Q&A With Ieshia Wiedlin

Today’s Q&A is with Ieshia Wiedlin the author of Romancing the Doctor’s Series. Mutual author friend Jane Porter was so kind to connect us through email and I’m always grateful for authors connecting me to other authors. 

 Q: Ieshia when you started writing what made you want to write romance?

A: Thanks so much for having me!

 I have always enjoyed reading stories, especially romances. I love going on the journey of these two people and taking in their lives. Discovering what makes them tick, and how they find their way to each other. Within that, I think I had an idea of my own stories of how people can find a connection and discover love, and explore their journey. But overall, the ride of finding love, I just enjoy it so much, and I wanted to contribute to that kind of storytelling universe. 

Q: When in your life did you realize that writing was what you wanted to do?

 A: It was at a fairly young age. I wrote little short stories when I was a kid based on stories that I enjoyed. I read so much so I never ran out of content. As I got older, I excelled at writing in school, and it was the thing I enjoyed the most out of all my classes. I think I really fell in love for it again when I was a young adult by writing poetry and going to poetry readings. I kept tinkering with story ideas here and there, until I finally got to a point where I just needed to go for it, and write a book. So, I have always wanted to write, and be a story teller. My hope one day is that it can be my full time job. 

Q: What is your advice to anyone wanting to write wonderful romance novels, and on how to keep a series going? What is your advice to anyone dealing with writers block? 

A: My advice for anyone wanting to write romance novels is to number one, read a lot of them, and then figure out what about your story will be different. Discover what your favorite trope is, and how to write it, and how to make it enjoyable for you first, before ever wondering if someone else will enjoy it. Do you like it? 

As far as keeping a series going, I think for each story you write, lay the groundwork for the potential of another story in each book. I think having  a lot of characters is always a great way to keep a series going. You’ll have a lot of stories you can pick and choose from based on those characters. 

For writers block, I think it’s important to just put the computer away. Don’t force it. I’ve been guilty of trying to make the words come out when they don’t want to, putting too much pressure on myself and feeling disappointed when I look back on what I wrote. When I just should have not forced the words. Also, I think reading other genres are a good idea. If you write romance, and you’re struggling with your words, I think it’s a good idea to take a break from all things romance. Maybe check out a suspense or a science fiction. 

Q: Is it fair to say that the characters you created for the Romancing the Doctor series, is based off of people you know in real life? I always love it that authors can get inspiration from people they know and places they been and create it into a magical story. 

A: There’s a few things that mirror my personal life in the Romancing the Doctors series, my sister in law is an anesthesiologist and that is Nathan’s profession in There You Are. Both There You Are, and Maybe This Christmas take place in Chicago, where I currently reside. The interracial relationship in There You Are, have some components of things that I went through personally. 

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to your series?

A: Not at this moment, but I sure hope that it’s something that will happen down the line. Fingers crossed for that! 

Q: What’s your advice to new authors on how to deal with negative feedback whether that’s with bad reviews, online trolls, and family and friends who are unsupportive about their writing goals?

A: I think the main thing is to number one trust yourself, and trust what you are trying to do. It’s very difficult, and I learned this with the debut year that it’s hard not to get caught up in reviews, and sales and all that kind of stuff. It makes you doubt what you’re trying to do, and make you question yourself as a writer. Hang onto why you are doing this, and what drives you. I think it’s important to also know your audience and who you are writing for, because that person always starts with you. I think if you can hang onto why you wanted to be a writer in the first place; it will take some of the sting out of any negativity, because it stings. I can’t lie about that. Make sure you have a good friend read you encouraging reviews for those days you get down. 

Q: If you are writing a new novel now, is it still part of the Romancing the Doctors series, the beginning of a new series or a standalone novel?

A: What I am working on right now is not part of the Romancing the Doctors series, it’s a standalone novel, and I just finished the first few chapters. I’m pretty excited at how things are going so far.