Guest Author Interview - Lori Foster
Happy Friday everyone! We have a special guest with us today - Lori Foster! Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a Waldenbooks, Borders, USA Today, Publisher's Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin's, Harlequin, Silhouette and Samhain. She is currently with Berkley/Jove.Let's dive into some questions!
1. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?[Lori said:] I'm very involved with my family, so anything fun with them is perfect. Every Sunday is dedicated to "family day" and the kids come by with their significant others, and my grandson... it's always enjoyable. But other than Sunday, I love to be near water. I love to boat and water ski and swim... You can probably tell by the number of lakes I write into my books that I love life near a lake. J Coffee tastes better while watching the sun rise over the water. Evenings are more peaceful seeing the moon reflect on the lake. Water is such a calming influence.
2. What books are sitting in your TBR pile right now? What book are you currently reading?[Lori said:] I recently located some oldies by some of my favorite authors, so I'm re-reading a bunch of those! Linda Howard, Catherine Coulter, Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell... I love revisiting characters. But I also keep up with Kresley Cole. LOVE her work.
3. Please, share something you found most interesting or fun that you did to research for a book.
[Lori said:] I've taken police seminars to learn about current threats, procedures, etc... I also did a ride-along (more than one, actually) with police to see the happenings, to sort of soak up their routines and how they react to things. I'm very, very nervous around guns – and especially nervous around tasers! But I love talking with police officers and fire fighters and getting their take on things.
4. How did you come up with names - or - setting - or - character occupations - or - plot, etc. for Buckhorn Beginnings?
[Lori said:] Buckhorn Beginnings is a reissue of two older books (part of a 5 book series – others will be reissued soon) and back when I first wrote those books, coming up with original but "normal" names was easier. Sawyer, Morgan, Gabe, Jordan, and Casey... those were the original titles – just names, and I LOVE those names still. They were probably favorites left over from back when I chose names for my sons. These days, after 80 some books, it is MUCH harder to find names I love.
The setting... well, see question #1. I LOVE lakes. Growing up, I spent every summer on a lake in Williamstown, Kentucky. When we woke in the morning we put on our swimsuits and left them on until we changed into our PJs at night. It wasn't really a summer house, more like a tiny fishing cabin – one bedroom (Mom and Dad slept on a fold-out couch) with a small, L-shaped kitchen, dining, sitting area. We lived on the deck and the dock. LOL.
Now I have my own lake house and I STILL love it. So often, when I'm plotting, the characters just somehow end up near lakes. My muse must like lake-life as much as I do!
Occupations for the Buckhorn Brothers (original series name for Sawyer, Morgan, Gabe, Jordan and Casey) was easy too, because they were influential to their small town. That meant doctor, sheriff, vet... and then a handyman. J All vital to the denizens, all "go to" guys.
[Lori said:] Horror! Always my #1 pick. The scarier the better. A cheesy scary movie is better than an okay adventure or comedy.
But after horror, I'd go with action adventure, and then comedy, and then romantic comedy. Dramas are out – I have no patience for them. Anything that I KNOW will make me cry? Forget it.
But hubby and I are huge movie buffs and we go at least once a week, often more if there are movies we want to see. Twice a week is the norm for us. About the only time I'm not plotting on a book is when I'm sitting in a theater watching a GOOD movie. (If the movie isn't good, odds are I'll be plotting again. LOL)
Thanks for the great questions! I have one for readers: Which of my secondary characters would they like to see have a book? It's not uncommon for characters to resonate with readers in a way that they don't with me. I see them strictly as supporting characters, and readers will see them as a lead.
Along the same lines, which of my series would they like to see continued with other characters? Seems every time I end a series, readers ask me for more – when I don't have more. So I'm curious, if you could see me continue a series, which one would it be?
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
Lori
