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Looking Out the Window: Welcome Loree Lough








Loree will be giving away a copy of her new book, Beautiful Bandit. To enter to win leave your email address with a comment.I'll put the names on pieces of paper and have my husband draw one on Monday night, July 5th.




Hi Loree, first tell us a little about yourself.
Before I do that, Iā€™d like to take just a moment and thank Gail for inviting me to her blog. Itā€™s an honor and a joy to be here!

A little about me, hmm? Well, I have brown eyes and blondish hair, Iā€™m 5ā€™1ā€ tall, and weighā€¦. Thank the Lord those tidbits arenā€™t what youā€™re looking for!

My dad worked for the Veterans Administration, so the family lived in a slew of cities. I held a myriad of careers to pay my way through school, and all that working and moving is probably responsible for my ability to talk to just about anybody, anywhere.

For the past 20 years, though, Iā€™ve lived in the same house and worked at the same job: Writing. And I love both.

Being a people person is definitely a plus. Were you an avid reader as a child? What did you read?

I read every chance I got! As a really young girl, I read books about animals, and for a long time, thought Iā€™d become a veterinarian. As a pre-teen, mysteries caught my attention and my new ā€˜job dreamā€™ was ā€œpolice officer.ā€ By the time I was old enough to hold down a real job, I learned that both of my dream careers required far more muscle than God had blessed me with. So I became a singer!

Why do you write?

I write because if I didnā€™t, my head would explode! There are so many stories and characters and settings pinging around in my brain that if I didnā€™t write them down, Iā€™m afraid theyā€™d leak out of my ears.

(LOL) Tell us about your latest book.

Iā€™m working on several projects at the same time, all with back-to-back deadlines. So Iā€™ll try and keep this response in order-of-book-release if I can:

Beautiful Bandit is the first novel in my Lone Star Legends series, and itā€™ll be released in August, 2010. Itā€™s a western, set in 1888, in Eagle Pass, Texas, and features a heroine, held hostage by a notorious outlaw who uses her as a ā€œfrontā€ for a San Antonio bank heist where three men are killed. She escapes the killer only to discover heā€™s on her trailā€¦and so are the Texas Rangers. So she assumes an alias and heads for Mexico. And on the way, she meets a handsome cowboy who helps show her the way...to the border, and to his heart.


It sounds suspenseful and heart-warming. What inspired you to write this particular book?

I love cowboys and I love history. So this series seemed like a natural blend of both. Plus, with every book, I get to ā€œmeetā€ new people and become better acquainted with ā€œoldā€ friends whoā€™ve read my other novels. Some of these friendships date back to 1994, when my first novel was released, while others began just a few months ago. They share reasons they liked the stories, the characters, the relationship issues. Without exception, they say things like ā€œNever quit writing!ā€ and ā€œWhen will your next book be out?ā€ and ā€œI canā€™t wait for #3 in this series!ā€ Now, reallyā€¦which of us can say no to their friends!

We're glad you didn't say "no." Where do you get ideas for your books?

I guess Iā€™d have to say that my ideas come from living life. Things my friends and family are going through, things theyā€™ve suffered and survived, ways theyā€™ve succeeded and failed, what theyā€™ve learnedā€¦or wish they hadā€¦usually ends up in a book.

In three words describe your style of writing.

A couple hundred readers have compared my style to Nicholas Sparks, a couple hundred more to Debbie Macomber. Honestly? I donā€™t see the similarities. I like to write about people who are flawed, and put them through their paces, so that by booksā€™ end, theyā€™ve changed and grown into better, more satisfied individuals.

That's an admirable goal. How do you get to know your characters?

By testing their mettle! I make them endure all the day-to-day stuff that you and I are forced to endure. And the best thing isā€¦in the stories, I get to fix whatā€™s wrong!

What themes do you write about?

Trust, faith, loyalty, familyā€¦together with problem-solving.

What is your writing schedule and where do you write?

I get up early, usually by 5:30 a.m., and while the dog is outside, I put out his food and make coffee. Once heā€™s inside, I exercise for about half an hour, then get dressed, tidy the house and get to work. Most days, Iā€™m at my desk by 7:30 a.m. and thatā€™s where I stay until 5-6:00, when I stop to fix supper for my hubby and me. My office is in the back of the house, on the bottom ā€œtriā€ of a modest tri-level in the Baltimore suburbs. It has no door, and itā€™s the ā€œtallā€ part of an L-shaped spaceā€¦shared with the laundry room. Suffice it to say that some days the wrinkles are in the load that stays too long in the dryerā€¦and others, theyā€™re in my plots!

Do you have to juggle writing with a job, family responsibilities or other obligations? How do you balance it?

Writing is my job, so Iā€™m blessed not to have to balance this with an out-of-the-house occupation. My hat is off to writers who work full time and write! I do my best not to let my husband, kids, or grandkids feel that I love my work more than I love them. Theyā€™ve been very supportive of my career, so really, the least I can do is leave my evenings and weekends open for them!

Are you a plotter or a pantzer?

Iā€™m mostly a plotter, but as anyone whoā€™s taken my plotting workshop knows, thereā€™s a lot of ā€œpantzingā€ involved in my kind of plotting!

Does your faith affect your writing? How?

Without my faith, I wouldnā€™t be a writer. God blessed me with this gift, and every morning as I sit down to write, He guides my fingers. Itā€™s because He tells me which themes to concentrate on that Iā€™m able to develop multi-dimensional characters. Heā€™s keeping me pretty busy these days, and you know what? Iā€™m rarely exhausted, because He makes sure I have the energy I need to do what He instructs as I construct each scene!

Do you put yourself in your books?

I suppose every author is in every book, at least to some degree. But in my case, itā€™s not a conscious thing. Because reallyā€¦who wants to read about liā€™l old me when they can read about a woman hostage whoā€™s used as a shield during a bank robbery in the wild, wild west!

What are you working on right now?

Maverick Heart (#2 in the Lone Star Legends series), is the story of a young womanā€”one of the first real graduates of nursing schoolā€”who follows her husband from Boston to Mexico, where he hopes to open a clinic. Just outside Lubbock, TX, their stagecoach is attacked by banditsā€¦and her husband is killed, leaving her stranded in Eagle Pass. She canā€™t afford to go home and the town doc canā€™t afford a nurse, so she takes the only other job available: Teacher. She immediately falls in love with her students, the town, and one quiet sad-eyed Texan who teaches her a thing or two about faith and love. (Several more in that series, but they arenā€™t fully plottedā€¦yet.)

Then thereā€™s the ā€œFirst Respondersā€ series. The first novel, From Ashes to Honor, will be released to coordinate with the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The after-effects of the tragedy has impacted the characters, and even 10 years later, theyā€™re still healingā€¦. In each of the next books Iā€™ll feature EMTs, firefighters, cops, and search and rescue (with dogs) experts.

Finally, thereā€™s Accidental Family, the 3rd in my ā€œAccidental Blessingsā€ series for Love Inspired.

If you could interview any character in one of your books which one would it be? What shocking thing might that character say? Why?

Bryce Stone, the hero in Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska. This big handsome soldier lost an eye in Afghanistan, trying to protect his men. There are so many elements of his character that I found fascinating. And you know what? I actually did interview him on my blog!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Every published author says the same stuff:
Write what you know.
Write the book of your heart.
Read, read, readā€¦then write, write, write.
Take classes, join critique groups, attend conferences, go to workshops/seminars.
Never give up on your dream.

And itā€™s all solid, savvy advice. But Iā€™ll add this: Ask yourself if youā€™re a Wanna-be or a Gonna-be. Wanna-be writers are more focused on writing than on selling. And thatā€™s fineā€¦if you have no desire to see your book on the shelves, if you donā€™t care whether anyone other than your kids and grandkids read it.

Gonna-be writers make sure ā€œthe book of your heartā€ is one that will sell. That means studying more than the how-to and the elements of fiction. It means knowing your market almost as well as you know your craft.

What would you be doing if you werenā€™t writing?

Thatā€™s easyā€¦Iā€™d be reading!

What is the coolest, wackiest, most risk-taking thing youā€™ve ever done?

I climbed to the top of a ski lift in Iron Mountain, Michigan with two of the waitresses and two of the bartenders who were employed at the lounge where I was singing that week. I had never met them before. Had never been to that part of Michigan before. Didnā€™t have a clue that, at the time, this thing was the tallest of its kind in the U.S. Never asked how weā€™d get back down once we made it to the top. And yet up I climbed. The view was amazing!

What is the most embarrassing thing thatā€™s happened to you?

When I was in high school, my eyesight was so awful that my glasses really fit that ā€œCoke bottle lensesā€ clichĆ© we hear so much about. So there I was, at a school dance, and knowing the boy I had a crush on was there, decided to take off my glasses. Couldnā€™t see two feet in front of my face without them, and thatā€™s not an exaggeration, so I put my faith in my best girlfriends. Sadly, they didnā€™t accompany me to the bathroom, and I ended up crashing into the boy I had a crush onā€¦in the BOYSā€™ ROOM.

(LOL) Is there anything else youā€™d like to tell us?

If God has called you to write, do it! As they say, when He calls you to do something, He makes it possible for you to get it done.

And if youā€™re someone whoā€™s read one of my books, and you havenā€™t written to me yet, what are ya waitnā€™ for! I love to pray with you about your journey into the land of the published!

You can reach me at loree@loreelough.com, or by visiting my web site, http://www.loreelough.com/ or my blog, http://www.theloughdown.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Again, thanks, Gail for inviting me to your blog. Youā€™ve asked some really cool, one-of-a-kind questions, so thanks, too, for making this a new and different experience. Yer a peach, and I hope to meet you in person one day soon! (And that goes for the rest of you, too!)

Thanks so much for spending time with us, Loree.

LOREE'S BIO

At last count, best-selling author Loree Lough had 75 books, 63 short stories, and over 2,500 articles in print. Dubbed by reviewers ā€œthe writer whose stories touch hearts and change livesā€, she has earned dozens of ā€œReadersā€™ Choiceā€ and industry awards.

This summer, Beautiful Bandit (#1 in ā€œLone Star Legendsā€ series from Whitaker) joins Loreeā€™s 2009-10 releases, Love Finds You in Paradise, PA and Love Finds You in North Pole (Summerside), Tales of the Heart and Prevailing Love (Whitaker), and Be Still and Let Your Nail Polish Dry (Summerside). Maverick Heart (Lone Star Legends #2) comes out in January, 2011, while the release of From Ashes to Honor, #1 in her ā€œFirst Respondersā€™ series (Abingdon), will coordinate with the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Accidental Family, #3 in the ā€œAccidental Blessingsā€ series (Love Inspired) and LFY in Folly Beach, SC are slated to hit bookstore shelves May and June, 2011, respectively.

Loree and her husband split their time between a little house in the Baltimore suburbs and a really little cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where they cater to a formerly-abused Pointer whose numerous vet visits inspired the nickname ā€˜Cashā€™. She loves to hear from her readers and personally answers every letter sent to http://www.loreelough.com/.

Comments

Miss Mae saidā€¦
Hi Loree!

Welcome to Gail's blog! Honestly, I don't see how you can churn out so many books, or stay in your office for that length of time! My rear end protests after only a couple of hours! LOL

The cover of "Beautiful Bandit" is gorgeous. Congrats on this newest release!
Gail Pallotta saidā€¦
Hi Loree,
Welcome, I'm so happy to have you here today!
Loree Lough saidā€¦
Hey you guys!

Never fear...my rear doesn't get tired because I sit on an exercise ball. Very exciting stuff! Will she roll left? Right? Backwards? LOL

Thanks for the compliment on the cover of Beautiful Bandit, Miss Mae. I hafta say, I love the folks in Whitaker's art department!

Looking forward to lots more comments. Gotta run now to record a radio interview, but I'll be back soon!

Have a lovely, blessed day!
Loree
E.A. West saidā€¦
Beautiful Bandit sounds like a great book! And I have to agree about the cover; it's amazing.

Sitting on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair is a great idea. Unfortunately, I'd probably fall off within the first five minutes. I'm a huge klutz. LOL :)

Congratulations on the new release, and I wish you all the best as you work on your next round of books! Loree, your ability to write so prolifically and beautifully is inspiring. :)
Shawna K. Williams saidā€¦
Loree,
you get up about the time I go to bed. I'm not sure my schedule is working very well for me though. I'm still struggling on figuring this out.

Thanks for the inspiring interview, and congratulations on your new book!
God bless.
Laurean Brooks saidā€¦
Loree, your ability to write like a speed demon amazes me. Plus the stories are inspiring, interesting, and just wonderful! I love the sound of "Beautiful Bandit."

Gail, thank you for interviewing Loree. She has, and still, leads an interesting lift. My dream was to be a singer or a writer. Still working on it. Ha!

Did I say the cover is beautiful? Praying God's best on this book and all the others, girlfriend.

Hugs!
*yadkny* saidā€¦
WOW Loree you have such an extensive work list! What an accomplishment! The interview was very interesting:)
*yadkny* saidā€¦
Sorry forgot to leave my email addy:
yadkny@hotmail.com
Joyce DiPastena saidā€¦
Loved your interview with Loree, Gail! Gotta add my praise to the others about the cover of "Beautiful Bandit"! It truly lives up to its name...beautful!

Loree's story and advice is definitely inspiring to this struggling writer. Thank you, Loree! And thanks for again for sharing this wonderful interview with us, Gail!

And by all means, enter me in the drawing! LOL!

jdipastenaATtheriverDOTcom
Finbar saidā€¦
I really don't follow the "blog" thing too often but this is one of the more interesting I have read lately. It seems impossible that anyone could even write as much copy as discussed here, let alone find an outlet for it.

Congratulations, you are truly a rare individual.
Gail Pallotta saidā€¦
Hi Loree,
It's great to see some people have stopped by and commented. I'll be here a while, so I'll be looking for some more commenters.
Reader2 saidā€¦
I enjoy reading more than writing and find the personal stories and lifetime experiences of authors to be fascinating. This blog is truly enjoyable as it reveals so much of the person behind the work. Keep it up!
Larry Hammersley saidā€¦
I know I'm really late but wanted to check out the interview with Loree. Boy, I wish I could keep a schedule of writing like that. Very impressive and so dedicated. My Indiana Jones hat is off to you Loree and thanks Gail for providing the site addy to find our way here. Larry
Judy saidā€¦
I really enjoyed reading the interview!! Your book Beautiful Bandit looks like a very good read, and I really like the cover.

Judy (magnolias_1@msn.com)
Anne Patrick saidā€¦
Great interview, ladies!

Loree, beautiful cover. Loved your comment about the exercise ball. I'll have to try that. Congratulations on your success!

Gail, you're a sweetheart! It's always a pleasure to visit your blog.

(((Hugs)))
Anne
Chahtameda saidā€¦
Once again, Gail, you have introduced me to an author, whose books I am looking forward to reading. I have already visited your blog, Loree, and will be reading one of your books soon! I am intrigued by the path you took to get where you are now! What a journey! Best wishes to you both while you pursue your writing dreams. We, your audience, can only benefit from your hard work! linda.springandrews@gmail.com
Margaret Tanner saidā€¦
Hi Loree,
Great interview, I really enjoyed getting to know you.
Regards

Margaret
DanielleThorne saidā€¦
Great interview--I've read of one of Loree's books before and I love her tone. How exciting to have a new series out--you are an inspiration and I admire how you stand by your faith, simply yet without being preachy. Best of luck and beautiful cover on the new release!

Danielle
danithorne at yahoo dot com
Donna McDine saidā€¦
Wonderful interview. I too rise quite early to get the day going. I also had very thick glasses in grade school. Best wishes for your continued success!

Donna McDine
dmcdin@optonline.net
starryann2000 saidā€¦
This comment has been removed by the author.
starryann2000 saidā€¦
your book sounds interesting, and wow you've had an interesting life by the sounds of it.have a great summer. I also like your cover for beautiful bandit.

starryann2000@yahoo.com
karenk saidā€¦
a great posting...thanks for the opportunity to read loree's novel.

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
Fun Interview... And your Faith in Action is clearly showing! God Bless, Glenda
Unknown saidā€¦
It is good to hear from a successful writer. Thanks for sharing your heart.

Cynthia L Simmons
www.clsimmons.com

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