Happy Monday, Everyone!
I would like introduce a wonderful new author, my fellow Crimson Romance sister, J.L. Lora.
This is Jay's first visit to my blog and I'm so happy to have her. Boss, Janny's debut novel releases today!!! Isn't her cover just gorgeous, and so sexy.
Determined to avoid the violence that claimed her family and friends, Carissa Elliott flees her hometown with a dangerous plan. She has proof that mafia boss Calum DeMateo killed her father—now she just has to catch him. To do so, she’ll have to transform herself from small-town ingénue to New York mafia queen.
When her path crosses with Alec McLean, the sexy stranger with whom she once shared a steamy nightclub kiss, things take an unexpected turn. Alec heads his family’s criminal organization, the kind of man Carissa should want nothing to do with. But he also has a plan to take down Calum, and the flames that flicker between them are irresistible.
Will their vengeful quests jeopardize their chance at lasting love?
To start off this interview, tell us a little about yourself so my readers to get to know the person behind the writer.
Thank
you so much for having me! I was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in
New York. I’ve always loved writing and told anyone who would listen
that someday I would do this for a living. I explore some dark themes in my
writing and my villains are the worse but my life doesn’t reflect any of that. Thankfully. I have a beautiful, supportive family, awesome
group of friends, a cat and some people would call me sweet. So yeah, figures I
would write criminals and the shaded corners of life. Right? I crack myself up.
It
makes me laugh. What I have in common with the characters I write is their
fierce loyalty and their ties to each other, and the girls love of fashion.
What's not to love about fashion. And just for the record, I'm considered 'sweet' as well and write horrible villains. Tell us a little bit about how you came to write Boss?
You
know, I’ve always had this love for movies and books about organized crime. I
think it happened since I watched the Godfather Saga with my dad and every time
we come across it, we watch it. It’s been like a million times. I also heard
about the story of Teresa Mendoza, the Queen of the South, and I got to
thinking about this young woman. The scene that came to me happens in the
second half of the book and then it unfolded into this story. I met Carissa and
Alec at a point where things were super-duper complicated for both of them and
with every chapter I wrote, I got to know them better and better. And
eventually the Trinity revealed itself to me.
Everyone, this is Janny's hero and heroine, Alec and Carissa.
The hardest part about writing this novel
is balance. I wanted to honor both their less than good citizen side while
showing them as complex and relatable while keeping them in character. When you
write, you get feedback and it can pull you in all different angles. Trusting
yourself and your story becomes a struggle. The hardest part for me was
discerning the advice and figuring out what I was willing and unwilling to
change.
Then, in comes your developmental editor
and the discussion opens and broadens. You know how that goes!
I agree with you about trusting yourself and the story you are trying to tell. There are times I want to scream from the rooftops, "Please world, leave my story alone." But I don't, and am always surprised that the different angles really do bring everything to a whole new level. So, tell me, when did you realize you wanted
to be a writer?
In 5th grade. I wrote an
impromptu poem for a school event, and though I had written stories before,
that was the first time I knew I would do it.
Do you believe writers are born
or made?
I think both. Some writers are born and
others develop the skill along the way. Either way, you have to work at it and
hard. Born and developed writers should take classes, workshops, seminars and
engage with other writers to benefit their craft.
How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for a writing
career?
We
are a product of our experiences. If I had not gone away to college on my own,
away from family, I wouldn’t have met the close friendships. I would have not
been part of families away from family, which is a predominant theme in my
trilogy. I also learn about friendships and people who are as thick as your own
blood is to you. It prepared me for my move to Maryland and for life as a
writer. Life has taught me about resilience, about sometimes having to make
hard choices, heartbreak, and taking charge of what you want in life.
Personally, I so thrilled your experiences brought you into my state. What is your ideal writing space?
Nancy, I think about this, A LOT. I want a
view. Something’s spectacular. Be it a beautiful lake outside a house, with a
wall made of full glass or on a high riser where you can see the city and the water
or the view of the beach with pristine turquoise water. Of course, there will
be tufted couches and Queen Anne Chairs, mirrors, a fireplace, and decanters of
course!
What moment in this journey are you most proud?
How dedicated I am. Because sometimes even surprises me. Friends can talk me into hanging out on a work night. But since I got serious about my writing career I can say no because I have to write, or edit. I have made writing and my books a priority in my life, and when I see my writing evolve little by little, it’s a source of great pride. Just to clarify, I am not saying I am this great writer but my writing has come a long way and it has many many miles to go, but I’m enjoying the journey as a whole and take pride in the smaller steps.
Jay, you should be proud of what you have accomplished. You had a dream---wanted something just out of your reach, and you fought hard to make it come true.
Now for a few giggles...
Now for a few giggles...
There is someone you will never
meet but whom you desperately need for them to know who you are. The only way
to communicate with them is to send them a box with three items. What would
those three ideas be?
My favorite earrings (Swarovski crystal
danglers – a gift from my best friend John), a copy of Boss, and a copy of
Jay-Z’s The Black Album.
The reason is I’m a mixture of super,
ultra, uber, girly but I’m also tough. Not necessarily beat-you-down tough but
I can be lethal when you give me a keyboard or a pen. The Black Album because it’s really sleek and
witty and that’s how I see my characters. They’re this mixture of tough, witty,
sarcastic bunch.
LOL! I love the uber girly. Here is another one: You’re going into battle. What are you writing, who are you fighting
and what is your weapon?
I’m
writing alpha men and women, who embrace love and partners at their level. I’m
fighting a society that thinks women need to be saved and we need a hero and
that men need to be threatened by a woman just as strong. Women who can save
themselves, be their own heroes … and be the ones to save their men sometimes, but are not too prideful to take some help!
Go girl...woman power. If you had to replace one body part with a household tool or appliance, what body part would you replace and what would you replace it with?
I
would turn my foot into a flexible transforming body part, one that can scan
the mail and automatically schedule bill payments and house repairs, and make
sure the day to day things are taken care of because God knows I don’t want to
deal with any of it!
OH... I love that. And can say, you are the first guest who has answer that question. Awesome!! Here is the last one:
OH... I love that. And can say, you are the first guest who has answer that question. Awesome!! Here is the last one:
Write a love story in eight words.
Don’t need you but, can’t breathe without you.
Again, LOVE IT!! I mean, what else to you need. Last big question. What is the best advice you
would give aspiring authors?
Don’t wait to start writing but remember that it
goes hand in hand with education. Take writing classes. There are good and
affordable places. Read a couple of good books on writing. The writing
resources not there to take away your writing voice but to enhance it. Work at
it.
What is up next for you?
Finished book three and am editing book two
right now. I am hoping to have it done by April and publish them both this
year. What’s coming for the subsequent books in the Trinity series is fun,
surprising, heartbreaking.
Where can readers find out more about your book and yourself?
My
website definitely: www.JLLora.com and my social
media links:
~~~
If anyone has a question for J.L. Lora, please don't be shy. Just leave a comment below [little pencil]. If that isn't working for you, shoot me an email HERE and I'll pass it along to Jay.
That's all for now. I hope everyone has a great week and finds a moment to read a great book.
Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
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