On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
We're launching the Book Tour for
Guardians of the Heart
By Loree Lough
Nell and Asa have guarded their hearts, but to let love in, they'll have to let go.
We hope you enjoy finding out more about their story...
Tour Schedule
8/17
8/18
8/19
8/20
8/21
8/22 - Grand Finale
There’s an old writers’ adage that goes
something like, open a vein and bleed on the page. It isn’t quite that
dramatic, of course, but authors really do
have to be willing to sacrifice: Sleep, family time, laundry, yard work
(sometimes, even showering takes second place to the story). But mostly, sleep.
Interview with Author Loree Lough
Loree, how many genres do you write in?
Most
of what I’ve written falls into the romance genre. Some are historical, others
contemporary, and every story has a
thread (or two) of suspense and adventure woven into it. I’ve also written
historical fiction and non-fiction for kids.
And how do you develop your deep POV?
I
love living in the heads of my characters, and accomplish it (and avoid ‘head
hopping’) by writing each scene from a specific character’s point of view. It’s
almost as though I take up residence in their brains (like a parasite! LOL).
When I’m thinking their thoughts, reacting to what other characters do and say,
deep POV is a lot easier.
I understand you once wrote articles for
a living. Did your non-fiction background help you with researching your novels?
Having
more than 2,500 articles under my byline was definitely a big help! Whether
fiction or non-fiction, when I come up with an idea for a story, I build
everything around a theme. Take “The Turning Points” series, for example, based
on an actual Baltimore news story: Halloween prank (presumably by teens) who
dressed a dummy like a man and tossed it onto railroad tracks. The engineer,
thinking he’d run over a vagrant, called in a report that sparked a
full-fledged search: Helicopters, dogs, SAR personnel that cost taxpayers
thousands of dollars. I couldn’t help but wonder about the psychological after-effects
on the kids. Did it inspire more of the same behavior, or a life change?
No
need to research time period and setting (I live in Baltimore! <g>), but
it was necessary to find out the order of events of such a search. And how the
event impacted each boy. The actual news story didn’t state how many or what
age, so I fabricated the information and decided there were three, fifteen year
old boys involved in the prank. Meaning, chats with child psychologists were
required to determine how big an impact something like that might have on an
impressionable kid—now, and in the future.
Although
no one was injured in the actual news report, the engineer in my story was
having a heart attack even before he spotted the dummy on the tracks. But my
boys didn’t know that. Young and impressionable, they jumped to conclusions:
The engineer must have been so shocked at the thought of running over a man
that he went into cardiac arrest.
All
this in chapter one, as seen from the POV of one of the boys; chapter two opens
fifteen years later, as he’s living his new life…one as a cardiac surgeon, one
as a firefighter, one who, despite a successful career in real estate, didn’t
find his way until well into his book. Which required research into each career
choice.
And
then there were the heroines…!
Do you have routines that move your
writing process along?
I
start each day by editing the work I did the day before. This is crucial, since
I often work on more than one book at a time, sometimes in different time
periods. The edits serve two purposes: 1.) I can clean up any messes I’ve left
behind, and 2.) I’m right back in the characters’ heads.
What about marketing? Do you have a
personal program or strategy?
I
pretty much stick with social networking, some ‘signage’ (postcards, bookmarks,
magnets, calendars, etc.), and occasionally, an ad in a
newspaper/magazine.
Do you have an agent, and if so, how did
you find him/her?
My
agent is one of the most well-respected in the industry. I sent him an email and
asked if he was interested in working with me. We had a long discussion about
my work history, my career goals, and his recommendations to help me reach
them. It’s been a satisfying, mutually rewarding partnership.
Is it difficult to distinguish your hero
and heroin’s voices from other characters’?
Well,
as I said earlier, I pretty much get inside the characters’ heads and write
from one POV per scene. I have a pretty good idea what sort of person each
character is. I know their flaws. Their positive traits. Their likes and
dislikes. Their backgrounds. All of that plays into each character’s voice.
I’ve read 5-star reviews and rave
endorsements that say your dialog is wonderful and unique. How do you
accomplish that?
With
POV and character plusses and minuses in mind, dialog pretty much takes care of
itself. A guy from Texas and a guy from New York have completely different ways
of expressing the same sentiments. Same is true for a woman from Mississippi v.
a woman from LA. It’s hard to go wrong, once you’re deeply imbedded in their
heads!
Is a backstory important?
Yes,
but to be honest, very little of it ends up in the story, except in the ways it
has molded and shaped who the character is when the story opens. I develop
backstory by asking myself how this character must behave—outwardly, and in the
privacy of his mind. Also, I ask myself how his background will influence the
way he reacts to things over which he has no control. We are all a product of
our backgrounds. The question is…what will it take to get us out of our comfort
zones, to cause character growth…?
How is the industry changed since you
started writing novels?
The
major change is that there are a whole lot more authors, and only a handful of
traditional publishers. Competition is, as they say, stiff. I see that as a good thing, because every time I submit a
proposal for a new contract, it will be compared to the thousands (literally!)
of other submissions an editor is considering.
The
romance genre, itself, is more challenging, because readers are far more
demanding. They’re no longer satisfied with a sweet little tale about a
settler’s wife adapting to life on the plains. The economy is tough, and they’re
not willing to spend hard-earned dollars on two-dimensional stories. They want
to be thoroughly entertained by a believable tale that features realistic
characters, solving believable problems. I receive dozens of letters each week
from readers who share how they identified with a character, a situation, or a
solution. If I hope to keep receiving mail like that, I have to continue
pushing the envelope.
How many drafts of a novel do you write?
I
edit the first draft, which becomes the second draft, which becomes the final
version. So the original is always there, layered by countless additions and
deletions.
Are you a ‘pantser’ or a ‘plotter’?
I
believe strongly in plotting, and use an outline for every novel. (See next
question for more details.)
How do you develop your plots?
My
‘timeline’ is a combination of dozens of outline techniques found in dozens of
how-to books. It resembles a big-block calendar, each box representing a scene.
It’s old-fashioned, I know, but it has worked very well for me, for each of the
105 books on the shelves. I use paper and pencil, so that I can make changes as
I go along, and I love that I can refer to it without having a bunch of distracting
tabs open on my computer screen.
How do you ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ a
story?
Wow.
That’s a tough one. I guess the easiest way to answer that one is…keep the
story active. Not too much thinking
about what happened in the past. If an event is something another character
needs to know, for example, I often provide the information through a
conversation, face to face or overheard, with another character.
Do you have a specific technique for producing
a successful novel?
Guardians of the Heart
(Secrets on Sterling Street, #2)
by Loree Lough
Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 272 pagesby Loree Lough
Historical Romance
August 3rd 2015 by Whitaker House
Nell Holstrom wanted no part of her grandfather's barren gold mine that had taken the lives of her mother, father, and younger brother; even if there may still be hidden wealth inside. Instead, she went to Denver and took a job as housekeeper at the old Stone Hill Inn.
Asa Stone was barely more than a boy when his father dragged him and his brothers to fight with Colonel John Chivington. But Asa refused to participate in the raid on the peaceful Cheyenne and Arapahoe; and when the smoke cleared, his father and brother lay among the slaughtered. Besieged by guilt, Asa wandered the West for years before returning to Denver to rebuild the old inn he'd inherited.
Together, Nell and Asa work hard to restore Stone Hill. But when disaster hits the inn, Asa retreats into despair and Nell is forced to return to her family's mine. Asa faces the hard fact: He'll never be the man Nell deserves. Can he overcome the dark secrets of his past? And will Nell still love him when she learns the truth?
Currency of the Heart
January 1st 2015 by Whitaker House
Young widow Shaina Sterling hates living a lie. Desperate to keep bill collectors from the door, she secretly sells valuable possessions piece by piece, and hopes Denver’s elite never discover that his lavish lifestyle left her a near pauper.
She’s unaware that as her husband lay dying, successful rancher Sloan Remington made him a promise. And Sloan guards her secrets
as carefully as he looks after her safety.
When fire devours Sterling Hall, leaving her homeless and penniless, he brings her to Remington Ranch to manage his household. His kindness makes Shaina beholden to him … and threatens to expose the secret that could destroy him.
Will trials and tragedies bring Sloan and Shaina together?
Or will secrets—and the cost of exposing them—drive them apart forever?
Yes, it's true: Once upon a time, best-selling author Loree Lough (literally) sang for her supper, performing before packed audiences throughout the U.S. Now and then, she blows the dust from her 6-string to croon a tune or two for the "grandorables," but mostly, she just writes. (And writes.) Over the years, her stories have earned nearly 100 industry and "Readers' Choice" awards, 7 movie options, and over 80 4- and 5-star reviews.
There are more than 5,000,000 (yes, that's FIVE MILLION) copies of Loree's books in circulation, and in September of 2015, she'll have 108 books (fiction and non-fiction for kids and adults) 72 short stories, 2,500+ articles in print. To date, she has received 50,000+ letters from fans (a carton of books goes to Meredith P. in Joliet, IL -- which she has elected to donate to her local library --for writing the 50,000th letter)!
Loree loves sharing learned-the-hard-way lessons about the craft and the industry, and her comedic approach makes her a favorite (and frequent) guest of writers' organizations, book clubs, private and government institutions, college and high school writing programs both here and abroad.
A writer who believes in "giving back," Loree dedicates a portion of her income to Soldiers' Angels, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and other worthwhile organizations.
She splits her time between her home in the Baltimore suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, and shares both with her real-life hero Larry, who rarely complains, even when she adds yet another item to her vast collection of lighthouses, wind chimes, and "wolf stuff."
The First Book in the Series
Currency of the Heart
(Secrets on Sterling Street, #1)
by Loree Lough
Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 256 pagesby Loree Lough
Historical Romance
January 1st 2015 by Whitaker House
Young widow Shaina Sterling hates living a lie. Desperate to keep bill collectors from the door, she secretly sells valuable possessions piece by piece, and hopes Denver’s elite never discover that his lavish lifestyle left her a near pauper.
She’s unaware that as her husband lay dying, successful rancher Sloan Remington made him a promise. And Sloan guards her secrets
as carefully as he looks after her safety.
When fire devours Sterling Hall, leaving her homeless and penniless, he brings her to Remington Ranch to manage his household. His kindness makes Shaina beholden to him … and threatens to expose the secret that could destroy him.
Will trials and tragedies bring Sloan and Shaina together?
Or will secrets—and the cost of exposing them—drive them apart forever?
There are more than 5,000,000 (yes, that's FIVE MILLION) copies of Loree's books in circulation, and in September of 2015, she'll have 108 books (fiction and non-fiction for kids and adults) 72 short stories, 2,500+ articles in print. To date, she has received 50,000+ letters from fans (a carton of books goes to Meredith P. in Joliet, IL -- which she has elected to donate to her local library --for writing the 50,000th letter)!
Loree loves sharing learned-the-hard-way lessons about the craft and the industry, and her comedic approach makes her a favorite (and frequent) guest of writers' organizations, book clubs, private and government institutions, college and high school writing programs both here and abroad.
A writer who believes in "giving back," Loree dedicates a portion of her income to Soldiers' Angels, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and other worthwhile organizations.
She splits her time between her home in the Baltimore suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, and shares both with her real-life hero Larry, who rarely complains, even when she adds yet another item to her vast collection of lighthouses, wind chimes, and "wolf stuff."
Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Print copy of Guardians of the Heart
Kindle copy of Guardians of the Heart (to be gifted through Amazon)
Open internationally
Ends August 29th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Print copy of Guardians of the Heart
Kindle copy of Guardians of the Heart (to be gifted through Amazon)
Open internationally
Ends August 29th
a Rafflecopter giveaway
