Have you ever wondered what the typical day in the life of a romance author looks like? I plan to tell you in this blog post, where I’ll share my daily routine, as well as the routines of four other authors: Chiquita Dennie, Dionne Grace, Teir Marks, and Posey Parks.
Delaney Diamond
How long have you been published?
I was originally published by a small press in 2010, but I’ve been indie published since 2011.
On average, how many books do you write per year?
On average, I write four books a year. In a good year, I’ll write five.
What genres and/or subgenres do you write in?
I write contemporary romance and romantic suspense and black romance and interracial romance. Alpha a-holes, playboy heroes, and billionaire romance are among my favorite tropes to write.
What is a typical day like for you?
My work week is Monday through Friday, though I sometimes write on Saturdays. I try never to write on Sundays so I’ll have at least one day where I’m truly off.
During the work week, I have my alarm set for 7:30 each morning, but I’m usually awake before then unless I stayed up until some godawful hour. When I wake up, I don’t get up right away. I recently learned the Scots have a name for that, which is hurkle-durkle. It’s when a person lounges in bed after they should have gotten up, LOL. I use my hurkle-durkle time to think about what I have to do for the day.
Once I roll out of bed, I go through my morning routine and eat breakfast. If all goes well, by 9 am I’m in front of the computer and ready to start writing.
I write until 10:30, when I take a break to check email and scroll social media. The goal is to complete at least 1500 words, but that doesn’t always happen. If I don’t meet my goal, I take another shot after my email/social media break. If I complete my word count, I work on other tasks until it’s time to grab lunch.
I either cook my meals, heat up leftovers, or leave the house to grab a bite at one of my favorite spots. Lately, I’ve been loving Cava, and there’s a Mexican taqueria near me that makes the best tacos.
After lunch, I spend the rest of the day working on the same tasks, such as conducting research, administrative work, checking in with readers in the Readers Lounge, doing marketing, or bookkeeping. Certain tasks are assigned for specific days. For example, bookkeeping is done on Monday afternoons.
By 5:30 I’m ready to wrap up the day and cook dinner. While cooking dinner, I might listen to music or a writing podcast to catch up on publishing news.
Featured title: Handsome Devil, a billionaire marriage of convenience romance
Provide a link to 2 of your social media platforms.
Since this is my blog, only my social media links are below.
Chiquita Dennie
How long have you been published?
I’ve been published for 7 years.
On average, how many books do you write per year?
I average about 9-10 with all my pen names.
What genres and/or subgenres do you write in?
Romance under 2 pen names and Thriller/Mystery/Crime fiction under another pen name.
What is a typical day like for you?
A typical day consists of me checking emails between 9-10am, working out between 11am-12:30pm, and around 2pm-5pm start writing. Then I schedule social media 6pm-8pm. Afterwards I catch up on my favorite TV shows and eat dinner.
Featured title: Cocky Catcher, a single dad sports billionaire romance
Provide your website address and a link to 2 of your social media platforms.
Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Dionne Grace
How long have you been published?
I have been published since 2016. I remember being lost and not sure how to wade through the process and you, Delaney Diamond, helped me to take that step into the publishing world. I will be forever grateful for your support and guidance, and have since published twenty-three books and I am currently on my twenty-fourth and hope to publish two further books this year.
On average, how many books do you write per year?
Two to three books a year. I would love to write more. I have so many stories in my head, but time restricts me as I work full-time. I often write at least three books simultaneously—something in life might pull me into different stories, so I write when it comes to me.
What genres and/or subgenres do you write in?
Contemporary Inspirational/Christian Romance, Romantic Suspense, Woman’s fiction, with a little comedy thrown in, as I like to write about the humorous side of life as well as the more serious aspects. My stories always have a happily ever after, but as with life, my characters go through a journey to get there.
My books are intentionally thought-provoking, and I love a good suspense, with a complicated villain. But also love writing sweet, heartfelt stories that inspire.
What is a typical day like for you?
I love to write, and also love to exercise. As both are my priority, I incorporate the two. I ride my stationary bike in the mornings, where I write, read, edit, design covers, and carry out some administration. (Smile)
My hats are multiple—writer, editor, marketer, public speaker, and many more. I find writing fulfilling, and it can also be a journey of self-discovery as I delve deep into my thoughts and emotions when I craft stories and characters. But working full-time leaves me with limited availability, therefore I maximize any free time I have.
Typically, I allocate two hours in the morning before work, and after spending time with my family post-work, I immerse myself in my role as an author for approximately five hours each evening, as well as during weekends. These periods afford me uninterrupted, concentrated writing sessions, especially when friends and family are asleep.
My characters are always on my mind, and I try to use the time during mundane tasks, such as housework, to thrash out scenes in my head, or while waiting in line at the grocery store. I even sometimes write on my phone.
I believe writing is not just a profession, but a calling. I have a desire to share stories and provoke thought, and hope that I make a meaningful impact on the world through my books.
Featured title: The Most Precious Gift, a marriage of convenience Christian romance
Provide your website address and a link to 2 of your social media platforms.
Teir Marks
How long have you been published?
I published my first book in 2013 but didn’t get serious about it until 2019, so I like to say five years.
On average, how many books do you write per year?
I write several books per year. But I typically release 2 to 3.
What genres and/or subgenres do you write in?
I primarily write Romance: African American, Multicultural, Billionaire, Mafia, Contemporary, Military, Menage/Reverse Harem, and LGBTQ+.
What is a typical day like for you?
My typical day starts with a cup of warm tea while I go over what I have planned to work on for the day. If it’s a writing day I write in four ninety minute sessions with half hour breaks between the first and second, and third and fourth. And an hour break between the second and third, but if I’m in the zone, I’ll continue to write. Admin day (Saturday) starts the same way. On that day I create media for the following week’s posts, novel plan, and make my to do list for the following week. Sunday and Monday are my off days unless I’m feeling particularly creative on those days.
Featured title: Salacious Desire, an interracial erotica
Provide your website address and a link to 2 of your social media platforms.
Posey Parks
How long have you been published?
Eight and a half years.
On average, how many books do you write per year?
Five to six.
What genres and/or subgenres do you write in?
Contemporary romance, billionaire romance, romantic suspense, mafia romance, dark romance, and interracial romance.
What is a typical day like for you?
My daily routine starts typically between four and five AM.
My writing session begins promptly between six and six-thirty AM, during which I listen to focused music for the backdrop ranging from binaural beats to a mix of music genres, including country, hip-hop, and R&B, or occasionally film scores such as those from ‘Mission Impossible’. The choice of music aligns with the scene I am writing or the level of concentration needed.
After a few hours of writing, I transition to administrative tasks which include checking emails, monitoring sales, and engaging with my audience through morning posts in my Facebook group and on my page while having breakfast. The latter part of the morning is spent developing my newsletter, which is released biweekly.
During this time, I also create promotional graphics for the book featured in that week’s sale. I also figure out what meal I’ll prepare for dinner.
Post-lunch, my focus shifts to content creation for Kindle Vellas, with new episodes scheduled for release three times a week. At some point during the day I create content for social media platforms, specifically TikTok and Instagram Reels. After I cook dinner and talk to my family, I relax in front of the TV, watching an episode of Supernatural or whichever show I’m binge watching at the time.
Featured title: Damaged Love, a dark romance
Provide your website address and a link to 2 of your social media platforms.
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Conclusion
There you have it! Five authors with five very different routines. There’s no “typical” day that can be attributed to all of us across the board. Our days are influenced by whether or not we have a full-time job, how many books we write per year, the days we work per week, and all the other tasks we juggle in addition to writing.
Check out these authors’ featured titles, visit their websites, and follow their social media handles.
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By the way, did any of our routines surprise you? Did you have additional questions you’d like to ask?
4 Comments. Leave new
This was fun! I enjoy watching vlogs. (I’m so nosey😆) So, this was a treat reading about a day in the life of a romance writer. Also, Delaney you’ve introduced me to four writers I have never heard of, so thanks for that👍🏾Happy Hump Day, Delaney😁
I’m nosey too, so I can relate! LOL. Enjoy getting to know these other authors. Have a good one!
All of you have pretty interesting days and we the readers are the recipients of the preparations each of you go through to give us great reading material. Thank you all! Delaney, when will the pre-order link be available for the next Hawthorne Series audiobook? Keep on writing and being successful ladies!!!!
We love what we do and appreciate readers like you buying our books so we can continue doing what we love! I have the preorder link for A Hard Man to love! Here you go: https://www.audible.com/pd/A-Hard-Man-to-Love-Audiobook/B0CXQ99JN1