Meet OCRW Member A.L. Rivers
This month, we’re shining the OCRW Member Spotlight on A.L. Rivers, a paranormal romance and romantasy author who writes stories filled with happy endings, magical touches, heartfelt moments, and love interests who adore the heroine just as she is. In addition to writing paranormal romance and romantasy, A.L. generously shares her time and creativity with OCRW by helping create some of the social media posts that bring our programs, members, and writing community to life online.
In this Q&A, A.L. shares what she’s currently working on, her favorite romance tropes, her writing habits, and the cozy, slightly chaotic joys of building a story one scene at a time.
What are you currently working on?
Editing and reworking the second draft of an adventure romantasy that incorporates elements such as: reluctant allies, a heroine in her 30's, a grumpy/sunshine dynamic, many a lingering glance, and a road trip through a magical forest!
What romance trope do you love writing the most?
Opposites attract! It's relatively open-ended, which allows for a wide variety of personality pairings. The push-and-pull between a couple can be fun to write and make for some great character arcs.
What secret trope do you secretly love reading?
Wouldn't be a secret if I told you... That being said, I do enjoy a good romance where the love interest falls first. I especially enjoy it when the POV is limited and we, as readers, observe how enamored they are through their actions.
Are you a plotter, pantser, or something in between?
Somewhere in between, though, if it were a sliding scale, I'd say I lean more heavily on the side of plotter. I love a good spreadsheet, and for my second manuscript, I have found it really helpful to use a visual platform like Figma to map out the major beats of my story.
What's your ideal writing snack or drink?
Coffee is a necessity, often with a can of sparkling water on the side.
What's your favorite place to write?
I enjoy writing in my backyard when the weather is just right - sunny but not too hot, with a light breeze and a shady spot for my dog and me.
What's one thing helping your writing lately?
Admittedly, I've been struggling a bit with focus lately. What has helped a bit is to switch up writing spots. I've also found that sometimes, when I can't seem to make any progress on my laptop, I can chip away at the story on my phone.
What song is currently on repeat while writing?
'Die for you' by LEON and 'Fever' by Dua Lipa - both are core songs on my writing playlist for the manuscript I'm working on.
What's your comfort-read romance?
Historical romances that aren't too angsty. I'm a big fan of Alice Coldbreath's slice-of-life books. That, and pretty much anything written by KJ Charles.
Which fictional world would you happily live in?
I enjoy reading historical romances and fantasy romances, but don't believe I'd ever want to actually live in any of those worlds/eras/etc. Is it lame to say I like where I am? Though perhaps if the food that fell from the sky weren't so large and life-threatening, I would enjoy living in a world like Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs...
What's your "I should be writing but instead I'm..." activity?
Lazing on the couch, annoying my dog with pets while working on a crossword with my husband.
What's your chaotic writer habit?
I write my first draft out of order, then force myself to work on the second draft in strict order.
If your writing style had a vibe or aesthetic, what would it be?
Is 'harried sweatpants girlie who talks to herself out loud' a vibe?
What's one writing win you're proud of lately?
I finally powered through a small part of a scene I may or may not cut out later, which had blocked me from making any progress for the last month!
What can readers expect from your stories?
Happy endings, nothing too stressful or angsty, lots of little moments, a touch of magic, and a love interest that likes the heroine ~just the way she is~ (Mr. Darcy from Bridget Jones, anyone?)
Where can readers find you?
They can visit my website at alriverswrites.com, or follow me @alriverswrites on Tiktok, IG, YouTube, and Facebook!
https://www.alriverswrites.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@alriverswrites
https://www.instagram.com/alriverswrites/
Thank you to A.L. Rivers for sharing her writing journey with OCRW. To learn more about her books and upcoming projects, visit her online at https://www.alriverswrites.com/