C.J. Miller

I've decided to let my RWA (Romance Writers of America) membership lapse. Many authors advise new writers to join RWA for the information, the industry connections and the support from other writers. I get better information from industry and author blogs/websites and I've made more connections and gotten more support from writers I've met through social media. It's not to say that RWA doesn't provide benefits to its members. But I don't have time to engage with the organization or participate in a meaningful way. I skim the RWR (Romance Writer's Report, a monthly publication from RWA), I don't have time to read the online classes (free to members) and I don't have the resources to attend the yearly conference. I'm juggling two young children, another job, my writing, and life. It doesn't leave much room for other things. My writing time goes directly into writing new books. If I get an extra ten minutes here or there, I do promotional ...

I received my advanced copies of SHIELDING THE SUSPECT which means it's time for a giveaway! Details on my website .

I've been asked how long it takes me to write a book. It's hard to answer in an hour amount. I've never tracked the total time. Below are my best guesses. I haven't included plotting time, but before I start typing a book, I have usually done a fair amount of thinking about it and have discussed it several times with my husband. I also don't know how much time I spend on research. I read a lot about the Middle East before writing Protecting His Princess, but Hiding His Witness didn't require as much research. Draft: I can write a rough draft in a month (70,000 words). I write 6 days a week for 1-4 hours each day. That means it takes me between 24 and 96 hours for a first draft. 1st revisions: The number of pages I revise in a day varies depending on how much work the pages need. I'm thinking in the range of 10 pages an hour. My manuscripts are around 250 pages, so I can estimate another 25 hours to revise. Additional revisions: My critique partner and ...