Today, I'm delighted to have my friend and fellow author, Loni Lynne as a guest. She's been writing quite a while. Let's see how she started and what she's up to now.
What made you decide
to be an author?
I had an angst riddled pre-teen life. At
times I felt there was nothing to do. My English teacher at the time thought my
writing had a lot of potential and suggested writing. I wrote mostly stories
about the shows/movies I saw at the time. I put Han Solo and Princess Leia
together with kids before George Lucas, I think. Yep, didn’t know it at the
time but I wrote Fan Fic.
What do you like best about being a writer?
What do you like the least?
The best thing is writing the story—letting
my characters come to life. The worst, struggling with time management and
domestic issues while creating my fictional world.
How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?
Oh, you mean the eclectic life
I’ve led? J I traveled all over the country growing up.
My step-father was an oil field engineer so we moved every 18 months or so.
Wherever the Oil Boom hit, that’s where we were. I learned so much about the
places we lived. We enjoyed going to the local museums and points of interest,
the culture of the various people in different parts of the country…and then my
brief stint in the United States Navy right after high school…let me tell you
what an adventure that was! Lots of ideas, adventures and ‘what if’s’ to share.
Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a
book--as if the words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that
happen with?
It pretty much happens with all
of them. But the one that really ‘spoke’ to me was, Wanted: One Ghost. The
characters, especially my hero, James seemed to be my Muse and hero. It was as
if he led me to tell his story.
You’ve written 5 novels and are working on a 6th novel. What’s
your favorite time management tip?
Well technically, I’ve written
four and a novella and working on the next novella in The Guardians of Dacia
series. I’m struggling with my time management, I’m always looking for answers.
Writing, marketing, publishing—doing it all for the most part now that I am
self-publishing is not easy. I try to set a daily schedule but life gets in the
way (or the Internet). One of the best things I’ve done recently is hire my
youngest, adult daughter to become my domestic engineer while she’s finishing
up college here locally. She’s a godsend during deadlines. Also, a good friend
of mine has taken over my social media promotion tasks while he is recovering
from foot surgery. When you have support like that, it helps a great deal.
Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead
of time or are you an “organic” writer?
I’m definitely
“organic”. I’ve learned to ‘take notes’ about my characters and break down each
scene into a separate document. Kind of like my own version of Scrivner but
easier for me to digest. I let my characters tell the story in bits and pieces
and then add them to the full manuscript, too. Breaking it down is like doing a
Math problem (which I hated growing up). I learned to break down the issue to
see each part fold out on its own.
If you had one take away
piece of advice for authors, what would it be?
Don’t give up. Don’t write for
profit…write for love, life and the pursuit of happiness.
Did music help you find your muse with this book? If yes, which song
did you find yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote?
I don’t listen to anything while
I write. I’m one of those people who have to have quiet, at least until I get
into the zone. A good song will only make me want to get up and dance or sing
along…distracting. But not to say a song didn’t inspire me with another
book…that’s much later. ;)
Tell me more about Immortal Angel.
Tina Johnston is left heartbroken after the man she loves, Mike
Linder turns her away. She’s too young and naïve to be able to understand the
immortal, Vietnam warrior who suffers from the nightmare of his past. So she
decides to work for the Delvante Clan and train to be an assistant to the
immortal Dacians. What she doesn’t know is that her first assignment is about
to take her into a world of danger and action, in which the very people she’s
learning to protect are out to hunt her down and make her one of their own.
Vietnam was forty years ago and yet Mike Linder can’t forget
the horrors of the past. His struggle with PTSD has no place for the lovely,
Tina Johnston. As much as he wants her out of his life, he can’t bear to be
without her. What they shared the past few months is beyond anything he
deserves. But when he finds she’s gone to work for his boss, Rick Delvante and
is sent to infiltrate a group of rogue vampires in Germany, he is beside
himself. The only thing he can do is face his worst fear and go into battle
once more to bring her home safely.
But what he finds is not
the woman he left behind. Is he too late to save his Immortal Angel?
How about an excerpt from Immortal Angel?
Tina Johnston raced to the porch,
keeping the treasured gift bag covered by the umbrella to protect it against
the pouring rain. April showers were more like downpours. Lately, her mood
matched the weather. She hoped this gift would start the sun shining again.
She pressed the doorbell and its
peal echoed within the ranch-style home. The darkened woods at night surrounded
her with its loneliness and mystery but it was part of its charm. She missed
the solitude and being with Mike Linder out here in the middle of nowhere. In a
few short months, they’d made so many happy memories. A lifetime of
happiness…until…
The security camera above the door
swiveled with a slight electronic buzz. He was home! She waved holding up the
plain brown paper bag tied with blue and gold ribbon she’d curled and decorated
herself.
Impatiently, she waited. It would
take him a while to trek up to the “house” part of his domain. The log cabin
rancher, a façade for his actual cavernous abode secluded beneath the building,
protected who and what he was. Protective glass and rock walls sheltered him
from the harmful rays of sunlight and mortals who might destroy him because of
his lifestyle.
Moments went by. She rang the
doorbell again. The camera didn’t move this time. Her heart slumped. Was he
avoiding her? She’d tried to call, text, email but to no avail. Mike had
blocked her from his phone. This birthday gift was a last ditch effort to try
and get back into his life. He’d been unreasonable. He didn’t think she could
handle their relationship.
Not wanting to give up on their
future she thought about ringing the doorbell again when the heavy wooden door
opened to reveal a disheveled, shirtless Mike Linder. His sexy shadow of scruff
and mussed, short blond hair were forever etched in her heart. Tina loved
seeing him after they’d…
“What’s up?” he asked gruffly.
Her heart bottomed out at the thought.
His faded, unbuttoned jeans teased a narrow strip of hair that lead to—
“I…I thought…I
mean I wanted to stop by and say happy birthday. I brought you a gift.”
“That’s
thoughtful of you, Tina. Thank you.”
“It’s just a
little something. I didn’t know what to get you. I hope you like it though.”
She handed it to him with trembling fingers.
An awkward
moment of silence stretched endlessly as Mike raked his fingers through his
hair. “I’d invite you inside but…I…um have company.”
She grimaced. He’d already replaced
her with someone else. Fighting off the lump in her throat that threatened to
break through on a sob, she smiled and nodded as if his statement hadn’t
cleaved her heart in two.
Unable to bear the heartache of
knowing he’d taken pleasure in another woman’s body she turned away, nearly
running to her car. Away from the pain. She knew what she had to do now.
Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the
Internet?
Website Links:
Buy Links:
Loni, thank you so much for being with us here today. I know my
readers will enjoy your work and your interview.
About the Author: I work full-time as a zoo curator, so when I'm
not running a zoo, I'm trying to tame the one I live in! I have two
kids, and a husband who sometimes acts their age. I can usually be found
jamming to Elvis Presley tunes, or diligently chipping away at my
never-ending 'to be read' pile. I tend to gravitate toward anything
paranormal. I love creatures who fly and characters who sprout fur or
fangs. Sprinkle some romance and magic into the mix, and I'm a happy
girl!
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