About Loreen James-Fisher:
I was raised in Los Angeles, CA and have two daughters. When I’m not reading or writing, I enjoy watching movies, baking and crafting. I am the author of the Back Down Memory Lane Series which includes the books: “I Don’t Want to Lose You;” “It Ain’t Over til It’s Over;” “Someone to Love You;” and “Can You Stand the Rain.”
What inspires you to write?
When I was a little girl, I stuttered a lot and chose to write my thoughts down instead of verbalizing them to keep from embarrassing myself. Although I had speech therapy for two years to help me get over my impediment, I found a love and couldn’t let it go. It just felt like I had so much in me that I had to let out. By the time I was in the sixth grade, I had already written my first novel and had classmates who were my first fans. I enjoy being able to tell a story and getting a reaction to what came from my imagination. It’s the reaction that inspires me.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am definitely a seat of the pants writer. I start off writing knowing what I pretty much want to have in the story somewhere at some point and how I want it to end. I sit down and just type and let the characters guide me through what happens as long as they accomplish what I had wanted them to do along the way. Sometimes the ladies in this series take even me on a roller coaster ride.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters as I am typing. Sometimes the things that they say and do surprise me and I make comments to them as though they can hear me. I know that if the characters are garnering this type of reaction from me then I will be reaching my readers….and they’ll probably be talking aloud to them too!
What advice would you give other writers?
I would advise not to take away the reader’s right to use their imagination. Some writers like to be so descriptive about how someone looked or how the way a room looked that there is nothing left for the reader to imagine on their own. I personally believe in giving enough of a description to get the point across and keep on moving. A paragraph doesn’t need to be dedicated towards a description of something or someone unless it is gargantuan in size (and even that word gets the point across.)
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I went with the route of self publishing because I knew that I had good stories to tell and believed that people would enjoy reading them. While I would have loved the backing of a big publishing company to reach the masses, I didn’t want to deal with their rejection when it is the readers I am trying to please. I simply wanted to be able to put my work out for people to enjoy and do things at my pace. I would advise new authors to go the route that is comfortable for them and allows them to stay true to who they are.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
The future of book publishing scares me a bit. I have always enjoyed the feel of a book in my hands and the smell of the paper. My fear is that technology is going to have us lose the actual book and we will have to access publications online. I would miss being able to hold a book and turning it’s pages, falling asleep while clutching it. I am hoping that we can continue to have the option of paper/hard back books and ebooks for as long as possible.
What genres do you write?: Romance, African American, Young Adult, Contemporary, Women
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Your Social Media Links
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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.
