5 Writing Tips from Sci-Fi Romance Author Gail Koger

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It's my pleasure to have Gail Koger over at my place today. Having started writing the year after I was born, this former 9-1-1 dispatcher has a ton of experience under her belt. (And yes, you may now peruse her website to figure out how old I am). She's a multi-published author, and her most recent sci-fi romance from Loose Id, Vexing Voss, has been gathering rave reviews. She also has an upcoming release in July, but I'll save that for it's own separate post. 

After you've availed yourself of her writing tips, don't forget to read on for more information about the book and author.

Writing Tips from a Psychotic Author by Gail Koger

  1. Research is important: My family and friends think I'm a bit of a pervert. Why? If I need to write a really hot sex scene, all I need to do is go out in my backyard and wait. My neighbor and his current girlfriend are pretty frisky in the pool. Their screams get every dog in the neighborhood howling, and I can pick up some pointers from their unusually athletic sexual positions. No, I am not a Peeping Tom. It’s called research.
  2. Use real life for story ideas: I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department and to keep from going totally bonkers – I mean people have no idea of what a real emergency is. Take this for an example: I answered, “9-1-1 emergency, what’s your emergency?” And this hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree.” Sometimes I really couldn’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am, but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… What about my husband? He’s up there, too.” See what I had to deal with? To keep from hitting myself repeatedly in the head with my phone, I took up writing. Most of my ideas come to me in my sleep. Scary? Huh?
  3. Listen to your bossy characters: This is kinda embarrassing but my characters boss me around. The Warlords are the worse of the bunch. If they don’t like where the story is going they let me know. After all – it is their story. I get to sit in the passenger seat, and try not to freak out too much with their shenanigans.
  4. Have the proper writing tools: Chocolate. Chocolate and more chocolate.
  5. Learn how to deal with rejection: Never, ever give up. I have stacks and stacks of rejection letters. I think every writer has a drawer full. Don’t let them stop you. Persistence is the name of the game. Write what you love and you will be published. Once you’re published you have to market, market, market your work. 

I'll take this opportunity to thank Gail for stopping by. Don't forget to read on for more details about her sci-fi romance.

I have to say, number 4 is my favorite. What's yours?

Vexing Voss

Genre: Sci-fi Romance (with a sense of humor)

Voss, the Overlord's Battle Commander, was determined to make me his mate. I was equally determined it was never going to happen. When my clever disguises, skunk perfume, stun gun, smoke bombs and tranquillizer darts failed to stop him, I was forced to negotiate my surrender. I would willingly agreed to mate with him, if he would help me find my Mother's killer. To my surprise, he agreed. We soon discovered that Malik, the deadliest villain in the galaxy, was behind her death. Our quest to bring him to justice leads to unlikely alliances in an interplanetary war.

Buy Links: Loose Id | Amazon

About Gail Koger

I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for thirty-one years and to keep insanity at bay, I took up writing. Not to worry. The insanity isn’t catching – much. Other than the addiction to chocolate and the twitch in my left eye, I’m good. My current project is Reality Bites,the next in the Coletti Warlord series.

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