Lucy thought
it might be fun to do something a little different than the
usual bio. She's taken some of her favorite answers
from interviews and posted them here along with links so you
can read the complete interview if you'd like as well.
The interviews are listed newest to oldest.
Q. In MOON CRAVING, your heroine Abigail is deaf. Talk about why you chose to write about deafness.
A. I’ve been fascinated with character s that live outside the normal box of parameters for romance heroes and heroines since the beginning with my writing. I want to write about people who face challenges only some of us ever dream of and come out strong and happy on the other side. Abigail’s deafness was something that came to me in a dream as I was beginning Emily’s book and I knew her story would be next.
Lucy: I write full-time, which means pretty much all day, every day. No, I don’t often take weekends off. At least not completely. ;-) I have an office in my home, but I also like to write on my Neo downstairs in the greatroom and I’ve got a chair in my bedroom I’ll retreat to for uber-quiet.
If you could change places with one character from your book, who would it be and why?
None of them. I really love my own life and enjoy writing about theirs. :) Besides, I get to live each of their lives as I put their story to paper...the best of all worlds.
Q: When I read “Moon Awakening” the scenes absolutely came alive before my eyes. What sort of research was involved when creating the Chrechte race?
A: I did a ton of research on the Picts, a race of people who simply disappeared from history. They have always intrigued me and I asked myself what if over and over again until I came up with the Chrechte background. I also read something like three dozen nonfiction books on that era of the Middle Ages, researched dozens of sites online and interviewed an expert in Medieval weaponry, attended a couple of jousts and watched video of horse training for jousting. I take my research seriously and any mistakes are honest ones, not made for lack of true effort to avoid them. One great thing about writing an alternate universe is that things don’t have to completely reflect the era of the time because we are dealing with a subculture that has its own norms as well. Hope that makes sense!
You are most known for your contemporary romances both with Harlequin and Brava romance. Tell us some of the compelling reasons you had for writing your Children of the Moon paranormal shape-changer series as well as setting it in medieval Scotland.
I fell in love with werewolves when I read Lorie O’Clare’s first books (2003). I glommed werewolf stories after that and knew I wanted to create my own world of shapechangers. The larger than life characters, the concept of a lifemate, all of it enthralled me and still does. As far as the historical setting, I started off writing both contemporaries and historical. I’d written four Regency era single titles, when it came time to write the first Children of the Moon book and I knew I was ready to change eras. I settled on the Middle Ages because to me, werewolves just seemed to fit naturally into that part of history.
For those that are new to your books…How long have you been
writing and what was your first published book?
I’ve been writing for 14 years. My first published book - The Greek
Tycoon’s Ultimatum - came out in September of 2003 and since then I’ve
sold about 40 (now 50+) books to four publishers.
BK: Okay, you just got to show off a bit (and deservedly so ).
Now can you tell us about a ‘blush moment,’ an especially humorous or
mortifying moment in your writing career?
LM: Just one? Seriously, do you know how many errors readers
have found in my books? From changing a secondary character’s name
midway to using the wrong grammatical form, each letter pointing out an
error is more than blush producing – it is rather mortifying. Being the
perfectionist that I am, I don’t find discovery of my mistakes
particularly humorous though. That is said with a wry smile I hope you can
appreciate.
ST: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew
up?
LM: A missionary. Then an evangelist. Then a romance
writer. Then a senator. Then a management consultant. Then a missionary
again. Guess what I ended up?
ST: Could you describe for us your idea of the perfect
hero?
LM: My husband…the alpha at the end of the book. Strong.
Integrous. Sexy. Dependable. Sensitive (sometimes). A great cook. Good
father when the time comes. Supportive. Adventurous. Dedicated. Loyal.
Stubborn. Passionate. Constantly learning. Just plain yummy.
CR: What has been, so far, the highlight of your
career as a writer?
LM: Wow, what a tough question. Was it when I got the call? My
first reader letter? My hundredth? The first time I was nominated for an
award? The first time I won one? When I hit a best sellers list? When my
mom told me she was proud of me? When my husband told me he knew I could
do it? When my kids told me what my persistence meant to them? I don’t
know…there have been so many highlights and they keep coming. I think,
it’s simply the career itself. I’m living my dream and I hope that in
doing so I inspire other to pursue theirs as well.
CR:While we are discussing books, every writer wants to know. How do you get the ideas for your books? And for your charming, sexy heroes?
LM: Ideas come from everywhere. Literally. I'll see someone in a grocery store and start making up a story about them. I'll read something in the news and a new character is born. But the biggest inspiration for my heroes is my husband. He's my "resident alpha at the end of a book". :)
Lucy, you write sensual historicals, contemporary series romance, and spicy romance for the Brava line. Do you think writing for these different romance genres keeps the ideas fresh and flowing? Do you feel as if you have the best of both worlds so-to-speak as far as being able to cross the genre field?
Lucy: I absolutely do. For me, writing multiple genres is what keeps my creative muse dancing and I love it!
R.W. I'm really impressed by your understanding of human relationships. Do people ever come to you for personal advice?
L.M. LOL All the time. I'm a card carrying "Dear Abby" and that is a fact. I've done a lot of lay counseling for women as well...it comes very naturally to both study human nature and share my findings with others. It makes the writing a lot easier when what motivates others is always a key question for me.
Please tell us about yourself. Your background, family, etc. Whatever makes you the sweet, vibrant person you are today.
LOL Well, I'm not sure about sweet and vibrant, but it sure is nice of you to say so.:) I think the biggest part of who I am comes from my faith. I really do. It's the source of my joy and my positive outlook on life. Knowing I am loved unconditionally by God, that Jesus paid a price I couldn't possibly pay...and it's this deep inner knowledge that makes me who I am and gives my writing its basic, underlying themes.
Mark Twain said, "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." How do you fill your creative well to keep your imagination in focus?
Lucy: For one thing, you can't stay creative if all you do is create. So, taking time off from creating is a must for me...just not an easy thing to do. I also love to read magazines...not gossip rags (yuck), but stuff like "The
Smitsonian", "Architectural Digest" and "Harper's Bazaar", etc. I've just recently taken up knitting and a rousing game of Perquacky with my family can be very creativity enhancing. I also read tons, both fiction and nonfiction, but romance is my favorite. I re-read my favorite authors over and over again and I think that helps me write better. Learning in cockpit as they say. But it fills up my creative well to sip at someone else's.
WWR: We've heard you're a frequent world traveler. How much of your fiction is inspired by the places you've traveled to over the years? Where else do you get ideas for your books?
Lucy: The truth? My favorite settings are actually
close to home. While I love stories set in Greece and Italy, I am doubly
intrigued by the intricacies of setting stories in my native Northwest.
My ideas for books come from talks with my husband, dreams, reading the
news, pretty much everywhere! I tell stories in my head all the time and
I do mean ALL the time...some of which end up books and some don't.
Is there any type of writing you haven't tried that you hope to try in the future?
I've done a lot of lay counseling with women and couples. I would like to write a marriage book some day incorporating the great truths the romance industry thrives on.
We talked about writing (naturally) and about Harlequin Presents. It's no secret I'm a big fan of this line and I wanted to know how Lucy got started on her path as a writer.
Lucy replied, "When people ask how did I choose to be a writer, I say that I didn't. It chose me...but the when and how of it are a very different thing. :) You see, I was having this chat with God in the bathtub and it sort of came up. The writing thing. I'd been told by teachers throughout school I ought to be a writer, but I pursued other things - then I just knew it was time to pursue this one and it has become a burning passion for me."
WU: Readers today demand accuracy in the books they read. How much research about life styles, setting, dialect, etc. goes into one of your stories?
LM: A lot! I put 1/3 again as much time into research for a contemporary novel as the time I will spend writing it. For historicals, the ratio is more like one-to-one.
