Friday Friend Joya Field

Please welcome Joya Fields! Joya is the author BENEATH THE SURFACE, a romantic suspense just published by The Wild Rose Press.


Joya, What sort of schedule do you follow for writing? What tends to get in the way?
A writing schedule is very important. After I grab a cup of coffee and take the pug for her walk, I write two or three hours every morning. If I'm lucky, and errands, housekeeping and "mom" duties don't get in the way, I spend another two or three hours in the afternoon writing.

Did you plot or pantser your new release? Did you use any ‘maps’ or
‘sheets’? Why or why not?
Ooh, great question. I teach a plotting class at the local community college, so they laugh when I tell them I'm a pantser. But even pantsers need a plan. For Beneath the Surface, I used a chart/outline, but I wrote it in pencil because I think plotting is important, but spontaneity--letting the characters change my original ideas—is important, too.

Did you slip a real, personal experience into your new release? Can you
tell us what that was and how you changed it?
I used a combination of life experiences. For instance, I think the heroine, Brooke, is a composite of lots of people with disabilities I've met over the years. She's got the strength of some of the clients I met while working at Easter Seals, and she's got insecurities and worries like all of us.

Do you have a favorite food or drink while you write, or as a reward
for so many completed pages?
A hot coffee as I write helps me keep the words flowing, and if I hit 2,000 words a day, I celebrate with a flavored coffee. Chocolate coffee is my favorite!

How do you approach editing and revising? Do you have critique partners
or beta readers?
I can write a draft for a novel in a month, but then it takes me six months to revise. I'm working on that--trying to get more stuff right the first time through. Thank goodness for critique partners and groups! I'm a member of an on-line crit group and an in-person crit group and those guys and gals have helped me in so many ways that I don't think I'll ever be able to appropriately thank them. I think every writer needs honest feedback from people who understand the process.

How long between submission to your publisher and acceptance? Please
tell our followers something about how they worked with you.
I submitted my query to The Wild Rose Press in October, received a "revise and resubmit" request (with specific suggestions) in January, and then submitted a revised manuscript in February. On April 11th (yes, I remember the exact date), I received an offer for publication. Yipppeee.

If you could spend an afternoon with anyone in history, who would it
be—and what would you do together?
Wow, this is a great question. I think I'd like to get a cup of coffee with Albert Einstein and chat with him about how he got his ideas. I've heard he got a lot of his "a-ha" moments while shaving, and I'd like to know if that's true. If so, I might start shaving more often. :)

Joya Fields has had over 100 stories and articles published in local and national magazines and her debut novel, BENEATH THE SURFACE, a romantic suspense, and LOVE DELIVERED, a romantic comedy novella, are now available. www.joyafields.com



She’s fighting to stay independent—he’s determined to protect her no matter what…

Brooke Richards survived the earthquake that took her parents and most of her leg, but she needs time to regroup. A trip to Florida for a state-of-the-art prosthesis and to visit her best friend Linda seems ideal. But the trip turns traumatic when Brooke witnesses Linda’s boat disintegrating in a fiery explosion.

Police officer Garrett Ciavello believes the blast was intentionally set to hide something Linda found on a dive. When Brooke offers her expertise in underwater archeology, Garrett accepts her help with the investigation. But since his fiancée’s death years ago, Garrett has become overprotective, and as they are drawn to each other, Garrett realizes he will risk anything to keep Brooke safe.

Brooke is fiercely independent. Garrett is fiercely protective. Will they heal each other’s wound and find a killer…before it’s too late?

From the novel:
For the first time since the accident, Brooke forgot about her leg. Forgot about all she’d lost and focused on the way Garrett made her feel.
She knew she needed to stop him. She should find a way to resist the temptation to be with him. But for a few minutes, she could enjoy the taste of him, the feel of him, couldn’t she?
He dropped his hands to her waist and softened the kiss before trailing a line of kisses down her neck. A weak cry slipped from her mouth. “Garrett,” she whispered.
She should stop this now before it got any more intense.
He lifted her chin and forced her to meet his brown eyes, smoky with desire. Heat spiraled to her middle and she caught a whiff of his sawdust scent.
“I…I can walk you back to your own room before I head to mine.” His voice broke as he whispered.
She swallowed hard. She couldn’t do this right now with him. Too many obstacles stood in their way. But as she looked in his somber eyes, she realized none of those complications were bigger than her need for Garrett.
“Let’s go to your room,” she said, her voice shaking. She moved her hands inside his shirt and ran them over his tight abs and chest. Heat soared through her body at the feel of him. “Together…”