Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Interview with Liv Arnold, Author of Law & Disorder


What made you decide to be an author?
I used to write stories at school for fun, but I never thought anything would come of it. So, I did a degree that had nothing to do with writing and started a full-time job in the finance industry. My mum encouraged me to do a creative writing course at RMIT. It’s a short course that runs for 8-10 weeks for three hours a week after work. I loved every moment of the class and ended up doing three short courses. The teachers were so inspiring, and it was great to speak to likeminded people. I workshopped my stories in class and continued with them after the course finished.

What do you like best about being a writer? What do you like the least?
I love being able to surprise people and make them laugh. Also creating scenarios that may not happen in everyday life.  My least favourite would be my lack of time. With a full time job as well, I’m exhausted permanently.

How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?
Writing is better than therapy! I have had anxiety for as long as I can remember. I always picture the worse-case scenarios, take hours to fall asleep (sometimes I’m still awake when the sun comes up) and my chest is permanently tightened. Writing drowns out the noise in my head – maybe because I’m focusing on fictional characters. At work on my breaks, if my mind starts to spin out of control, I write for a few minutes straight to refocus. People cope with anxiety in different ways but writing with some exercise helps me.

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?
I more feel this with certain chapters or scenes. Never with a whole book. I get stuck a lot and sometimes end up staring at my laptop screen.

You’ve written one novel and one novella and are working on a second novel. What’s your favorite time management tip?
I work fulltime so I really need to push myself to write. I give myself incentives – an ice-cream or junk food reward whenever I finish a page, or I treat myself with reading a chapter of a book. Anything to keep me motivated. Sometimes I use my phone as a timer where I nonstop write for twenty minutes. Amazing how much you can get done when you’re racing against the clock.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time or are you an “organic” writer?
Panster. I go wherever the characters take me, but I usually have a rough idea how my story will end. So, every chapter will lead towards this. I wish I was more organised with plotting. Sometimes I spend so much time in front of a blank computer screen willing the words to come. My characters grow as I write – I don’t even come up with personality traits beforehand.

If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be?
Don’t give up and keep working on your craft. Sometimes it’s all about your manuscript landing on the right publisher’s desk at the right time. Savvy Authors does great online workshops.

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 have to write in silence or I can’t concentrate.

Tell me more about Law & Disorder.
I’ve watched the TV show Neighbours since I was a child. I used to come home from school, get changed, have a snack then sit down and watch. I love the community behind the storylines and the more light-hearted moments. So, I thought it would be a fun idea to have the heroine and hero as neighbours, but spice things up a little.
Lawyer Juliet Jackson has come head to head with Sergeant Jesse Burns on numerous occasions in court. He is provoking. Pigheaded. Punch-worthy. They don't get along. Not one little bit. The unfortunate fact he's also her next-door neighbor brings her loathing off the charts. But when Juliet's caught locked outside her home in nothing but a skimpy towel, she must swallow her pride and turn to Jesse for help. She doesn't expect the explosive chemistry between them and can't help but wonder if Jesse's as demanding in the bedroom as he is in the courtroom.

How about an excerpt from Law & Disorder?
His handsome face smirked before he averted his eyes and turned his head, but she could still see the profile of his face. His police uniform stretched across his chest. Wonder if that chest is chiseled underneath all those clothes.

Her ears burned hotter than chili sauce, spreading to her neck and chest. No point in putting on a mask this time, because there was no escaping this. Her fingers found the ends of the towel to cover her naked body, but her legs froze on the spot. “I got locked out of my house.”

“You got locked out of your house…naked?” A grin spread across his face, revealing the dimple on the bottom lip. She wanted to bite it but didn’t know if it was to hurt him or because of the temperature between her legs.

Scowling at his sarcasm, her fingers gripped the bricks of her house and she pulled herself up. “Yes.Why are you even here? Didn’t you have enough of me this morning?"

“Never enough.”

Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the Internet?
I would love to hear from you! Contact me on:

Buy Links:
Buy Law & Disorder for 99 (US) cents:

Liv, thank you so much for being with us here today. I know my readers will enjoy your work and your interview.

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