Lost And Found
Today I am most thrilled to have Lori Otto as my Wednesday Guest. She’s here talking about her book, Lost And Found. It’s the first in her Emi Lost & Found series of contemporary romances, and from what I’ve read she has a knack for creating strong characters and situations that keep you turning the pages. She was gracious enough to answer my interview questions, and will be giving away a copy of Lost And Found to a lucky visitor of my blog, so leave us a comment at the end. Also, there’s a rafflecopter widget where you can enter to win the tour’s grand prize, the set of all three Emi Lost & Found books!
LR: What’s the most compelling thing about Emi and Nate, the thing that’s kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?
LO: I think just creating a strong dynamic between them, and making sure there was enough chemistry to convince the readers that they should be together. Working up to the end of Lost and Found was incredibly difficult, knowing what comes in the next book.
LR: If you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be? What’s had the most impact on your work?
LO: I would recommend the book No Plot, No Problem, which was written by Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo. This book gives you the freedom to write what’s in you; to write in the moment with no fear of judgment. I would also recommend participating in NaNoWriMo. I’m a 4-year winner, and I feel such a sense of accomplishment every November. It teaches you to set goals, and to hold yourself accountable to those goals.
LR: I notice that at least some of your characters are artists. What appeals to you about that character type?
LO: I am incredibly emotional, and my writing has a way of conveying the feelings of characters in a very realistic way that has the reader feeling right along with the story. I have always had the strongest connections with artists, and whether it’s true or not, I believe that artists are more confident and comfortable displaying their emotions. My first love was emotional, and set the bar pretty high for all the men after him. He wasn’t afraid of feeling. He would talk about his feelings, and he was always considerate and compassionate when listening to mine. He was a musician and a painter (but the similarities to Nate end there).
LR: Clutter or quiet? Describe your perfect writing situation.
LO: I prefer a setting where I can control the noise. Ideally, I’d be in alone in a clutter-free environment (or at least a very organized one) listening to music. Do I get to write like that often? No. I used to work in a very high-traffic retail environment, and became accustomed to writing with a lot going on around me. I can tune everyone out now, which is great when writing, but not so great in my ‘real’ job.
LR: How much time do you spend writing? If you didn’t have to work a day job, how much time would you spend?
LO: I don’t write often enough. Maybe a total of 10 hours a week either writing or reading through edits. I used to write for about 25 hours a week, and I hope to get back to that. If I didn’t have to work the day job, though, I’d probably spend more than 40 hours writing every week.
LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? Like, are you a closet marathon runner? Could you crochet a house-cozy if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on Antiques Roadshow?
LO: I like to watch television. I don’t have cable anymore, though, so I’m very selective about what I watch and when I watch. I limit myself to about an hour a day during the week. I like dramas (family dramas like Parenthood and Downton Abbey) and off-beat comedies (30 Rock and Arrested Development). I also like Aaron Sorkin dramas, so West Wing and Studio 60 were mesmerizing to me. He writes brilliant dialogue.
LR: Football, basketball, baseball or soccer? Which one gets your blood moving the fastest – or is there another sport you prefer?
LO: Hockey is my favorite sport, but I’m not very into it anymore. I like basketball, too. The rest… meh.
LR: I saw that you’re working on another set of books – sequels to the Emi Lost And Found series – as well as a sequel to Contessa. Now, that would be enough to keep most people busy, but do you have any other pet projects tucked away?
LO: I have a couple outtakes I’m considering writing, or scenes from other characters’ perspectives. I’m very ingrained in these series, though, and the characters they’ve spawned. Of course the Choisie series revolves around Livvy Holland, and then the other spin-off series will be about Steven Holland, Jack’s brother. Honestly, the Holland family intrigues me, and there are so many wonderful characters that ‘talk’ to me that I’m not sure I can ever leave them behind. (If you’ve only read Lost and Found, you probably don’t know these characters. Keep reading, though. You will.)
BLURB
This is the beginning of an atypical romance.
When artist Nate Wilson falls in love, he falls hard. The problem is, he’s only been in love once, and the girl of his affections is his best friend, Emi Hennigan. In high school, the two bonded over painful breakups, and swore off a relationship to save their friendship. Thirteen years later, Nate has had more than his share of emotionally-unfulfilling, sexual relationships with beautiful women to distract himself from his true romantic feelings.
When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity takes Nate away from his friend and his comfortable lifestyle, he is forced to reflect on the distinct void that Emi’s absence leaves in his life. To Nate’s surprise, Emi has a similar experience; but as the friends embark upon their journey toward happiness together, destiny reveals other plans for Emi.
EXCERPT
“You remember Emi,” I mention at the end of their conversation.
“Of course,” Samantha says with a small wave across the table at my friend.
“And that’s her date, Colin.” I refuse to call him her boyfriend.
“Pleasure,” he says, stretching his hand over my plate to shake hers.
“I’m Samantha,” she says to him. He nods once, returning to his appetizer. Pleasant guy. Real winner, Em.
I try to make eye contact with her to see what she thinks about his greeting, but she and Anna are laughing quietly together. Colin taps Emi on the shoulder once and holds a chip in front of her face.
“Taste this, babe,” he says to her. I catch myself cringing a second too late. He feeds her the chip, and she looks a little uncomfortable, her eyes meeting mine, then Chris’s. I fake a smile at her, then turn my attention to her brother.
“So, Colin,” he says, distracting him from feeding her any more food, at least for a few seconds. “Tell me what you do. Emi says you’re a writer?”
“Yeah, I write the sports column for the Journey News– LoHud– and I do some freelance now and then for Sports Illustrated.” One time he wrote an article for his hometown paper, and it was picked up by the well-known magazine. One time. I stave off my laughter and keep that fact to myself, not wanting anyone to know that I had done a little research on the guy.
“Any sport in particular?” I ask, joining the conversation.
“Football and baseball, mainly. I played both in college.”
“Really? Where?”
“SUNY,” he says.
“And what was your major?” I continue.
“Communications,” he says.
“Great, when did you graduate?” I already know the answer.
“I didn’t,” he begins, not an ounce of regret in his voice. “I was drafted to a minor league football team, so I took that gig and ran.” He laughs, proud.
“Excellent,” I say. “So, what happened with that career?” My tone is admittedly condescending, and he sits up straight in his chair, puffing his chest out.
“He had a leg injury,” Emi speaks up as she puts her hand on Colin’s. She slants her eyes at me. “His experience at his college newspaper got him the job at LoHud.”
“Sounds like an awesome job. What city is that paper in?”
“Rockland… Putnam…” He knows I’m mocking him.
“Right, right. Lots of high school reporting, I guess.”
“I hear there’s a baseball team in Putnam with a female pitcher,” Sam joins in, sensing the tension and trying to diffuse it. “My cousin goes to that school.”
“Really?” Colin says, genuinely interested. “I’ll have to look into that. That’d make a pretty good story.”
Sam smiles brightly, proud.
“I guess you know all about high school sports,” Emi pipes in, her attention directed at Sam. “Didn’t you just graduate last year?” Emi knows exactly when she graduated.
“No,” Sam says, then swallows, picking up on Emi’s tone. “I’m a junior at NYU.”
“What sorority are you in?”
“I’m not in any sorority,” Sam cocks her head slightly when she answers.
“Surprising,” Emi mutters under her breath. “I thought all prom queens were automatically drafted into some Greek underworld or something.”
“You were the prom queen?” Chris’s date asks, hanging on to a fact that I wish I had never mentioned to Emi. Anna sounds genuinely interested, though. I like this woman already.
“Yeah, but that was a long time ago.” I can tell Sam’s embarrassed and doesn’t want to talk about it anymore.
“Three years,” Emi sighs. “So long ago…”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to my date.
“No, it’s fine,” she says.
“Do you really want to talk about prom night, Em? Because, boy, do we have a story to tell.” She glares at me from across the table. When I look at Chris, he’s looking at me with contempt. Emi didn’t go to her senior prom out of principle and she had regretted it ever since. That night, she had locked herself in her room and wouldn’t come out. Her mother and I sat at the door and tried to talk some sense into her, but it didn’t work. It took a phone call from Chris later that night to calm her down. She told me to never bring it up, and I never had until now.
“Why? What happened on your prom night?” Colin asks her.
“Nothing,” she mumbles. “And that’s the truth.”
Colin shifts his focus to me, waiting for me to add to her story.
“You heard the lady.” I smile at him mischievously, which is sure to create more questions in his mind. “Wild,” I mutter aside, but loud enough for him to hear.
“Anna,” Chris jumps in. “Why don’t you tell everyone what you do.”
“I’m an interior designer,” she says with a blush.
“Nate has a great loft that could use a woman’s touch,” Sam says. “I’ve been trying to get him to redecorate. I have a lot of ideas. I’d love to talk to you about them!”
“Great!” Anna says. Emi’s attention is piqued, her eyes curious.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Sam,” I tell her. “Plus, everything there has a purpose. It’s all there to highlight the art.”
“Oh, right,” she says. “I didn’t mean–”
“It’s okay,” I cut her off, not wanting to hurt her feelings. Emi smugly smiles from across the table. “You know, maybe we can work on the guest bedroom together.”
“Really?” Sam asks as Emi chokes on her wine.
“Sure.” I lean down to kiss her gently. When we part, I glance to see Emi, looking away with purpose, revealing a mark just above her collarbone when her loose shirt slips off her shoulder. My first inclination is to point it out. “Did you scratch yourself or something? There’s a large red mark on your neck.” Asshole, marking his territory.
Instinctively, she immediately draws her hand over the hickey he had left on her delicate pale skin. She knew exactly where it is, and by the blush on cheeks, I’m certain she knows exactly what it is, as well.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lies. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go take a look.”
Colin smiles smugly, glaring at me as he downs his third beer.
“Nate,” Chris scolds me as Colin stands up, presumably to follow Emi. “Colin, have a seat, I’ll handle this,” he says. Emi’s boyfriend doesn’t argue, sitting back down and having another chip. As Chris leaves the table, he whispers over my shoulder, requesting me to follow him.
“I’ll be right back, sweetie,” I tell Sam as I squeeze her hand.
As we walk toward the bathrooms, he has a hard time keeping his cool. “What are you, four? You two are acting like children. You’re embarrassing yourselves— and me— in front of a woman I really like. Not to mention the unfortunate dates you both brought along.”
“I—”
“Fix this, Nate.”
You can buy a copy of Lost and Found here…
Amazon Links:
Book 1:http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Emi-Book-One/dp/1453755403/ref=la_B004VYOIYK_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370920676&sr=1-1
Book 2:http://www.amazon.com/Never-Look-Back-Found-Three/dp/1453755446/ref=la_B004VYOIYK_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370920676&sr=1-3
Books 1-3:http://www.amazon.com/Emi-Lost-Found-Series-ebook/dp/B0088GGSR2/ref=la_B004VYOIYK_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1370920676&sr=1-6
B&N Links:
Book 1:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-and-found-lori-l-otto/1102418977?ean=2940011295546
Book 2:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/never-look-back-lori-l-otto/1101714751?ean=2940012515049
Books 1-3:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/emi-lost-found-series-lori-l-otto/1112082595?ean=2940014607278
Smashwords:
Book 1:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48729
Book 2:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54155
Book 3:http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56400
Books 1-3: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/266309
iBooks – https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lori-l.-otto/id438512389?mt=1
SIGNED copy of Not Today, But Someday – http://authorlorilotto.wordpress.com/2013/03/30/signed-paperback-of-not-today-but-someday/
BIO
After graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, Lori Otto worked in the billboard industry for ten years. Frustrated with trying to communicate entire messages in “seven seconds or less,” she decided to leave outdoor advertising and return to her love of creative writing.
You can find Lori on-line here…
o Website
o Twitter
Enter the rafflecopter, but don’t forget to leave a comment here for a chance to win an e-copy of Lost And Found!
