Sarah Morgan

'Sensual, emotional and gripping’

When did you start writing? How do you come up with an idea for a book? How do you get started on a new manuscript? Do you outline or free write? How long does it take you to write a book? Do you suffer from writer’s block? Describe your typical day What do you do when you’re not writing? If you had to give an unpublished writer one piece of advice, what would it be? How did you start writing for Harlequin Presents? What do you enjoy about writing for Harlequin Presents? You still write Medical Romance. Is it hard switching between Harlequin Presents and Medical Romance?

Here are some of the most common questions Sarah is asked. If your question does not appear here, please feel free to send an email. I scribbled stories as a child and carried on scribbling – different things, children’s books, thrillers, anything that came into my head and excited me enough to want to write it down. I trained as a nurse, then moved into a marketing job and became a Mum, but I still scribbled. It was only when I was at home with my first baby that I actually finished something. It was rejected, but the comments were positive so I tried again, and tried again. On the third attempt my first Medical Romance was accepted. That was an exciting day! Ideas are everywhere! The skill is turning those ideas into a compelling story with strong conflict that keeps readers hooked. I read newspapers, magazines, I talk to people – observe human behaviour and always I ask myself ‘what it’ – what if they’d made this decision instead of that one? It’s a fascinating exercise. We all make mistakes in life. We all face difficult decisions. Create that for your character and you have the basis for a book. A story comes to me in different ways. Sometimes I will suddenly think of a line of dialogue, and that might be enough to tell me a great deal about the heroine’s character and the way she’s going to respond to situations. I might imagine a single scene and build the book from there. Sometimes I start with the hero. Once I have that first idea, I let the story flow. I play with the idea, make sure the conflict is strong, that the motivation is solid. Most of all I think about the characters – I work hard to show the characters as real people, with flaws and qualities, doubts and fears, and most of all with a problem! If there’s no problem, there’s no story. I look for trouble. A bit of both. I need to know my characters and the central conflict before I start. I usually have a few scenes in my head. I don’t need to know the detail at that stage. Ideas always come as I write (that’s the scary part of writing – it’s impossible not to think ‘what if they don’t come??). By the time I reach the end of my first draft I know the characters really well and that’s when the book really starts to take shape. I go back through, deepen the conflict, tighten the motivation, make the characters as ‘real’ as possible on the page. It depends on the book. I have a schedule and deadlines but each book does vary and I make sure I build in time to get it right. Some books flow more easily than others. Writing is my job so I can’t afford to suffer from writer’s block! I write every day and if the story doesn’t seem to be flowing then there’s usually a reason. Either the character isn’t right, the motivation isn’t right, or the conflict isn’t strong enough – If I’m struggling then the first thing I do is read through what I’ve written and identify the point where it was going well. Then I try and work out why it suddenly doesn’t feel right. Sometimes I’ll call my editor and we’ll brainstorm some ideas, or I’ll call an author friend. It helps to have an outside perspective. Sometimes it’s good to have time away from the manuscript to give yourself some distance – I’ll work on something else for a few days and then return to it. Occasionally I’ll jump forward in the book and write a scene I’m confident with, but generally I write in chronological order as the story happens because that’s how I picture it in my head. If my husband can drop the kids at school then I start work around 7.30 – 8am, otherwise I do the school run and start a bit later. I’ll concentrate on my current manuscript until lunchtime, when I check emails, read news headlines and return phone calls. Sometimes I go for a quick walk to clear my head. Once a week I meet friends for lunch – I try not to do it more often than that. The temptations are there in this job and you have to be disciplined. I work all afternoon until I pick the children up from school. Sometimes I do more in the evening after they’re in bed. It depends on how the book is going and whether I feel I’ve done enough. There are always other things to fit in – revisions on another manuscript, proofs to check – sometimes that’s frustrating, but sometimes things seem clearer when you have a break. I love spending time with my family and friends. I love cooking, eating out, going for long walks in the country, watching movies, reading, going to concerts – more reading - lots of things! Write. How many times have you heard that? Probably as many times as I have heard people say they are going to write a book ‘one day’ or ‘when they find time’. Writers write. Not tomorrow, not next week – now, today. And read. Writing and reading go together. I was already writing for Medical Romance and my heroes were becoming more and more alpha and my plots more emotional and intense. My editor thought my voice would fit well in that line so I wrote a straight Presents and I loved the experience. I've been writing them ever since. I love the escapist, glamorous quality of Presents. It's pure fantasy and, of course, it's home to the alpha male. A Presents hero is never afraid to say what he thinks. That's very refreshing and can be great fun to write. But the Presents man does have a sensitive side and a sense of humour and watching the heroine uncover that is part of the entertainment. I love matching a strong hero with an equally strong, independent heroine who is going to give him a few surprises. The fact that she is the only woman who can tame him makes for a powerful love story. But with two equally strong characters there are going to be explosions along the way. There are always sparks flying in a Presents and the book has a very distinct flavour - to continue with the food analogy, its chilli rather than vanilla. You either love it or hate it but you certainly know you've eaten it. And yes, like chilli, it can be quite hot! No. Whatever I'm writing, I aim to have an engaging heroine, a sexy hero and a strong storyline. Obviously a Medicals will have a medical setting. But the setting is there to provide colour and mood. It can provide drama, it can be used to show elements of a character's personality, it isnt there to be yucky (as my youngest son would say).