Guest Author: Lori Foster
Today’s
guest received a coveted RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for both her
Romantic Fantasy Series and Contemporary romance, and is a New York Times, USA
Today and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author with in excess of 100 titles.
In 2002, her novel “Too Much Temptation” was Amazon’s top-selling romance of
the year. She’s been a ‘clue’ in both the New York Times crossword puzzle and
USA Today Quick-cross puzzle and is an avid supporter of charities, especially
through her Reader Author Get Together (RAGT) to raise much-needed funds for
some of her favourite charities, and by donating all the royalties and advances
from specific titles to charities.
It’s
a huge honour to welcome Lori Foster to the blog today.
Lori, thank you so much for your time!
Thank you!
I love every opportunity to chat with readers. J
Can you tell us a little about your next release and whether it posed any particular challenges for you?
My last release was COOPER’S CHARM, out in
July, about a small-town romance set in a vacation resort. Cooper Cochran owns
the resort, and Phoenix Rose goes there to work as a grounds keeper after a
traumatic event in her life.
The RV resort is a good place to be safely among
others, while also able to be alone. Phoenix needs to heal, and the peaceful
surrounds seem like the perfect place. She hopes to find herself again, the
strong, independent woman she was before an awful attack. She never expected to
find more.
Cooper bought the resort after his wife passed
when he, too, needed a means to go forward despite incredible heartache. He
understands Phoenix, but more than that, he’s drawn to her in ways that has
nothing to do with her grief. While they’re each searching for something
different, they find their soul mates...in each other.
This story is on my bookshelf but I have to confess I haven't read it yet. I'm going to treat myself when my next story is finished.
When you’ve submitted a story, do you give
yourself a few days/week off or do you dive straight into the next project?
Ha! I sometimes wish I had enough free time to
take a few days off, but alas, my schedule is always stacked so I dive right in
to the next book. Honestly, it works out okay because I’m a natural-born spaz
and if I wasn’t writing, I’d be plotting. In fact, I pretty much plot all the
time. ;-)
It sure is hard to switch off the 'author brain'!
You’ve said that Martin Luther King is your hero, so if you had the chance to invite three famous people (alive or deceased) to a dinner party, I’m guessing he’d be your number one choice. Which other two famous people would you love to host at the dinner party?
Oh, how I’d love to sit with MLK! How amazing
would that be?
Mother Teresa is another I’d love to visit (although I’m most
definitely not Catholic). Lastly, I’d say Helen Keller. Each of them offered so
much inspiration and love to others.
Three very inspiring people!
I’ve read that you love nature, and lakes, and
that you and your husband aren’t big travellers and would rather not travel
long distances (particularly as you have animals at home you need to look
after). Do you have any camping tales you’d like to share—either something
funny or something particularly memorable?
We do love nature! We have a lake house (2
actually – one that I use and one I offer to family when they visit) and we
have an RV. Our lake houses are close – only 40 minutes away – so we can get
there often. The RV is for comfortable travel whenever we go on vacation (or a
business trip) within driving distance. I mostly detest flying. Like really,
truly detest it. When my hubs and I find time to get away, we have wonderful
people who stay with our pets in our house, but we enjoy a lot of day trips,
like Hocking Hills, Cumberland Falls, The Natural Bridge, etc...
In the past, before we bought the lake houses,
we loved taking the RV to local RV resorts (similar to the one in COOPER’S
CHARM) where we could park by a lake or woods. RV resorts are amazing! Home
away from home with so many friendly, helpful people.
For a funny story, I remember going to a river
rafting place where we rented a cabin. Only when we got there, no one was
anywhere around. There was a key hanging on the door, a clogged toilet inside,
the creek was dry – meaning no rafting – and the heat was out. A cold spell had
settled in and the weather had changed overnight!
We repeatedly called the number of the rental
place, but never got an answer. My husband had to walk up to a restaurant to
borrow a plunger for the toilet - the image of him carrying it back will remain
forever in my brain! He was like a conquering hero, really po’d, determined to
prevail, uncaring what anyone else thought.
Because it was unseasonably cold, each morning
he’d wake up before me, put on a flannel shirt to warm it up, then give it to
me to wear like a robe so I could bear to get out of the bed. (Our 3 sons were
a little hardier than me.)
In the evening, we’d sit outside with the kids
around a bon fire and listen to things rustling in the woods. Raccoons or
somesuch, I’m sure, although we made up super-scary stories to stay
entertained.
In the end, it was a memorable vacation, but
definitely not what we’d planned – and yes, we got reimbursed for everything
after all the snafus!
Oh gosh! That's sounds a little like a Griswald family holiday!!
What’s next for you as an author?
My next new release is DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION,
out Nov 20th. I love, love, loooove
Brodie Crews. He’s my new favorite hero. Big, badass, outspoken and brutally
honest, unashamed of his sexuality and caring to a fault. A super-loyal family
man. A defender of the underdog (literally) and all around outrageous. He was
loads of fun to write – especially when paired with the heroine, Mary, who made
me cry several times.
Brodie is co-owners of the Mustang Transport
Courier Service with his brother Jack. (Jack’s book, SLOW RIDE, is after
Brodie’s. I *just* finished it.)
Mary works for a murderabilia collector and
hires Brodie to be the exclusive driver for his acquisitions - always
accompanied by Mary. Together, they were just too much fun to write.
Just LOVE the cover!! I'll look forward to this one too.
It won't be unusual to have two of your books on my TBR pile!! I just wish there were more hours in the day to keep up with all the wonderful stories being published by all the talented authors whose stories I love to read.
Thank you again, Lori. I hope to have a chance
to meet you in person one day, but for now, I’ll keep enjoying your stories!
Thank you so much! I’d love to meet you as
well. You should come to my annual event (each June) called the Reader Author
Get Together. You’d meet a lot more authors to interview. For 2019, Christine
Feehan is one of our valued guests. Good times ahead!
The Reader Author Get Together sounds great - I'll shoot for 2021, the year our youngest will have finished high school! Will definitely get back to you on that one.
Great Christine is signed up for 2019. I don't generally announce my guest authors until a week prior to the blog going live, but as you mention Christine...she will be a guest here on the blog on 6th of October!
Until then, Happy Reading! I hope you can get through more books on your TBR pile than I do!
Best wishes,
Alyssa J. Montgomery
http://www.alyssajmontgomery.com/
_________________________________________________________________________
About the Blogger:
Alyssa J. Montgomery is an Australian contemporary romance author who is published by Escape Publishing (Harlequin Enterprises, Australia). She also
writes medieval romance as Alyssa James,
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