of things I like and things I would have done differently. It takes a pretty amazing writer to shut my internal editor down these days.

Is there an aspect of writing that you favor over others, e.g. dialogue, exposition, description of a scene, setting, or character, etc.? Is there one that is more difficult for you?

DIALOGUE. I love creating conversations that sound like real life, but better. My challenge is putting in enough description to give my stories a sense of place, and balancing exposition with dialogue.

How do you balance writing, marketing, promoting, bookkeeping, family and work?

I wish I could say I had a magic formula, but sadly, I don’t. Most days, I do the best I can. In general, I try to make sure writing trumps social networking and promotion. My kids are teenagers, so I need to be around, but they don’t need as much direct supervision as they used to. They do compete with me for computer time, especially now that school’s out, which is an added complication. And then there’s the day job…

With all of that going on, do you keep a notebook in your pocket, briefcase, purse or on your bedside table to write down ideas that come to you right away so you don’t forget them? Have any of these ideas developed into a successful piece?

Evernote! I have it on my phone and on my laptop, and from work I’ll use the web version. If someone says something that would make good dialogue or I come across a situation I can use, I jot it down. I can also copy relevant webpages when I’m researching a topic, and I’ll usually keep copies of my WIPs there, too, so I have a back-up. The phone, laptop and webpage are all synched, so it’s all wherever I am.

Wow, you are organized! Evernote sounds like a great app for writers. Thanks so much for joining me today, Liv. It’s such a pleasure to learn more about you.  Best of luck with your books.

Thanks again, Betty! I hope you and your readers are all geared up to enjoy the holiday. Happy Fourth of July ;)

Author Bio:

Liv Rancourt writes paranormal and romance, often at the same time. She lives with her husband, two teenagers, two cats and one wayward puppy. She likes to create stories that have happy endings, and finds it is a good way to balance her other job in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Liv can be found on-line at:

Website & blog www.livrancourt.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/liv.rancourt

Twitter www.twitter.com/LivRancourt 

Liv's books are available at:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iTunes