About Lori Soard:
Lori Soard has a PhD in Journalism and Creative Writing, but she’s hardly the stuffy professor type. She loves nothing better than a good romantic comedy and thinks the good guy should always win and the ending should always be happy.
From an early age, Lori started honing her story telling skills. As a kid she was rarely seen without a book in her hand, even walking and reading at the same time. Her first stories were about the world around her. At twenty she wrote her first novel, which she admits was horrible. At twenty-one, she sold her first article to a local newspaper. Once she got that taste of having others read her work and realizing that she could reach others and touch their hearts, there was no turning back for this natural born writer.
“If I can make someone’s day just a tiny bit better,” Lori says, “if I can make them smile even though they are sad, make them think things could be better, make them understand how much God loves them, then I have accomplished something. I write my stories, articles and books with that one person in mind who really needs the message. If I can change one person’s perspective, then I’ve succeeded.”
Lori is a life-long Hoosier and lives in southern Indiana with her two daughters, husband and beloved pets. “During the extreme low points in life, it has been my animals that have seen me through. There is nothing like the deep devotion of a dog or the unconditional love of a cat.” Lori adores animals and while some of her dear friends have crossed over the Rainbow Bridge she will always stand by her belief that animals make the world a better place.
Lori’s author website is at lorisoard.com. She loves to hear from her readers and blogs regularly.
What inspires you to write?
I can get inspiration from a conversation with a friend or from a song on the radio. For example, when I wrote Picking Up Cowboys, I had been driving and listening to country music. I saw a hitchhiker on the side of the road and the title of the book came to me. I had the title before the characters for that one. However, when I wrote Dear Viking, I had dreamed the scene near the beginning where the heroine sees the hero up on a hill at night and he is lit up with lightning. That scene was so vivid and clear to me and then the backstory filled in later. I never know when an idea might strike or what might inspire me, so I just get out there and live my life and pay attention.
Tell us about your writing process.
My style has changed a little. I used to be a major outlining, using a storyboard, character charts, etc. However, the longer I write the less I seem to do these things. Now, I tend to start the story and get a few chapters in. Then, I will still do a basic character chart. There is nothing worse than starting off with a character with say brown eyes and then halfway through the story his eyes turn green. A chart keeps me on track.
I also do a lot of plotting work at the end, seeing if there are any holes in my story that need fixed. I often use a story board for this process.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I do listen to my characters. I will daydream about them when I am working on a project. However, you have to be careful not to let them completely take over. You still have to be in control of the story. One example is the character in my latest series. She is in her 80s, completely cantankerous, and is a hoot. She would have completely taken over my story if I had let her. However, the book is a romance and is about two people falling in love and not Libby Henderson’s crazy antics. So, I had to rein her in. She will appear in later books in the Cupid’s Crossing series, though, so she is still talking to me.
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t let other people’s words discourage you. I have one writing friend who hates a poor review and worries if the reader really didn’t like her book. You can be certain that if you write a book, someone will hate it. You can also be certain that someone will love it. Do the best you can. Get good editors and people to give you feedback and then ignore those reviews. Don’t even read them.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I started off in ebooks before ebooks were cool and then was published traditionally by Thorndike/Five Star. I then was with a small press for a number of years. However, the landscape of publishing has changed so very much. What worked 15 years ago does not work as well today. I’m not at all opposed to being with a larger publisher if they are going to help me with promotion and come alongside me and work as a team. However, I found with the small press that I was doing all the promotion and work and they were benefiting from my efforts far more than I was. I have all the rights back and have been rereleasing old titles. So far it is going really well and I love having complete control over the finished product.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think ebooks will continue their upward climb. Paperback will continue a downward decline. I love the way a book smells, too. I love the idea and the romance of a book you hold in you hand. At the same time, I adore my Kindle. It is fun to take it on a road trip and have dozens of books on there and the ability to download more. I think as the younger generation comes up, the technologically savvy one, that you will see fewer and fewer paper books.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer
What genres do you write?: Romance and Young Adult
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Lori Soard Home Page Link
Link To Lori Soard Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
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.
