Welcome to TOW feature Thursday’s Thoughts. When I have a chance, I share the thoughts of a featured author in the form of answers to questions I posed to them.

Today’s featured author is Twyla Turner .

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing professionally for nearly 4 years (Fall 2013). I wrote here and there all my life, but never seriously until recent years. I’d always hoped to eventually write seriously. I’m glad it finally hit me.

Do you have any hidden or uncommon talents?

Uh…not really. I like to sing and dance, but I don’t do them very much anymore. I used to be a karaoke queen. Ha!

What gives you inspiration for your book(s)?

Several different things. Some are literal fantasies of mine (Star-Struck, THR3E, Winter’s Beast). Others come to me out of nowhere or from a simple idea that blossoms into a fully fleshed out story (Chasing Day, The Red Scot). Other times it’ll come from a news story I hear or an experience someone else has had (Scarred, The Rescue).

What do you love most about the writing process?

When the story is flowing so well that the characters start writing the story for me.

What is your advice to someone new to writing?

I truly believe that if everyone writes the story they want to read that they’ll always be passionate about writing and someone in the world will want to read it. And something that I just truly started to understand is to always, always write the five senses. What does the character see, feel, hear, taste, and smell? If you write that it will fully immerse the reader into the story.

What do you like to do when you are not writing?

Watching some of my favorite shows (This Is Us, Outlander, Scandal, etc.). Go to the movies because I adore movies. And when my own stories aren’t getting in the way, I love to read. I’m a reader first and a writer second.

Who is Twyla Turner? I was born in Joliet, Illinois and was almost immediately enamored with all things entertainment and yearned for something “more”. I wrote my first story in the 3rd grade and fell in love with creating a whole world from my mind. But it was a long winding road to self-publishing my first novel Star-Struck. An interest in science and animals, to wanting to be the next Oprah, majoring in radio/television with a minor in creative writing, to a year in Japan, four years in California and then to Arizona where a trip to spiritual Sedona awakened something in me and the need to write finally hit me like a brick wall. And once I started, the ideas flooded my brain like I never dreamed possible. My love of romance and travel, as well as my struggle with body image and the male species combined into wanting to write romance for ‘real’ women. I have 13 full-length novels to date and 2 novellas and my dark romance trilogy The Damaged Souls Series was a 2015 Amazon Bestseller. I have become known as a champion for the underdog and I’m only just getting started.

You can find her latest book here: http://bit.ly/wintersbeast
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Winter’s Beast Blurb:

I had only one rule: Winter is mine. He defied me and captured her heart. Now they both must pay. Winter’s Beast is one part sugar and sweet, two parts sex and sweat. It is not your typical Romance and although it has a HEA, it’s a dark, twisty road to get there.