Questions Answered
Aug
5
2011

So you all asked some great questions in the contest post and I’m going to attempt to get to them all! There were several questions asked more than once so I’ll answer those once.

1. If you weren’t a writer, what kind of work would you be doing? and what really *inspires* you to write?

I’d most likely be practicing law, which was my career trajectory before I started writing. I love writing and I’m glad I can do it because it’s the best job ever, but I can’t lie, I loved being in the courtroom too. As for what inspires me? Everything really. Sometimes it’s a picture, a snippet of a song lyric, the way the sky looks, an ad, someone I see on the street – inspiration happens to me all the time (thank goodness!)

2. Are there going to be any more stories set in the Cherchez Pack world? And the world that Goddess with a Blade is set in?

At this point, I’m done with the Cherchez books. I loved the world very much and those characters as well. But the complication involved in having a series at two different publishers eats up a lot of time and energy and I just don’t have enough of either right now. I do want to give Skye and Phillip their HEAs but for the forseeable future it won’t be happening. As for Goddess With a Blade? I do want to write another and take Rowan to the Keep. At this point it’s really that I’m contracted into 2013 and I don’t have the time to do it. But it’s on my to do list and so yes, I’d love to go back and hopefully Angela wants to go back with me.

3. Which Brown sibling are you going to write about next?

There aren’t any left, so the series is done. I will be revisiting Erin, Ben and Todd in a digital exclusive next fall with Berkley though, right before the spin off series starts and you’ll continue to see the Browns, Keenans and Copelands in that series.

4. I really like your menages and would love to see you write more of them. Any plans to?

CAPTIVATED, the last in the Phantom Corps series is a menage. Tart, which is in the new contemporary series starting next fall with Berkley Heat is also a menage book. I’ll keep writing them when I think the story is right for it. I have a lot of fun with them!

5. I am very found of them all, but would love to see more than few glimpses about Erin Todd and Ben, so what about another book about these sweethearts.

I’m doing a novella featuring Todd, Ben and Erin that’ll be out in September of next year!

6. Lauren, do you have plans for more cat shifter stories?

Yes! I sent my proposal in for Beneath the Skin, Gibson’s book. I’m just waiting to hear back from my editor.

7. Is it really confusing and hard to write a book sometimes? When I get an idea to write something, I keep changing my mid then end up forgetting the idea I had at first, lol.

It’s hard to write a book every time. I’d suggest that if you have trouble keeping things on track that you might try at least some loose plotting, or just pants it but don’t lose your discipline. As ideas come to me when I’m working, I jot them down in a dedicated binder I have for every book. It helps me stay on task. The thing about writing is that you can’t fix what you never finish. There are difficult spots in every book and you have to keep going. If you stop and try something new every time, you won’t finish!

8. What’s your favourite character trait in others, yourself and your characters?

I tend to find courage and loyalty very important. Not only in myself but definitely in others! My characters should be fleshed out with flaws and strength, but if they’re not loyal to family and friends, if they’re not courageous and stand up to do the right thing, they’re not interesting to me.

9. How long for you to write a book?

Depends on the book and the timing. Back in the day it was a faster process because I wrote full manuscripts in one sitting. But now I’m juggling all the time. So I may be working on one book but I’ll receive edits while I’m writing. Often on more than one project so I have to stop and finish those other things and then when I get back to the other project it takes me a while to get back into the flow of that story and book. My sweet spot is 3500 – 4000 words a day.

10. What is your idea of a perfect vacation?

If it’s a family vacation it’s one where the kids are adventurous and will try new things. One where no one gets hurt, no one pukes in the car and there’s no endless bickering. If it’s just me and the dude it’s all about being left alone! It can be on a beach, it can be in Vegas, it’s really about hanging out with him and enjoying that space to be a couple.

11. do u ever plan on doing a recap story with the chase brothers?

Probably not unless I could do it and make it believable and give a reason why. I’m still writing a series set in Petal though, so you’ll see glimpses of them and know what’s going on in their lives.

12. What book in on your permanent keeper shelf?

Oh man, hard to limit myself to a page or so! Naked in Death most definitely. Welcome to Temptation, Dune, Neuromancer, Dreaming of You, Foundation, The Stand, The Dark is Rising – just a few. I have SO MANY, LOL

13. Question I have for most authors- I’m always curious where a person writes…. do they have a sacred space that is dedicated for their work or just anywhere the mood hits them?

I’m really a no-nonsense sort of writer. I don’t have a muse. I don’t have a sacred space but I’m fortunate enough to have an office after many years of writing in a tiny corner of my bedroom. I like having my notes and all my reference materials nearby on my shelves and my kids are scared enough of me that they don’t touch anything on my desk, LOL. It’s pretty awesome having my own space to keep all my work tools, but I write when I can and to get my work done. Sometimes that’s in the car as I wait for some afterschool event to finish and other times it’s at my desk.

14. I love your playlists for the Brown Siblings series. Are you going to do one for Never Enough or any of your other series?

Yes, the tracklist is at the end of the book. Sometimes they add them and others they don’t. It’s about space I think. I try to put it on the book page at the website too.

15. -Do you have any plans to create a new series in print? If so, what will the series be about? Anything like the Brown books?

Currently I’m writing Petal, Georgia, which will go to print 10 months or so after digital release; de La Vega Cats (same as Petal). After the Brown Siblings series is over, I’m starting a new contemporary erotic romance series with Berkley Heat that’s a spin off from the Brown books. These books will feature three women who are all artists in their own way and friends of Gillian, and Raven who you know from the Brown books. I don’t have a title for the series yet, but it’s set on Bainbridge Island, where Gillian lives. Heart of Darkness, the first of my Bound By Magick series comes out in November and it’s a paranormal romance series set in Seattle. Sensual romance from Berkley Sensation. It’s about the world of Clan witches – large, powerful corporate structures – in a world where Others face a great deal of danger from each other and the human world.

16. Why did all the heroines names in your Brown sibling series start with E?

They don’t – Gillian starts with a G. As for the others? It just worked out that way. Characters come to me the way they do. I don’t plan their names in advance usually, or sometimes the story I intended originally changes and a heroine turns out to be in front of me the whole time as Ella did.

17. It always amazes me how writers can write a multitude of books from different series and not have them all mirror each other. So my questions is how do you prevent that from happening?

Each world, each set of characters has its own flavor to me. But it can happen, especially if you write back to back. So the goal is always to spend time and attention to be sure you don’t just mush it all up together. For me the heart of every story is the cast of characters. So if I do my job right, they have their own unique voices and I can let them lead. If not, that’s what drafting and seeking crit is for. Edits help me, other people’s reads of the material also helps.

There are a lot more – so here’s the batch for today!

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