Ten Things About... B. Harmony - An Author Interview

B. Harmony is another author whose entire catalog I have read... luckily for me I discovered her stories around the same time as she started publishing them so I didn't have to try to balance a backlist with all of the ARCs, and I have to say that I've loved every one of them...  so when she offered to be interviewed, I said, yes, of course and now I get to share these 10 things with you:

Indie or Traditionally published? - Tell us how this works for you…
Indie published. I have a mile-long list of reasons why, but it can be shortened up to one word—CONTROL. I have control over everything from the cover, the content, the blurb, all the way to marketing. Most importantly? I have control over deadlines, something I don’t think I would ever want to change.

Plot or Pants? Do you pre-plot your books, use an outline, fly by the seat of your pants or some combination of things? How do you keep track of characters in a series? Do you keep a journal of your characters’ statistics, such as hair and eye color, relatives, hometown, etc.
Hahaha. I am a panster in denial. Meaning I create plots, I swear I do. Then my characters laugh, set it on fire and do whatever the hell they want while I sit somewhere in the background screaming. Yet, they do allow me some organization. I keep a series bible—a highly organized spreadsheet outlining everything from character details, locations, crossover moments, and more. It’s helpful, but mostly for reference of minor details, ones that hardly anyone would care about, except me and likely my editor.

Tell us about your first… published M/M fiction/romance
My first M/M romance was published in August of 2020. The B-Side will always hold a special place in my heart. Those two—Tyler & Chance—are the men who changed my life. Their story began with a song and a photo I saw on Instagram. Suddenly I had two very vocal characters shouting in my head and they gave me the “B-Side dialogue” which I shared with a small group of my friends who then encouraged me to write the damn book. (Their words not mine). Three weeks and some odd days later, I had their first draft in my hands. Even more than thrusting me into the world as a published author, their story has been the foundation of my growth. I’ve learned so much since I wrote that book, in a bar (in a few short weeks), and I’m grateful every day for it.

and then your most recent one..
My most recent M/M romance, More Than Enough, which came out on November 11. This project was many things: my first step to the left of my typical style, my first Daddy romance, and 100% a self-indulgent project. It started out as a random plot bunny and quickly spiraled into a full-length novel from there.

Do you write full-time or part-time?
Part-time-ish. LOL. I work a full day job, plus I’m a mother to two very sport-active kids. I rarely have a consistent writing schedule, but I squeeze it in whenever I can and then beg my alpha readers for feedback immediately because I lack the basic capability of patience. 

Which character still pops into your mind to visit from time to time?

Tyler Arden Dennison. This man will not leave me alone. He already has a full-length book, a holiday novella, and appearances in every FREE short story available in my Facebook group. What can I say? The man loves attention.

Where do you write? Do you have a routine?
Absolutely anywhere I can. On my phone, at my day job, at home, oh and in bars. I compose my drafts on Google Docs because it makes it easy for me to transfer from one device to another seamlessly. Because I lack a consistent “writing time” this gives me the chance to get more words in each day than I would if I limited myself to my home office.

What are your writing goals for the next year? The future?
Consistency. It’s something I struggle with, so my goal for 2022 is to find a rhythm for writing and publishing on a consistent schedule. If nothing else, I’m hoping all the planning work I’m putting in now will pay off with at least one more published book than I managed the year before.

Who’s your biggest supporter/cheerleader?
I have quite a few, honestly. Sure, my spouse is a huge supporter, and my author life only functions because of my PA, Charity VanHuss, but there’s no one quite like my OG alpha readers Rachel, Kay, and my Aunt Amy. These three have been by my side since day 1, even before I committed to anything more than a single paragraph. Yes, they cheer me on and boost my confidence but they also keep it real with me, keep me grounded and humble.

What made you decide M/M romance was the genre you wanted to write? Do you write other genres?
I’ve probably said this a million times, but I’m a reader before I’m a writer. It’s where my love of all things romance began. Once I found queer romance, I never looked back. For me, I find that there’s more emotion here, more realness, more ways to challenge cliches and societal expectations. Don’t get me wrong, we all love a good cliche in romance, but queer romance takes it to a whole other level. It’s better.

Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere. Many of my scenes are inspired by music, but I’ve also found inspiration on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and real-life. You’d be amazed to discover how people-watching can create some interesting stories. If you ever see me sitting on a bench with headphones in and staring at strangers, just know there is an 85% chance I’m writing stories in my head.

What do you do if you hit a wall while writing? How do you combat writer’s block?
Take breaks. I don’t mean stepping away from my keyboard for twenty minutes, I mean “shelving” a WIP and doing something else entirely. It can be for a few hours, days, or even weeks. I’ve written several “partials” WIPs, focused on promo content, or my ultimate go-to… reading. I’ve been known to trash novels because of my writer’s block… now I take a step back until my muse decides it would like to be vocal again. So far, it seems to be working.

How can we connect with you?

I’m super introverted in real life, but I do hang out all over social media. You can socialize with me on pretty much any platform. As always, the two best places to get all the information first are my Facebook group and my newsletter.

Website: www.bharmonyauthor.com

Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/bsharmonizers

Instagram: instagram.com/bharmonyauthor

Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/r8e8t1

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/b-harmony

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20444716.B_Harmony

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorbharmony?

Everywhere else: linktr.ee/bharmonyauthor 

 

Thank you so much for hanging out with us today!  If you have more questions for B. Harmony, please leave them in the comments or visit any of the social media above!

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