About Lily Luchesi:
Lily Luchesi is a young author/poet born in Chicago, Illinois, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Ever since she was a toddler her mother noticed her tendency for being interested in all things “dark”. At two she became infatuated with vampires and ghosts, and that infatuation turned into a lifestyle by the time she was twelve, and, as her family has always been what they now call “Gothic”, she doesn’t believe she shall ever change. She is also a hopeless romantic and avid music-lover, and will always associate vampires with love, blood and rock and roll. Her interest in poetry came around the same time as when she was given a book of Edgar Allan Poe’s complete work. She then realized that she had been writing her own poetry since she could hold a pen, and just had not known the correct terms. She finished her first manuscript at the age of fourteen, and now, at twenty-one, has two contributing credits in anthologies and a debut novel, Stake-Out (Paranormal Detectives Series Book One), was published by Vamptasy Publishing on May 19th, 2015.
She has a short story, “Undead Ever After” in the Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly anthology Love Sucks (released on June 13th, 2015). She will also have a short story, “The Devil’s Dozen”, in the upcoming Hot Ink Press anthology Death, Love and Lust. (Release date TBA.)
What inspires you to write?
I have always loved to write and usually never need “inspiration”. If I ever get writer’s block, the things that break it are listening to music that fits the theme of my book (usually those are of the rock n’ roll and metal variety, though that can vary), or rereading a favorite book of mine. It is always inspiring to read a novel that you love.
Tell us about your writing process.
I never, ever outline. If it’s not good enough to remember, it didn’t belong in the book in the first place. I usually like to write to music or with a film in the background. Background noise helps me write most days.
Usually, my work starts with a small germ of an idea. For example, when I started writing my novel “Stake-Out”, all I did was have one thought: what if a cop’s perp turned out to be a vampire? All I had was an idea for the prologue, and it wound up turning into something I plan on making into four novels. I don’t ever feel like I’m creating anything. It’s more like this is the characters’ story, and I’m simply here to be their vessel to get their story heard.
I usually write late at night; I feel more alive then. I try to set a daily goal of two thousand words a day, and sometimes I actually make it! 😉
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I don’t talk to my characters: they talk to me. They tell me their stories, their fears and their desires. I simple translate them onto the page and give them a bit more detail. I never “create” characters. They usually seem to create themselves. In my upcoming short story “The Devil’s Dozen” (coming in the anthology Death, Love and Lust from Hot Ink Press), for example, I was laying in bed, sick, and suddenly I “met” Claire and saw her story play out in my mind like a movie. It was amazing, and I never once had to come up with anything, except for the name of the girl Claire meets (that was not given to me; thanks, Claire!).
What advice would you give other writers?
Number one: DO NOT GIVE UP! I have been submitting my books to publishers for over five years before Vamptasy Publishing agreed to publish my novel. I got a series of rejections (some polite, many form letters and some so mean I cried for days). I almost gave up, but thankfully I have a wonderful, supportive mother who didn’t let me.
Number two: read. A lot. The more different books you read, the better idea you will have of what kind of book you want to write. I run a book blog where I read up to three books per week. It helps expand the mind.
Number three: don’t write a book because you think it will get you sales. If you don’t like erotica, say, but think it will sell because of EL James, DO NOT WRITE IT! It will be flat and uninspired, and that will translate easily to your readers. Be yourself in your work, and always write a book you would pick to read for pleasure.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I always wanted to have a company behind me. Sure, self-publishing would have been simpler, but I think I would have rather been able to say, “Wow. Someone liked my work so much, they want to put it out there for the world to see.” Vamptasy Publishing has been a wonderful home for me. I have published a short story in an anthology with their mother company, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, and another with their subsidiary Hot Ink Press. The people are wonderful and they are very professional.
Publishing a book yourself or with a small press (like I did) means a LOT of work for the author. I spend about four hours a day on promo, and spend about $25 a month just on advertisements. It is a wonderful investment of time and money, however. Writing IS work, but it is very satisfying work.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think ebooks will keep rising in popularity, and I think erotica will eventually be the top seller of all genres. I don’t write romance well (I prefer horror), and I don’t read it very often, but I completely understand its appeal. My hope is that the other genres (horror, mystery and the like) will again see their day at the top of the charts.
I think YA will also get even bigger. We have seen amazing things happen in the young adult genre with Divergent and The Hunger Games, and I think that will keep snowballing.
What I really want to see is more strong female protagonists in fiction. Women who don’t need anyone for assistance, women girls can look up to.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Paranormal, horror, mystery, thriller, supernatural, fantasy
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Lily Luchesi Home Page Link
Link To Lily Luchesi Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
