Lisa Terry's Blog
February 24, 2021
Free for a limited time
We decided to make it easier to lose yourself in the TROUBLE series by making the first book free. But, friends, it won't last forever.
Starting tomorrow all TROUBLE ebooks are free. Get started so you won't be behind when the next in the series comes out.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GCV9T7J/...
Starting tomorrow all TROUBLE ebooks are free. Get started so you won't be behind when the next in the series comes out.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GCV9T7J/...
January 25, 2021
What Do I Hope Readers Take From My Books?
Of course, I’m like most authors in that I want to offer a form of escapism when they delve into my stories. But, also like most authors, I want to offer something else that can enrich a person’s life. I can’t say that I have some kind of lesson on morality that I offer, though my characters sometimes end up learning such lessons of their own accord. However, I feel like common threads throughout my books are that happiness is as varied as the people chasing it.
It’s no secret that I write Young Adult fiction, and within that age bracket comes common worries: what do I want to be when I grow up, what will make me happy, how can I ensure success?
My goal is to paint success in its many and varied forms.
Obviously, there is the tried and true success story of college entry, graduation, job. But what about the boy who thinks he doesn’t want college? The girl who already knows she wants to continue with the welding artistry that she’s already begun. The boy who wraps cars in experimental designs. The one who wants to change a major two years into the program.
This age is an intense one because of the life-long decisions being made. I think it’s important to give readers from this age-group the “permission” to choose their own direction by way of characters who do the same. To let societal norms take a back seat and put their own passions in the driver’s seat.
I have two daughters, one with a college degree that was required to do the work that she’d always dreamed of doing, the other has a license to do the work she had a passion for. I’m fiercely proud of both of them. I consider them equally successful because they are equally happy individuals.
It’s no secret that I write Young Adult fiction, and within that age bracket comes common worries: what do I want to be when I grow up, what will make me happy, how can I ensure success?
My goal is to paint success in its many and varied forms.
Obviously, there is the tried and true success story of college entry, graduation, job. But what about the boy who thinks he doesn’t want college? The girl who already knows she wants to continue with the welding artistry that she’s already begun. The boy who wraps cars in experimental designs. The one who wants to change a major two years into the program.
This age is an intense one because of the life-long decisions being made. I think it’s important to give readers from this age-group the “permission” to choose their own direction by way of characters who do the same. To let societal norms take a back seat and put their own passions in the driver’s seat.
I have two daughters, one with a college degree that was required to do the work that she’d always dreamed of doing, the other has a license to do the work she had a passion for. I’m fiercely proud of both of them. I consider them equally successful because they are equally happy individuals.
October 31, 2020
Settings
One of my favorite things about reading a book is that I get to visit different places.
It’s possible that I’ve been to these towns before, but I’ve never been to that character’s house, that community, I’ve never seen it through the character’s eyes.
I love it when a book does a good job at making me feel like I’ve been there. But when the book is great, I will usually want more. That’s one of the biggest reasons I jumped into the nomadic lifestyle. I had to visit this island that Anne made me fall in love with. And I had to experience the Pacific Northwest, an area so foggy that ghosts seemly form in the mist just over your shoulder. And I couldn't go any longer without walking along the rolling hills of Montana and Wyoming, hearing the soft swish of tall grass blown by the wind. I needed to walk in the French countryside with stone walls echoing war cries from the past, visit the patisserie with open loaves of bread.
If you'd like to see pictures of some of my travels, they're on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lisaterryaut...
I'd love to hear about your favorite book settings.
It’s possible that I’ve been to these towns before, but I’ve never been to that character’s house, that community, I’ve never seen it through the character’s eyes.
I love it when a book does a good job at making me feel like I’ve been there. But when the book is great, I will usually want more. That’s one of the biggest reasons I jumped into the nomadic lifestyle. I had to visit this island that Anne made me fall in love with. And I had to experience the Pacific Northwest, an area so foggy that ghosts seemly form in the mist just over your shoulder. And I couldn't go any longer without walking along the rolling hills of Montana and Wyoming, hearing the soft swish of tall grass blown by the wind. I needed to walk in the French countryside with stone walls echoing war cries from the past, visit the patisserie with open loaves of bread.
If you'd like to see pictures of some of my travels, they're on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lisaterryaut...
I'd love to hear about your favorite book settings.
October 24, 2020
I live in a van
Right now in San Francisco.
I’m not going through financial hardship. I don’t have a mental illness. And I’m not trying to prove a point. This is a life I choose, and keep choosing every day.
I used to live a “stable” life. I rented a few apartments, but they don’t appreciate it when you break the
lease. Who knew? I owned a house at one time, but staying in one place all the time bored me out of my mind. I drove an RV for awhile, but that was a pain in the butt.
Enter the van.
I’ve been wanting to share some things about me with my readers, but up until now I wasn’t sure what. Selling books in this day and age isn’t about just the words on the page, it’s about selling yourself, too. Building a connection, sharing relevant details, standing out. I was talking about it to a friend the other day. “You need to share more about your life with readers,” he said.
“Like what? Nothing interesting here.”
He laughed at me.
“Traveling? Lots of people travel. Hello, travel writers?”
“No. You live in a van! There’s your interesting.”
And I realized that I’ve been living the turtle lifestyle so long that it didn’t seem unique anymore. And
part of me still thinks that if you really find that unique, then you must be subscribing to a different set of YouTube channels than I am. But my friend is right - this is a different way of life, and most people will never experience it. So here it is.
I live in my van.
I’m a writer.
And I’d like to tell you about it.
I’m not going through financial hardship. I don’t have a mental illness. And I’m not trying to prove a point. This is a life I choose, and keep choosing every day.
I used to live a “stable” life. I rented a few apartments, but they don’t appreciate it when you break the
lease. Who knew? I owned a house at one time, but staying in one place all the time bored me out of my mind. I drove an RV for awhile, but that was a pain in the butt.
Enter the van.
I’ve been wanting to share some things about me with my readers, but up until now I wasn’t sure what. Selling books in this day and age isn’t about just the words on the page, it’s about selling yourself, too. Building a connection, sharing relevant details, standing out. I was talking about it to a friend the other day. “You need to share more about your life with readers,” he said.
“Like what? Nothing interesting here.”
He laughed at me.
“Traveling? Lots of people travel. Hello, travel writers?”
“No. You live in a van! There’s your interesting.”
And I realized that I’ve been living the turtle lifestyle so long that it didn’t seem unique anymore. And
part of me still thinks that if you really find that unique, then you must be subscribing to a different set of YouTube channels than I am. But my friend is right - this is a different way of life, and most people will never experience it. So here it is.
I live in my van.
I’m a writer.
And I’d like to tell you about it.
April 3, 2016
Free books
All of my books are free this weekend. Get them by Monday midnight.
