Welcome to the next leg of Sucker Literary’s Blog Hop, being held in honor of the release of Volume 3 of Sucker Literary available NOW!

I was tagged in this hop by Justine Manzano is a writer of many genres who lives in Bronx, NY with her husband, son, and a cacophony of cats. Her short fiction appears in the anthology Things You Can Create and Sliver of Stone Magazine and will appear in the upcoming inaugural issue of The Greenwich Village Literary Review.  She maintains a semi-monthly blog at http://justinemanzano.com/ and works as a fiction reader for Sucker Literary Magazine.  Her twitter account is at https://twitter.com/justine_manzano where she shares all of her news and views on writing and life.

As part of the blog hop, each of us are answering some questions on our current works in progress, while also telling you about other writers in the hop, and giving you a bit of information on what you can expect from them soon.  Please find my answers below.

1) What am I working on?

Currently, I am continuing to promote my Middle Grade/Young Adult Fantasy Series–ARROW OF THE MIST & ARMS OF ANU and I am also getting ready (Super Excited!) for the upcoming release of my Young Adult Magical Realism HONEY QUEEN.

2) How does my work differ from other works in its genre?

I am a research hound and try to incorporate new topics and/or a unique twist on common elements. My Fantasy series has many typical magic aspects, but I used Celtic mythology, and more specifically the Ogham Tree Calendar, as a guide map for the protagonist’s quest. In my upcoming Magical Realism, I take a contemporary setting and a teenage girl, and then bring elements of Greek mythology, romance and beekeeping in a way I have not yet seen in a work of fiction.

3) Why do I write what I do?

Wait … what? Why do I write is like asking why do I breathe. Because I HAVE TO, otherwise all these thoughts in my head would cause my brain to implode!

4) How does my writing process work?

It depends on the content. If I am writing a short piece (short story, blog post, etc.), I do it from start to finish on the computer. For novels, I actually start with old-fashioned pen and paper, taking notes, writing out scenes, outlining arc, etc. Once I get a real flow going, then I go to the computer and create from there. Typically, I write in spurts, really any time during the day. To keep me going, I drink tea non-stop, the blacker the better, with milk and honey.

Here are 2 other blogs also participating TODAY in the blog hop.  

1) Kip Wilson has a Ph.D. in German Literature and a passion for books, languages, and travel. She lives in Boston with her cute Spanish husband and mischievous twins, and is hard at work on several projects for young adults. She blogs at http://www.kipwilsonwrites.com and tweets at https://twitter.com/kiperoo.

2) Sonja Thomas, a recovering CPA, is a writer for children of all ages. Raised in Central Florida and transplanted to DC for 11 years, she now calls Portland, OR home. To stay sane she dances, doodles and plays with furry, four-legged friends. Her young adult short story ‘Mirror Image’ will appear this summer in the UK anthology ‘Dark Heart’ Volume 2. Visit her blog at http://www.bysonjathomas.com/.