CLP Blog Tours Interview and Excerpt: A Horse Named Joe by Lisa Loomis
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?
I started writing a diary when I was very young. It wasn’t only about me, but people around me, things I liked, things I observed. I realize now that I liked characters from the beginning. Going through school I always took creative writing classes. I remember some teachers that motivated me and others that didn’t. For years I thought about writing a book, but it’s a hard thought to put your head around, it seems insurmountable. A very good friend of mine died at 47, he was a talented musician; I always admired his ability to just be able to play. He was my motivation for writing my first novel “Boy In A Band”. It took me years of starting and stopping, telling myself I couldn’t write a book—when I finished it I went wow I did it. That was only the beginning through. Now the characters come into my head and they start to form and build and I know I have to get them out. I just finished my eighth book, which will probably be out in August and it’s funny some days when I sit down at my keyboard I still tell myself “you can’t write a book”.
Why was A Horse Named Joe a book you wanted to write?
I was a casualty of the financial meltdown of 2008. I used to own a mortgage branch and like Roni Dugan overnight my life as I knew it went away. Like her it was financial devastation, and like her I had to find the good in the mess. I took two trips to Green Turtle Cay, both girl trips, of which I’d never done a girl trip before. I fell in love with the place; the simple life can be very attractive and most of the people there live a simple life. While I was there the characters started to build and yes some of the book characters are based on folks I met. Some of the funny events the girls in the book encounter were based on things that happened—sometimes real life is pretty damn funny. And I loved, loved, loved Joe, he’s real and he does freely roam the island and he represented a lot of things to Roni and to me.
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Not having enough time, and being too critical of my writing. I don’t really get writer’s block, it just seems I can’t get the stories out as fast as I’d like.
What are your favorite genres to read?
I like so many different genres, I don’t really have a favorite. I like a GOOD book, one that makes me feel emotion and think about it. I love characters that stay with me long after the book is finished, so I try to create characters like that.
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
I want readers to take away the joy of life. We all (pick me) get to hung up in the day to day rat race and too much of the time we forget to enjoy simple.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
Very. The book world has changed with self-publishing and I think social media is an avenue to get the word out there.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
I’ve heard so many authors say this and although it sounds corny “keep writing”. “Boy In A Band” was edited I can’t even count the times and every time it only got better in my eyes. Every book I’ve written since I think my writing improves. I write because I love the story. I don’t think “will this sell” I think “I want to tell this story”. I think aspiring writers have to feel passionate about what they write.
**Excerpt**
Roni woke early as usual. The tiny lizard that had come in and out of her room for the last month was on the ceiling in the corner. Hey, little guy, you coming to send me off? she said to herself. The lizard did a couple of pushups almost as if he were answering her, making Roni smile. She had emailed Mack late last night, reminding him of her flight information. They had quit trying to Skype some time ago due to bad timing and not reaching one another; email had become the communication of choice. She’d typed long ones about what was going on. His were mostly very short, typical Mack. She was looking forward to seeing him and nervous at the same time.
The air conditioning unit kicked on as she threw the sheet back. Jenny was still asleep; her blonde hair spread across the pillow. Roni pulled the tie from her hair and fixed her ponytail before she walked out to the kitchen to make coffee. As she filled the pot from the kitchen faucet, she thought about the frogs. She realized their sound had become a part of her world. She hardly heard them anymore. Wondering how long it would take her to readjust to the sounds of a New York night, she filled the coffeemaker and scooped in the coffee.
Author Bio:
Lisa Loomis writes because she loves to. Her stories are about the human condition: love, life, and everything in between (including sex, drugs, alcohol, and things just crazy enough to be true). Her stories are not predictable, conventional, or lacking in the messiness of life. She tries to extract the real emotion in any given situation in her characters, with a touch of humor.
Lisa Loomis was born in Oakland California and raised in San Jose until she was a sophomore in high school. Her father then took a job in the San Diego area where he moved the family to Escondido, California (or hickville as she called it). She finished high school at San Pasqual High then went to junior college at Palomar JC, ultimately graduating from San Diego State University with a BS in Finance.
Finding more BS than finance with the financial meltdown in 2008 she went back to her passion of writing. Her currently published novels can be seen on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.
She now lives and writes in Park City, Utah.
Visit her at www.LisaLoomisBooks.com or on Facebook Lisa Loomis Books and Twitter @lisaoharaloomis
BUY LINKS:
Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00E40H9N8
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1gIb8rA
