Wednesday 29 May 2013

CELEBRATING LORI BETH JOHNSON'S JOINING OUR HOUSE! WELCOME TO OUR NEW AUTHOR!




What made you want to write? 
 
I've always had characters speaking to me and stories in my head. I've been a "daydreamer" my whole life and I finally just had to get the stories written. 

How long have you been writing fiction?   Do you write anything else? 

I wrote a little in high school, but really just began again about ten years ago. I have been seriously writing for the past couple of years. While I have played with the thought of writing some non-fiction, fiction is where both my interests and talents lie.

What is your preferred genre and why?

For now, my preferred genre is romance because I like the structure and the boundaries that it gives me. I also like women's fiction and general fiction. I believe that no matter what genre I write, there will always be a love story, or two, involved. 

What is your muse? 

Music. No doubt about it. I have always been moved my music. Most songs tell a story and I love that about them. I can get lost in a song, easily and am so often motivated by music. 

What other interests do you have?    

I'm a sports fanatic. I love the Indianapolis Colts, the Cincinnati Reds, and the Indiana Pacers. I also follow Indiana University sports, especially basketball. My love of sports is what has inspired me to write this Score Series centered around pro athletes.

I also love to travel and love being a mom to my two sons who are both in college and my 17-year-old daughter. I've been married almost 25 years and am thankful to my husband who works hard so I can pursue my dreams. My family, in general, often has to put up with the weirdness that comes with being a writer and for that, I'm grateful. 

What type of music do you like? 

Rock, mostly. I love 80s music and Def Leppard is my favorite band. I also love classic rock like Eric Clapton and The Beatles. The singer-songwriters of the 70s also touch me because I can get lost in the stories of their songs. No country for this girl, but I do also love, love, love songs from Broadway-type musicals.  

Have you ever had an incredible vacation you will never forget?  If so, tell us about it. 

It's really hard to pick just one, but I'd say my trip to Europe when I was 16 year-old was the most incredible vacation I've had. It opened my eyes to an entirely different world than I'd ever seen before. Here in the US we think we have old buildings, but nothing compares to what I saw in Europe. I loved Germany and Salzburg, Austria was my favorite of the cities we toured. While I loved the trip, I'm not sure I appreciated it back then like I would today. I need to go back! 

What are some of your favorite movies or books?  

I love movies. I love getting caught up the story for two hours. I am a romantic, and most of my favorite movies reflect that. In no particular order, some of my favorite movies are Love Story, The Way We Were, The Notebook, Notting Hill, Brokeback Mountain, The Sound of Music and West Side Story. 

I also have lots of favorite books. The Giver is a huge favorite and one I used to teach to my middle school students when I taught school. I love books by my favorite authors- Luanne Rice, Nicholas Sparks, Kristin Hannah, Susan Wiggs, and Wendy Markham. Each of these writers is able to weave family and friendship through love stories and touch my heart every single time I read their books. The Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs is my favorite series and If Only in my Dreams by Wendy Markham is one of my favorite books. I reread it every year at Christmas and usually at least one other time throughout the year. It combines time travel and a beautiful love story with my favorite time era, the 1940s. 

Is there anything else you would like your audience to know about you?   What makes you special?  

I am a very character-driven author. I want you to remember my characters, along with their story, after you read my books. I want to make you feel something, real emotion. Not all of my books will be serious or deep, but I hope that each of them will touch you in some way.

 

Some of my future books will have social issues woven through them. I am very civil rights oriented as shown in my first short story that was published in March 2013. I do not, however, want to hit people over the heads with issues. I do not want readers to read my books and feel as if they've been preached at. I'd rather weave issues through a story and make the issues linger in readers' minds. I want to both touch and entertain readers through stories of family, of friendships, often of small towns and of love.

What is your next book and when do you expect it to be published?  

My next book is Sacking Austin, and I am not yet sure when this will be published. Sacking Austin is the first book in what I hope to be a series about professional athletes.  

I also am working on some short stories for a rock music themed anthology and another story set in small town 1940s and 1960s.
 
Thanks so much Lori Beth, for sharing with our readers. 
 
We're very excited to have you as a member of our house and we're looking forward to Sacking Austin
 
Happy writing,
Celeste Brammer

 

 

 

 

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