Monday, December 8, 2014

Mystery & Mayhem with Lorraine Adair

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!

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!
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