About Barbara Lohr:
Barbara Lohr writes contemporary romance, both adult and new adult. A flair for fun and subtly sexy love scenes are her trademarks. In her Windy City Romance series, feisty women take on hunky heroes and life’s issues. Family often figures in her stories. “No woman falls in love without some family influence, either positive or negative.” Dark chocolate is her favorite food group, and yummy food often figures in her work. She likes to cook and makes a mean popover. When she’s not writing, she loves to bike, golf or kayak. Barbara lives in the Midwest and the South with her husband and a cat that insists he was Heathcliff in a former life. For more information on the author and her work, please see www.BarbaraLohrAuthor.com. Sign up for her newsletter or become a member of her Amazing Street Team.
What inspires you to write?
Interesting people, places and challenges. My friends used to warn people. “Be careful or she’ll put you in a story.” And I did!
Tell us about your writing process.
First of all, I keep folders and notebooks of ideas. I am always jotting things down. And I’m a plotter. Tried the-seat-of-my -pants style and ended up with a mess, so I plan. Write the synopsis first and then do a major resource sheet with characters, conflicts, etc. The bones of the story, which I refer back to. Each book has a five column table which lists chapters, setting, etc. I keep each book in a box, as well as on my computer. I know some use Pinterest but I have not done that so far. I get up at five every day, eat oatmeal and write after I’ve read the reviews posted the day before. I love my readers and I want to start each day with their words, not mine. In the afternoon, I revise and do marketing and promo. But I also bike, kayak, golf and work out to balance the sedentary nature of writing…and I love all those activities with my husband.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I’ll talk the dialogue out loud so it rings true. I often get ideas at strange times and I jot them down. (I have tons of notebooks and folders) Sleep is a great time to work out a problem and I often wake up with the answer for a troubling scene.
What advice would you give other writers?
Sit down and write. Don’t chat about it (unless you have a writing partner). Get it down. You can’t revise what you have not written. Just sit and write. I don’t like to talk about my books until they come out.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Do what feels right for you. I’d been selling stories for years so it felt natural to move into novels. I self publish because I don’t want to be hounded about deadlines and I want to make decent money. Writing is hard work. My corporate job involved marketing, so I like that part of publishing. Granted, I only pitched to editors or agents a few times. I just kept watching what was going on in the market and then I jumped in. This is a great time to be a writer and I love the other authors who work alongside me and share their knowledge.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The music and film industries probably give some indication about the journey. I think we can count on continual change.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Contemporary romance, romantic comedy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Barbara Lohr Home Page Link
Link To Barbara Lohr Page On Amazon
