Hi everyone!
Today we have the talented Fawn Lowery at XtraOrdinary Romance. Please join me in giving her a wonderful welcome.
At what age did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
I was in fourth grade when it finally dawned on me what my love of paper and pencils was really for. Sounds silly, I know, but true. I still have a large collection of pencils and ink pens stored in a decorative box on a bookshelf in my workroom. I was about nine years old and all my ideas for short stories came from TV.
What has been your biggest influence on becoming a writer?
Romance novels and TV. I love immersing myself in a good love story. And I love drama series. Criminal Minds is my favorite program. I marvel at the plots and the interaction of the main characters.
How did you feel when you got your first publishing contract?
My first sale was in high school, when I discovered a copy of Literary Marketplace at the library. I found a publisher I thought might be interested in a short story I had been working on and contacted them. It took six weeks for them to answer my query, then another three weeks for them to accept my story. I thought I had died and gone to heaven—what could be greater than finally realizing a childhood dream! Actually, I was still a child. I was seventeen!
How many novellas/novels have you published to date? When did you have your first sale?
I can’t count the out of print books that have fallen by the wayside over the years. Publishers going out of business are all too common. I’ve been at Extasy Books since 2003. Captive Heart, the little historical romance, was the first book accepted by the publisher. I have a total of twenty-three books with Extasy. All Hallows Eve will debut for Halloween and A Cowboy Christmas is scheduled in December. My first sale of a printed book was in 1984. That was about the time I discovered erotica. The book was corny and filled with so much sex it would make you dizzy to read it. :-)
Tell me about your latest release. Please include if it is part of a series or a stand alone book.
Blood Stalker is my latest release. It’s a stand alone book about a vampire and the woman detective trying to prove he’s a murderer. Blood Stalker originally began as Meet The Vampire, a short FREE story on the Extasy Books web site in 2008. I received a lot of feedback from readers wanting to read more of Morgan and Lincoln.
What was your inspiration for this book?
I find inspiration in more things than TV these days. Blood Stalker was actually inspired by a picture I have on my MySpace site. I don’t remember where I found it on the web, but I took one look at it and saw a vampire and a police detective. The setting is at night, he’s holding her against a brick wall, and the scene just screams sex.
How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?
I plot. I find it’s a lot easier to know where I’m going with a story. I work from a chapter by chapter outline and make notes along the way of the characters’ physical and mental descriptions. Characters always develop more as the story unfolds and one of the first things I learned about writing was to get the facts straight. If you kill someone in the fourth chapter, don’t resurrect him in the sixth—unless he’s a vampire.
How do you handle the editing/revision process?
I read everything over several times before I feel it’s ready to be called finished. When an editor sends me a manuscript with changes noted, I value that person’s opinion. I know the benefit of fresh eyes on a story. I have learned to hone my work because of these editors. I know they are not only doing their job in tackling a manuscript, but they are trying to improve or embellish what I have begun. In the end, I feel the story has been improved.
You’re received some fantastic reviews...how do you feel about them and why?
I can honestly say that I have never gotten a bad review. Whew! I have a great day when a review shows up in my inbox! I think reviews are great advertising tools for writers. Posting a review of a work on any of Yahoo’s numerous groups can bring sales and get the writers name out in the public. I love reviews and always make it a point to contact the review site and sincerely thank the reviewer.
Did anything odd happen while you were researching this story? Odd or eerie?
I received an email thanking me for writing more about the vampire Lincoln Churchill and the lady detective, Morgan Glover. At the time, I didn’t have a book cover, or the name Blood Stalker, but I had submitted the story to Extasy Books, however, I hadn’t made any announcement that I was writing the story. I was puzzled then and still feel a bit dazed. The only excuse I can find for the email is that perhaps they didn’t proofread their copy before sending it. And instead of thanking me for writing more of the character’s story, they were asking if I would continue it.
How much of yourself can we find in one of these books? Do you every make yourself a character?
Zero. I never put myself in any of my books or reach into my real life to become a character. Everything is made up—all characters and scenes come straight from the old gray matter. When I was a kid, I used to think the words came from my pencil. All I had to do was touch it to paper, and presto, a story appeared. I’ve realized a lot since then. :-) Scenes have to be constructed, crafted and made believable. Characters have to undergo the same intensity. I’m a whole lot less interesting than any of my characters. :-)
Is writing a lonely career for you?
I have always been a loner, though I have a very full social life. Sounds contradictory, I know, but my husband is partly to blame. He’s a very out-going person and he drags me along with him. Personally, I love solitude. I’ve always been able to get lost in my writing and time flies by without my knowledge. I find it wonderfully relaxing. I have a large room on the second floor of our home that is decorated beautifully and caters to my every whim as far as writing. My privacy is respected by my husband and friends, and when my office door is shut, I’m off-limits unless there’s a dire emergency (house on fire, someone choking, etc.)
Did you do anything special after that first sale?
No, not really special. I clutched the acceptance letter in both hands and spent the next hour sitting on the couch just marveling at my great achievement. You would have thought I won the lottery by the extreme reaction but in truth, my first sale netted me one hundred and twenty-five dollars. But at seventeen—heck, that was big bucks!
What authors and books have influenced your writing over the years?
I’m a big fan of Janet Dailey. She can bring a character to life in a few words. Harold Robbins. His books are teeming with erotica. James Patterson. His style is simplistic, easy to read, very enjoyable. Rosemary Rogers. She writes the same plot over and over, and makes millions doing it. :-) Anne Rice. Her books helped me learn about vampires.
Did someone every give you a great piece of advice along the way? What was it?
Yes. My dad. God love him. He told me: Believe you can and you’re halfway there! I have no idea where he came up with the words, though he was always encouraging. Ironically, he gave me that advice the first time he took me out in the car to learn to drive. :-) I have a small plaque with those words on it handing over the writing desk he gave me when I was a kid. I cherish the advice and the memory of my dad.
Where can readers find out more about you and your work?
Readers can find my books at Extasy Books, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise, and by utilizing any of the numerous search engines on the web by searching for: erotic romance author Fawn Lowery
www.myspace.com/fawnlowery
www.geocities.com/fawnlowery8@prodigy.net/mypage.html
http://www.fawnlowery.webs.com/
Fawn’s Bio: I write several different genres of romance, all with an erotic element. Historical romance, fantasy, vampire, shape shifter, werewolf, BDSM, and my favorite, contemporary romance. When I’m not writing, I enjoy traveling with my husband, Dave and spending time with our daughter, Suzette. I freelance to an assortment of fiction and nonfiction magazines and ezines. I enjoy meeting new people and hosting dinner parties. I love to dress up. Some of my favorite things are white roses, satin sheets, and pink champagne.
Thanks for taking part in my ‘2 for Thursday’ promotion, Fawn. I always enjoy talking to you!
Lynn
