Getting out of the Comfort Zone

by Nina Croft 

I went out for a ride on my horse, Gencianna, yesterday. It was a beautiful warm day and she was sort of asleep under me, just plodding along quite happily.

So I took her somewhere she’d never been before. It involved a bit of scrabbling down a steep slope, and she was soon wide awake—because Gencie doesn’t like going new places, they are outside her comfort zone. But afterward, she was on her tip-toes, looking at everything… all excited and alive.

It got me thinking about my own comfort zones. As a writer.As a reader.  As a person. And I began to wonder whether I should be getting out of them a bit more.

If we let it, it becomes very easy and very comfortable to stick with what we know. But that means that maybe we stagnate, stop growing as people. Sometimes circumstances force us to do things we’re not comfortable with, but more often than not—it’s left to us.

I moved around a lot when I was younger, so I never got very comfortable anywhere. But now, I’ve settled down on my little almond farm in the mountains of southern Spain,I’ve just about turned into a hermit, and maybe got a little too comfortable. I tend to get my excitement vicariously these days through reading and writing.So yeah, I reckon I need pushing out of my personal comfort zone, but I’ll skim over that here (I do have plans though!) and stick to writing.

So what’s my comfort zone as a writer, and how do I push myself out of it?

Well,“write what you know”isn’t a piece of advice I’ve ever taken much notice of.I think writing what you know is definitely staying within your comfort zone and should be ignored. And after all, I write mainly paranormal and science fiction so really –what do I know about that—I make it all up.

I cross genres quite a lot. While my books alltend to have a strong element of romance, I’ve written paranormal, science-fiction, contemporary, and more recently a thriller. So genre isn’t my comfort zone (though I’ve never written historical—hmmm maybe next?)

 I guess my comfort zone is alpha heroes. My heroines vary a lot from book to book from shy to kick-ass. But my heroes are always alpha, so maybe I need to vary that—hey it’s a challenge!

So for my next book I’m thinking of moving beyond my comfort zone—I’m thinking maybe historical, but I might ease myself into it slowly—maybe a historical with a really nice, geeky, beta vampire hero.

And I think as readers we should do the same. Get out of our comfort zones and try something new.Pick a genre we’ve never read, or maybe go for something literary or try some poetry... 

So what do you do to get out of your comfort zone?

Mid-Winter Magic Blurb

Fifty years ago, vampire Tynan Steele loved Dina and believed she loved him. Instead, she turned out to be an assassin using him to get close to her latest target. Bitter at the betrayal, Ty swore he would make the witch pay.

Dina has loved her time in Five Oaks, living an ‘ordinary’ life—not killing anyone. But the past has finally caught up with her. Fifty years ago, she was scared to let herself love Ty, now she’s willing to take the risk. But Ty isn’t interested in love—he’s after revenge.

Can Dina use the magic of a white Christmas in Five Oaks, to convince Ty that she’s changed and deserves a second chance at love? 

Buy here!

Nina Croft grew up in the north of England. After training as an accountant, she spent four years working as a volunteer in Zambia which left her with a love of the sun and a dislike of 9-5 work. She then spent a number of years mixing travel (whenever possible) with work (whenever necessary) but has now settled down to a life of writing and picking almonds on a remote farm in the mountains of southern Spain.

Nina writes all types of romance often mixed with elements of the paranormal and science fiction.

Find me at:

www.ninacroft.com

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Anyone for an Anthology?

My Decadent book, Mid-Winter Magic, is part of the anthology, A Passionate Christmas. I love anthologies; they are the perfect excuse to buy a whole load of books in one go. And I especially like anthologies where the characters are intertwined. I love it when the people from one story pop up in another. 

All the authors of The Passionate Christmas Anthology are part of a fabulous online critique group, Passionate Critters, which gave us the name of the anthology. I’ve been a member for two years now and joining was one of the best writing decisions I’ve ever made.

Anyway, around August time, one of the members came up with the idea of writing a group of Christmas themed stories based in the same place and with intertwining characters.

We all loved the idea. That was followed by a few weeks of frenzied online activity. Passionate Critters has members from all around the world, English, German—I actually live in Spain—but as the majority are American, it seemed natural to base the stories in America. And so the town of Five Oaks was born. Quickly followed by a whole load of characters and places.

At Passionate Critters, we’re all romance writers, though we write across the spectrum of the sub-genres, contemporary, paranormal, suspense… So the anthology contains a mixture of stories. Mid-Winter Magic has a Vampire hero and a witch heroine. But others contain angels, werewolves and even some real “ordinary” people.

I came in quite late to the process. I wanted to tie in with the other stories and there was one secondary character that I had my eye on – Edna Carruthers, crazy old cat lady and town busybody. Obviously, as she stood, she wasn’t going to be too hot as a romantic lead, so what if Edna wasn’t really Edna at all. Instead, she was somebody else entirely, someone in disguise, hiding out in Five Oaks. You get the idea.

So who was she hiding from? Once I’d worked that out, I had my hero and my heroine.

I think we all enjoyed writing our stories, and coordinating our characters and timelines, though it’s also fair to say that there were a few strained moments during the process.

So do you enjoy anthologies, and how closely linked do you like the stories to be? Let me know for a chance to win one of the Passionate Christmas anthology stories of your choice.

Mid-Winter Magic – Blurb

Fifty years ago, vampire Tynan Steele loved Dina and believed she loved him. Instead, she turned out to be an assassin using him to get close to her latest target. Bitter at the betrayal, Ty swore he would make the witch pay.

Dina has loved her time in Five Oaks, living an ‘ordinary’ life—not killing anyone. But the past has finally caught up with her. Fifty years ago, she was scared to let herself love Ty, now she’s willing to take the risk. But Ty isn’t interested in love—he’s after revenge.

Can Dina use the magic of a white Christmas in Five Oaks, to convince Ty that she’s changed and deserves a second chance at love?

Just the Facts Friday with Nina Croft

1. In my twenties, I worked as a volunteer in Africa for four years – it left me with a love of the sun and a dislike of proper employment.

2. I have three dogs, three cats, a horse, two goats, and six chickens. Oh, and a husband.

3. My house has no mains electricity. I hate housework, and this gives me the perfect excuse never to iron.

4. I can’t sing. I use this as a means of controlling my horse – if she misbehaves, I sing to her until she stops. Luckily, I live in a very unpopulated area.

5. My house is very remote. The nearest book shop is a long, long way away, which makes impulse shopping difficult, or it did before I bought my kindle. I love my kindle.

6. I once watched three whole seasons of 24 in five days. I hadn’t seen a TV in a while!

7. I have a degree in Marine Biology and Ecology – I know a lot about the life cycle of the prawn.

8. I drink way too much red wine. We have a small vineyard, just an acre. The first couple of years we lived here we made wine, about 500 liters. And we drank it. So now, we don’t make it any more.

10Q Tuesday with Nina Croft!

1. Tell us about your favorite character from your books.

It’s usually the hero from the last book I wrote. Right now, that’s Ricardo Sanchez. Rico is a Spanish vampire born in the Middle Ages. That makes him pretty old, as the book is a Space Opera set in the year 3048, and Rico is a space pirate. He’s super-gorgeous and super-hot and he has a problem resisting intriguing women and impossible jobs, which can lead him into a lot of trouble.

2. Who is your favorite author?

I don’t have one favorite author—it changes. Favorites this year include: Brent Weeks, Patricia Briggs, Joe Abercrombie, Manna Francis

3. What book are you reading now?

Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. It’s a Space Opera and really good!

4. What was your first sale as an author?

My first sale was a short story, called Cheating Death. It’s a ghost story, with a touch of sci-fi, and was published as part of an anthology called, Spooks.

5. How do you describe your writing style?

Varied. I write dark paranormals and lighter Sci-Fi.

6. Plotter or Pantser? Why?

Plotter. I always wanted to be one of those people who just sits down and magical stories flow out of their subconscious. But it doesn’t work for me—I get lost in the middle. So, these days I do a detailed plot, with a scene by scene break down before I start.

7. Do you play games? What kind?

I’m hooked on killer Sudoku, at the moment.

8. What are your favorite TV shows?

Firefly, 24, House, Spooks. I don’t watch much television—I tend to wait until a series comes out on DVD, then I can watch it all in one go.

9. When's the last time you played a musical instrument?

A long, long time ago. I was nine and I decided to learn to play the violin—I was awful. Sadly, I’m totally tone deaf—I can’t sing either.

10. What would we find under your bed?

I have absolutely no idea. I make it a rule –never, ever go there!

Spotlight Sunday with Nina Croft!

1. Where do you dream of traveling to and why?

We used to travel a lot. In fact, every bit of spare time and spare money was spent travelling. We’ve been around much of Africa, India, South East Asia. Now we’ve settled down on an almond farm on the mountains of Southern Spain and we don’t get to travel much anymore - a combination of too little money and too many animals (three dogs, three cats, two goats, a horse and a handful of chickens!). But there are still places I’d love to visit—I want to go horse-riding up the Inca trails in South America, and canoeing down the Amazon, and I’d love to go to Egypt and visit the pyramids and…. Oh dear—I think I’m getting restless.

2. Tell us about your current release.

My current release is Mid-Winter Magic. It’s part of an anthology of stories put together by my fantastic critique group, Passionate Critters. There are four stories in all, which range from contemporary to paranormal, but all romance, and all set around the fictional American town of Five Oaks. Mine involves a really hot vampire and the witch he’s been hunting for the last fifty years.

3. Does your significant other read your stuff? No.
   

I used to write more short stories, which weren’t necessarily romance, and he’d read and comment on them for me. Now, I mainly concentrate on longer romance. It’s not his sort of thing, especially the vampires and werewolves, so I keep it to myself. Besides, it’s probably best he doesn’t really know how my mind works.

4. Do you use a pen name? If so, how did you come up with it?

Yes, I use a pen name, mainly because I didn’t think my own name sounded particularly authorly. Of course, I hadn’t actually chosen one when I made my first sale, so it was done in a bit of a rush. I looked up name sites on the internet, and I was totally overwhelmed. I couldn’t decide, so in the end I narrowed the choices down by sticking with my own initials. And I wanted something short and catchy so came up with Nina Croft.

5. What books have most influenced your life?

I think probably The Lord of the Rings. It’s just so big, in every sense.

6. How do you develop your plots and your characters? Do you use any set formula?

I’m a relative beginner, so I’m still working out what works best for me. I don’t use a set formula. I hate routines, and I tend to vary the way I do things each time But I am a big fan of how to write books, and if I get stuck on a plot, I’ll often go off and reread one of my favorites, and try some techniques from that.

7. What question do you wish was on the list? Your answer?

Name ten things to do with almonds.

Living on an almond farm, I’m surrounded by nuts, so I think about this a lot. Sadly, the question never seems to come up in interviews.

Anyway, here goes—roast them, salt them, blanch them, slither or grind them. Make turron, marzipan, almond oil, sprinkle them on curries and cakes and crumbles. I think that might be eleven!