Born in Medford, Oregon, novelist Christine Young has lived in Oregon all of her life. After graduating from Oregon State University with a BS in science, she spent another year at Southern Oregon State University working on her teaching certificate, and a few years later received her Master's degree in secondary education and counseling. Now the long, hot days of summer provide the perfect setting for creating romance. She sold her first book, Dakota's Bride, the summer of 1998 and her second book, My Angel to Kensington. Her teaching and writing careers have intertwined with raising three children. Christine's newest venture is the creation of Rogue Phoenix Press. Christine is the founder, editor and co-owner with her husband. They live in Salem, Oregon.
Christine's Writing Day
When I begin a book, I make notes on each of the characters. There is an extensive character chart on my blog. I use this chart for my main characters. I don’t usually answer all of the questions. I’m always impatient to start writing and once I have enough info on my characters, I begin writing and add to the chart as the story evolves.
When I know the characters, I jot down a basic outline of the story including major turning points and the black moment. I don’t usually do more than a basic outline because my characters always take over the book and tell me what to do. I also plot scene by scene; again I start with the pov of the scene and jot down things like turning point, foreshadowing, important elements etc. Again I have a copy of the scene plotting worksheet on my blog.
My office is an old bedroom. It looks out on my courtyard where in the summer I can hear water running from a waterfall into a pond. Winter is not so beautiful but still a nice view. I have books and papers as well as notes cluttering my desk. I’ve learned to use my computer for my notes so the desk is not as cluttered as it used to be.
When I run in the mornings, I usually come home and take a nap before trying to sit at the computer. When I workout in the evening, I usually set a frantic pace to try and get everything done before I leave the house. Like right now, I’m trying to finish this before I go to Jazzercise.
My newest release, Sweet Misbehavin’, is the third book in the McKenna clan series, beginning with Catching Meara then Sweet Sexy Sadie. I’m loving these characters and enjoying the journey. I began writing in the 90’s and published my first book with Zebra in ’98. Kate Duffy was my editor and a great personality. I went on to publish with awestruck and now Rogue Phoenix Press.
Connect with Christine
Blog | Twitter | Group Blog | Pinterest | Website
