Thank you all for putting up with my melancholy, last week. We're all doing better now, but still miss the boy incredibly. Thanks to those of you who reached out with warm thoughts. And now...on with the show.
A Stuck Record
Yeah, yeah! I know I always say it, but I am truly excited to bring you this week's author. Lorraine was one those 'true fans' writers adore. She read my books, and without my knowledge or request, she posted links to them on Twitter, touting her 5 star review. I had to send her my thanks. We began corresponding and soon became friends. Then, I read her book, Ambient Light. I was blown away. This was Lorraine's first book, but she writes like a seasoned pro, so of course, I had to share her with you.
LORRAINE ADAIR
Lorraine, welcome to Dream Weaver Novels on Blogger. I'm excited
to have you here today and share you with readers. Tell us a little about
yourself - where you're from....
I'm a
native Oregonian and I live in my hometown, Eugene. I left for a while in my
late teens, early twenties. But it is true, there's no place like home. My
husband wants to move to Eastern Oregon when he retires. We'll see. We love our
furry friends and currently have five cats and one small dog, an elderly
Pomeranian.
I know you use a pen name. How and why did you decide to use one?
There
were several reasons, but the most compelling reason was a published author
already out there with my real name. She writes children's education books. I
didn't want to confuse the readers, so I used my middle name and my husband's
middle name.
I am a HUGE fan of your book and gave it two big thumbs up and
five shiny stars. Tell readers about your book, Ambient Light.
I
started out to write a Cozy Mystery. I wanted to write one where nobody dies.
Turns out I couldn't do either. Ambient Light turned into a thriller. Though no
one dies during the time frame of the story, the bad guy has a couple of
skeletons tucked away. I spent about three weeks researching all the law
enforcement details. I learned far more than I used, but I feel good about
those scenes. They are very realistic for the Eugene Police Department. I had
fun writing the story, but writing the bad guy was the most fun of all. He
evolved a lot as the story progressed. I had to rewrite the first chapter as
the original made him look too nice, less devious and calculating.
Personally, I'm chomping at the bit to read more of your work. Can
you tell us what you're working on next?
I have
several projects in the works, in varying stages of completion. There's a
second book in the Angel McKenzie Thriller Series, the first in a Contemporary
Romance series set in a fictitious town on the Oregon Coast, and a Regency
Romance series tentatively labeled The House of Warrick Series. However, the
next book to be published will be a Prequel to Ambient Light. I wrote the first
draft last month while participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing
Month). I need to do some significant revisions, but I'm hoping to complete it
in December. It's all about Jason Dalton, years before he meets Angel McKenzie.
What is the most important thing you've learned that you would
share with new indie authors? Any great websites?
Keep
writing, keep publishing. One book will not make you a best selling author.
It's also important to have a good story. Readers will forgive a few mistakes
if the story is compelling enough. In spite of that, you should always pay a
professional to edit your book. They won't find everything, but a fresh set of
eyes on the manuscript will find more mistakes, including things you didn't
realize were wrong. Last but not least, a good genre-appropriate cover is a
must. Something to catch the eye as readers are looking at a long list of
potential books to buy.
Websites? I have a few dozen bookmarked. The one I refer to more than any
other, though, is a page on writing numbers in fiction: The Editor's Blog: Writing Numbers in Fiction.
What traditional authors have inspired you to write?
I was
inspired to write by the success of a friend who'd turned from Internet
Marketing to writing for Kindle, (Leighann Dobbs.) Authors who have influenced
my writing style most recently are in the Fantasy genre: Brandon Sanderson,
Brent Weeks, Patrick Rothfuss, Terry Brooks, and of course, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Any indies you'd like to give a shout out to?
Well,
the Dream Weaver Series by you, of course. The story is dark, but compelling. It
was not easy being patient waiting for the third book. I'm also quite impressed
with Tamie Dearen. Her fantasy Alora has the heart and soul of traditional
fantasy books, if not the huge number of pages. I'm eagerly, and impatiently,
waiting for the next book.
Thanks for the shout out, Lorraine! OK, I like to keep interviews relatively short and add a little fun
at the end, so...If I gave you a piece of drift wood, a feather and a pocket watch,
what kind of story would you write? You can even give it title if you want.
A
romance, probably contemporary. It would be an older couple, sweethearts in
their youth, torn apart by circumstances, reunited for a second chance on their
first love. "November's Song." You realize, now I have to write that story…
Of course. I aim to inspire. If your book was made into a movie, who would be in your dream
cast?
 |
| She's adorable, right? |
 |
| Hot & bad ass! Awesome! |
That's
easy!
Angel McKenzie - Zooey
Deschanel
Jason Dalton - Chris Hemsworth
David Santoro - Joe Manganiello
Connie Garcia - Eva Mendez
Though, I never cast the bad guy in my mind… I wonder why…
While writing, silence or music? Why? If music, what do you listen
to?
Silence.
I'm too easily distracted. It's hard to write when I'm singing along, trying to
remember the words.
Me too. I can listen to just music, but if there's lyrics, I'm just too distracted. Thank you so much for visiting us here at Dream Weaver
Novels. We look forward to hearing more about you and your books in the future.
Thank
you for inviting me. It was an honor to be interviewed.
So there you have it. Miss Lorraine Adair. I hope you'll all go check out her book Ambient Light. It's so worth it!
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| Mock-up of Gate of Erebus cover |
OH! I almost forgot!
Coming soon from Dream Weaver Novels...Gates of Erebus: A Dark Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal Anthology with short stories from authors from around the world. You'll meet some new and brilliant writers, as well as a few who've been featured here. It has truly been my honor to work to with such amazing writers. As well, all of them have graciously agreed to donate their earnings to a global charity. Our first recipient is Reading is Fundamental. Makes sense, right?
Thank
you, as always, for stopping by to chat. If you have a question for
Lorraine, or myself, please feel free to leave it in the comments below.
And since the Christmas holidays are looming, I wish you all the
best and blessed holidays ever!
And as always...
Dare to Dream!
Su
