Marie Lavender
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.I am a romance author. I have published 16 books, and I have numerous works in progress.
I have always loved “love”, whether it was watching a romantic comedy or reading a book. And I have written stories since I was a kid. So, it was no wonder I wanted to write romance.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My current release is Upon Your Return. It is a historical romance. I have always loved to read historical romance novels. In the past, I read the greats like Catherine Coulter and Rosemary Rogers. Upon Your Return just kind of popped into my head one day. The characters started talking and wouldn’t stop!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Define “unusual”. Does staying up till four or five in the morning to finish a scene count? Then probably. A lot of times my ideas come at night when I really should be sleeping. Sometimes I’ll write during the day if the mood hits me. For a lot of my works, I write by hand at first, though I occasionally compose on the computer.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As I said before, I read Catherine Coulter. I definitely read a lot of Nora Roberts’ books. Hmm…who else? Barbara Delinsky and Debbie Macomber. In recent years, I got on a paranormal kick and picked up J.R. Ward, Kerrelyn Sparks, P.C. Cast and Chloe Neill. For historical, I have also read Tessa Dare, Emma Wildes and Jane Feather.
What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the sequel to Upon Your Return. It will be titled Upon Your Honor. I also have a romantic suspense I am working on with a writing partner. And I may still do self-publishing. I have lots of works in progress.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
It seems like Facebook and Twitter have been the best for me so far. They are simple to use, even if it takes up a lot of time. They have still been invaluable tools, and I have met a lot of great people on those sites!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Never give up. The road is long and hard. It is very tempting to just throw your dreams away completely or to just set them aside because other people are telling you to or you don’t have the time. Make time for your dreams. Keep writing. You’ll be glad you did.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is something I am terribly guilty of doing. I still do it, even though I shouldn’t. But, it’s good to come back to this old adage every once in awhile. “Don’t put too much on your plate.” Handle one thing at a time, and it will turn out right. In this day and age, it is so tempting to multitask and to stress out over everything. We want to handle it all because we think that’s the only way. But, really, even though we can doesn’t mean we should. Putting too much pressure on yourself just has the opposite effect. You get nothing done because you’re freaking out about it. Just do that one thing, finish it, and move on to the next. You can’t lump everything into one column. It doesn’t all fit.
What are you reading now?
It’s funny, but I’m reading the print version of Upon Your Return. I’ve only ever read it in document format until now. It’s so exciting to see your work in print!
I also just started Old Town Nights by Linda Lee Williams. It is a paranormal romance. I recommend it, as well as her book Elsewhere. This indie author is doing very well!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I hope to release the sequel to Upon Your Return, whenever I get done writing it. And I have ideas for all kinds of series after the Heiresses in Love series is done! I have a series in mind about a coven of six witches. These books will also be historical romance, set during the Salem Witch trials so a lot of it will be about their struggles to remain anonymous.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Do I have to choose? Okay, I have two. Devil’s Embrace by Catherine Coulter. That book really woke me up to the genre.
And I loved J.R. Ward’s Dark Lover. I’d always loved paranormal movies, but that book introduced me to paranormal romance books. And the series is awesome.
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