About Marie Lavender:
Bestselling multi-genre author of UPON YOUR RETURN and 22 other books. March 2016 Empress of the Universe title – winner of the “Broken Heart” themed contest and the “I Love You” themed contest on Poetry Universe. SECOND CHANCE HEART and A LITTLE MAGICK placed in the TOP 10 on the 2015 P&E Readers’ Poll. Nominated in the TRR Readers’ Choice Awards for Winter 2015. Poetry winner of the 2015 PnPAuthors Contest. The Versatile Blogger Award for 2015. Honorable Mention in the 2014 BTS Red Carpet Book Awards. Finalist and Runner-up in the 2014 MARSocial’s Author of the Year Competition. Honorable mention in the January 2014 Reader’s Choice Award. Liebster Blogger Award for 2013 and 2014. Top 10 Authors on AuthorsDB.com. Winner of the Great One Liners Contest on the Directory of Published Authors.
Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats. She has been writing for over twenty years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 23 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction and poetry. She has also contributed to several anthologies. Her current published series are The Heiresses in Love Series, The Magick Series, The Code of Endhivar Series and The Blood at First Sight Series.
What inspires you to write?
I can be inspired by many things – people, current events, just something that touches me deeply. I think that sometimes those ideas get stored away in my head for another time, but they are still there, stewing like a soup, until they finally come out on the page.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am both pantster and plotter. At first, random scenes come to me, and they can be in any order in the book. Once I’ve written enough, I can do a full outline to keep myself on track. I start researching, and when I’m in the last leg of writing the novel, I do character worksheets, getting to know my characters a lot better. This gives me the ability to add certain details back in, to flesh out the characters so they become three dimensional on the page.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I definitely listen to my characters. More often than not, they have guided me into scenes and plot elements that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Do I talk to my characters? Hmm…maybe. I don’t want you to think I’m crazy. I guess it’s more like, “Character, would you really do this in life?” Then I let everything flow naturally.
What advice would you give other writers?
Learn everything you can about writing in your genre. But, read books just as much. You will pick things up naturally, and develop your own style. Form a website and a blog early on, before you’re even published, so that you can really get into them when you’re published. I think it’s harder to learn how to do things like that later. Learn about how to market your books effectively as well. You’ll want to know this information in case your publisher expects you to do that yourself. And if by some miracle they don’t, you’ll have a better idea of what goes into it.
Be persistent and persevere, but don’t be a pain in the ass. LOL. Cradle and protect your writing dream, as you would a newborn child. Preserve it like a lifeline and you won’t regret it. Oh, and always, always remember why you started writing in the first place. That will often get you through the dark times during your journey.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Most of my series’ books were published through my publisher. I have also self-published. I always wanted to be published traditionally, but I don’t mind exploring the option of doing it on my own from time to time.
Never give up on your dream. As well, don’t be afraid to try something new. If you’re going to dip your toes in the water of self-publishing, try it with a short story or novella. See if it’s a good fit for you.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think we will continue to see e-books and new technologies that make it even easier to read them. I don’t know if print books will go out of style. I guess I am a Luddite in that regard. I still love holding an actual book in my hands, collecting them on my bookshelf. I love ordering new books and receiving them in the mail. I doubt I’ll ever stop liking that, though I do read e-books from time to time.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction, poetry, comedy, time travel, dystopian, sagas, drama, erotic romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Marie Lavender Home Page Link
Link To Marie Lavender Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn
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.
