An interview with Loree Lough--and two drawings for a free book!

We are so happy to have award-winning author Loree Lough with us today!  You will enjoy her interview, and if you leave a comment or question for her, you will be in a drawing for a free book--and there will be two winners!  Enjoy!                     Roxanne Rustand

1. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey as a writer?

I started writing in the mid-80s. Back then, it was strictly nonfiction … articles for local, regional, national and international newspapers and magazines. It wasn’t until the mid-90s that I had my fill of editors altering facts to appease advertisers. When I complained about that to my husband, he said, “If you’re gonna write fiction, you might as well write a novel!” And so I did. Hahaha!

It all started with POCKETFUL OF LOVE for Barbour’s “Heartsong Presents” line. Wasn’t I surprised when it won “Readers’ Choice Best Contemporary” that year! This August, I’ll celebrate 25 years as a published novels writer. (Whew. That makes me feel OLD!) During that time, I’ve written historicals, Westerns, contemporaries, Amish, children’s, and women’s fiction for Harlequin, Abingdon, Whitaker House, Kensington, and more.

Most of my titles are Inspirational, and all but a few are romances. If I had to guess, I’d say a dozen or so of the 120 are secular (and even those fall into the ‘clean-and-wholesome romance’ category).

2.  If you could go back in time and  do something differently in your writing career, what would it be?

Hmm…I guess I’d apply for a job with a home and garden center/nursery. I love working with plants, indoors and out, which explains my always-jagged fingernails. Either that, or I’d go to work for a caterer, and make use of my so-called cooking/baking skills … which explain my Lifetime Weight Watchers membership.

 3. Tell us about your writing process.

I’m a plotter. Always have been, always will be. Over the years, I developed what I call a “timeline,” which is the result of reading lots of how-to-write books and attending workshops at a whole bunch of conferences. I’ve shared it with a couple hundred students (who signed up for the writing classes I taught at several local community colleges), and encouraged them to alter it to fit their writing styles.

I also believe in writing as often as possible. Life has a way of interrupting, so it’s a good thing that I’ve never needed the suggested 8 hours of sleep. It’s also a good thing that I’m kinda hyper. The two “talents” demands that I write a To Do list every day.

 4.  What do you enjoy when you’re not  writing?

When I’m not staring at the laptop’s monitor, you’ll find me outside, weeding, deadheading, transplanting, pruning, trimming … If the weather’s ugly, I’ll probably be in the kitchen, whipping up something to cook, roast, or bake. I also love spending time with our 7 “grandorables.” And my husband of 47 years. We have a cozy cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where we’re surrounded by trees, streams, black bears, coyotes, foxes, fishers, raccoons, porcupines … and noisy bugs. (I like to brag about my ever-increasing abilities to identify critter tracks.)

5.  Tell us something about yourself that might surprise your readers.

Most already know that I spent four years ‘on the road,’ singing and playing guitar in clubs and lounges throughout the U.S. and Canada. My favorite ‘gigs’ were in VA hospitals, where I crooned requested tunes to (at the time) wounded Vietnam soldiers. It was an exciting, weird time that allowed me to meet and perform with some (at the time) famous singers, like Tom Jones, who did NOT like my version of “Danny Boy!” What readers probably don’t know is that I rarely sing any more, mostly because chemotherapy and the after-effects of a stem cell transplant destroyed my vocal cords. I’m not complaining, though, because that’s a small price to pay for being in remission from Multiple Myeloma (incurable bone/marrow cancer)!

 6.  What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring author?

a.) Read, read, read, and read some more. The types of stories you read most often will help you identify the genre you’re best suited to write.

b.) Join writers organizations. Sign up for how-to classes. Become a member of a critique group. Attend professional conferences where you can network with people just like you, as well as writers who might be willing to share a few learned-the-hard-way tips and tricks to help you along your way.

c.) Write, write, write, and write some more. Because it’s true what they say: “Those who can, DO; those who can’t, teach.” Except in my case, of course, because I was a terrific writing instructor! Hahaha

 7. You have a new book  out right now, but what are you working on now, and when might that book be out?

I just submitted book #2 in my “A Little Child Shall Lead Them” Amish series for Kensington. While I await the final edits, I’m working on a novella for inclusion in a 16-author anthology called SUMMER OF SUSPENSE. I’m also pulling together the outline for more books in the Amish series, and writing the synopsis for Kensington’s AMISH CHRISTMAS TWINS. Book #2 in the Amish series, HOME TO STAY, is slated for release in late 2019.

 8. Can you tell us about what led you to write your new book?  Tell us about your main characters, and the challenges they face in this story.

BEYOND THE SHADOWS, my most recent release, is the story of Elice Glasser, the widowed mother of 3 young kids and owner of a sign-making business, and Cabot Murray, former Chicago homicide detective. After Cabot loses his wife and little girl in a fiery explosion—an act of vengeance against him—he returns to his home town, hoping to outrun the ghosts of his past.

When he hires Elice to make a sign for his family farm, he’s immediately drawn to everything about her: Kids, house, and naturally, the warmth of her pretty face. As the friendship between them deepens, peculiar—and sometimes dangerous—things begin happening at his farm, and at her house, too. Cabot blames his past, and does his best to keep a distance from her family—for their own safety. But staying away isn’t easy, when her kids, who’ve adopted him as a father substitute. By the time he and the local cops have identified the man responsible, there’s more than enough love to take them all far BEYOND THE SHADOWS.

About the author....

Bestselling author Loree Lough once sang for her supper, performing across the U.S. and Canada. Now and then, she blows the dust from her 6-string to croon a tune or two, but mostly, she writes novels that have earned hundreds of industry and "Readers' Choice" awards, 4- and 5-star reviews, and 7 book-to-movie options. Her 115^th book, 50 Hours, is her most personal to date, and released June, 2018. More recently, Beyond the Shadows. Book #1 in Kensington’s “A Little Child Shall Lead Them” Amish series, All He’ll Ever Need releases in September. 

Between now and 2020, additional titles will bring her ‘on the shelves’ total to 120 … and she has contracts for 2021 and beyond.