I am joining in with the writers’ blog tour today, although it is with great trepidation. Following in the footsteps of the lovely Rachael Hale, who kindly invited me to do this, will be tough. Rachael is a history blogger and freelance writer for Kent Life magazine. On her blog, the History Magpie, she tells tales of the unusual and quirky kind. Rachael looks beyond the obvious to dig deeper in to the history of her local county. The results make for fascinating reading.

You may have seen a few of these posts floating around already. Writers answer four questions, with the aim of giving an insight in to what they are working on and how they work. Here are mine. I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little more!

What am I working on?

I am currently very busy with a number of projects. I spend the majority of my time creating content for my copywriting clients. On top of that, I am editing a manuscript and somewhere in between all this, trying to keep up with my blog. The next project on the horizon for me will combine my passion for food and cooking. It involves creating recipes for a ‘what can I make with these’ style collection and I’m really looking forward to it.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think this is a difficult question to answer without sounding like a show-off. What I can say with some confidence, though is that my blog has a bit of everything. Whether or not this is a good thing is another question entirely, but I prefer it that way because it reflects me as a writer. You will find articles about writing (often from a business perspective), musings about life and being a parent, food and health and a bit of fiction thrown in for good measure. I would find it difficult to put my blog in to any specific genre, so I guess that is what makes it different.

In a way, the book I am working on is similar. It is a young adult novel and it is a mystery story, with a bit of the supernatural and a little romance on the side. The bottom line is I write what I enjoy, not what I feel I should write.

Why do I write what I do?

I love writing my blog because it is an outlet for me to share my passions and interests. I love the process of turning my random thoughts in to a piece of writing and I always try to provide my readers with something interesting that they can take away.

It took me a long time to find the inspiration to put pen to paper to write the book I had always wanted to write. However, eventually I found that inspiration by writing for young adults. Returning to the age of endless possibilities and budding first romances really inspires me.

When it comes to business writing, it is all about helping people. If I can create a piece of content that puts across the message the client is trying to portray, then I have succeeded. It is a very satisfying process.

How does my writing process work?

Every day I have a window of opportunity, as I like to refer to it. It is the time between dropping off and picking up my three children from school. It is a very small window, but I enjoy the peace and quiet of an empty house and the inspiration that comes from the lovely view of the back garden from my office. I call this time ‘the calm before the storm’ because when three o’clock comes around it is all change.

Most days my children do after school clubs, so you will find me ferrying them around, clutching a folder or my IPad as I go. This writing process involves me scribbling on my manuscript or bashing out a blog post in an attempt to squeeze in a bit more work before going home and putting my mum hat on for the rest of the evening.

I feel very lucky that I get to write for a living. Whether it is writing a feature article, creating content for a business or getting lost in my fiction world, I love it all. I am also lucky to be part of a lovely blogging community and I would like to introduce you to two of my favourites. I am passing the baton of this writers’ blog tour on to them both, so I hope you can make time to visit their blogs.

It is always nice to read a blog where you know you are on the same wavelength as the author. Louise is one of those people and I always look forward to reading her posts. Ting writes amazing travel articles and through her blog she has taken me right back to many of the places I visited before I had children. Now it is over to you ladies.

Louise Hayes is a Canadian married mom to two preschool girls, working full-time for the federal government in Ottawa.  She enjoys writing, so in the massive amounts of spare time her life affords: blog hobby.  She mostly writes about family, kids, work and trying to fit it all in. You can visit her at her blog Baby Gates Down.

Ting Dalton is Chief Sub Editor over three titles, What’s On TV, TVeasy and Soaplife. It’s her job to ensure that all copy is sparkly and ready-to-print, and attends editorial meetings to decide future content. She also regularly writes for the real-life sections. Her travel and parenting blog, My Travel Monkey, is filled with inspirational ideas and tip for holidays and days out for the family. Ting has already travelled much of the world and doesn’t intend on stopping!