The Write Spot: Jillian Dagg

It's time for another edition of The Write Spot, a bi-weekly author series spotlighting the many and varied places where writers write. For this ninth edition, I'm delighted to welcome Canadian romance author Jillian Dagg, who's going to jump right in and tell us about her life as a writer.

When I was a child in Surrey, England, after WW2, my Grandfather made my toys. I recall a dolls house and a metal car I could actually sit in and drive – definitely a boy catcher. The rest of my gifts were books. My father used to fill a pillow case at the bottom of my bed. In the night I would touch it with my toes so I could feel the books containing all the entertainment I would ever need. When I moved to Winnipeg, Canada in my early teens I discovered Harlequin Romances. There weren't many romances for sale in those days so I added to the supply by writing my own stories. In school, a notebook balanced on my knee, I would scribble – They kissed and rode into the sunset – as the bell rang.

Books have always been my life. If I haven't got a huge supply of books to read I go into panic mode. I'm also listless if I can't write for a long period of time. Therefore, I'm still writing romances in a sunny corner of our family room on the back of the house. I have a desktop computer and a Dell keyboard that lets me touch type quickly as I was trained to do. Keyboard feel is important to me. If I can touch type, then my brain doesn't seem as if it's connected to the machine. Words (well sometimes not) flow through my fingers. Behind me is a view of our flowers in the garden so I can often turn around and contemplate nature.

Jillian Dagg's Write Spot

Pretty view! Other than your computer, what's the one thing you couldn't be without in your Write Spot?

What do I need as much as the computer? Well, it appears that I need a pile of paper in front of me in the form of notebooks, post-its and whatever else I can write on. I also have a basket of pens and pencils.

What are you working on now?

Right now I'm writing a love story, about a couple from a small Ontario town, who are reconnected after two decades. The hero returns for his father's funeral to learn he has an eighteen year old daughter. I also have a few more romances that I want to finish. I write all the time, in my head, in bed. I always have. Sometimes I do take a rest from writing and read someone else's stories. And that's what I do in my spare time from writing when I'm not involved in other life – like housework, dates with my husband, or travel  – Read, read, read.

Where can readers find out more about you and your books?

Come visit me online at jilliandagg.com. I'm on Facebook as Jillian Dagg, and on Twitter @fictionscribble.

Jillian's books are available from Amazon and other online sources. Check her web site for all the details. Here's a taste of her latest release, Heart in the Field, available now from Black Lion Publishing.

They were magic in front of the camera, but behind the scenes? That’s where the real story began. 

Serena Brown has just earned the opportunity of a lifetime. Now, based on her own merits rather than those of her famous journalist father, she has the chance to turn a new evening television show into a hard-hitting success. 

Co-anchoring “Neon Nights” is Nick Fraser’s excuse for returning home to Toronto from London to end his longstanding rift with his aging parents. But Serena Brown has just become his reason for staying. 

As excitement and suspense grow with each on-air story, Nick and Serena find that the depth they create behind-the-scenes surpasses even the sizzle they ignite in front of the camera. All Serena needs to do is lay her childhood pain to rest and believe at last that Nick’s heart will remain with her—instead of in the field.

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About The Write Spot:

I've always been fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes. Whether it's backstage photos from my favourite play, a peek into the kitchen where a chef is working her culinary magic, or simply a glimpse through an uncurtained window into a stranger's private world, there's an undeniable thrill of discovery, a sense of secrets shared. It's no surprise, then, that I'm immensely curious about where other writers do their work. I've blogged about it before in this post about my own 'write spot' and so enjoyed the comments, I was inspired to launch a regular feature here at stillpoint. Watch for The Write Spot every other Wednesday and join me as I discover the many and varied places where writers write.

stillpoint is the blog of Canadian author Cheryl Cooke Harrington