Ms. Loni Lynne, Author of Wanted: One Ghost
Ms. Lynne was born in….Grayling, Michigan but grew up all over the Midwest United States. Her summers were spent with her grandparents in Gaylord, Michigan but she moved every 18 months with her folks, as her step-dad worked as a petroleum engineer…they moved wherever the oil boom moved.
It was because of all the moves and the traveling to different areas she associated the culture and characters with her writing. At a time before the Internet, social communications with friends she’d left while moving was much more difficult. So creating her own friends and stories helped.
TRI: Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to be here. So tell me what got you started in writing?
LL: As stated in my short bio, I think losing friends and some of the issues I faced as a Pre-Teen brought me to writing. I had a love of writing out situations, creating characters to kind of work out issues I might deal with…dreams, goals, losses…they were all there in stories.
TRI: Was there an author, when you started out writing that you wished at the time you could be like, i.e., successful in their writing careers?
LL: Not so much authors, though at the time I loved Judy Blume. But at that age I was really into Star Wars and Stephen Spielberg movies. I wanted to be a screenwriter and write for movies.
TRI: Who has influenced you a lot in your writing career? Is this person your favorite author, if not who is your favorite author?
LL: My mother was always a big supporter and an influence in whatever I wanted to pursue. But as far as favorite authors—at the time, I loved so many it was difficult. I had a love for many genres so Sir Arthur Doyle, Poe, Blume, whoever wrote the World Book Encyclopedia (yeah, I loved reading those on early mornings waiting for the rest of my family to wake up).
TRI: I like Poe, but my favorite in high school was Hawthorne. I really should make the time to read some of his stuff now as an adult. But I can’t. You have two daughters. How do they feel about their mom being a paranormal romance author? Are any of them interested in the writing bug? What advice would you offer to them if they were?
LL: They are wonderful girls, (21 and 24 years of age—so New Adults now). They are so supportive and tell me frequently how proud they are of my accomplishments to fulfill my dream of writing. They are great writers, too but haven’t gotten to really that point. But they have different dreams. My 21 year old dreams of becoming an artist. My 24 year old is studying American Sign Language. I believe they can accomplish anything, any dream, they set their hearts to. My only advice is—GO FOR IT!!
TRI: How has the industry changed for you? I understand you’ve self-publish some of your stories. Do you prefer self-publishing from traditional publishing? Why?
LL: I came into the world of professional writing when it was at the cusp of eBook/print. There were still so many people unsure which way to go. I went with the small press publishing at first, just to see if I could get out there. But with many small press, I was left doing 99% of the marketing while they reaped the benefits. When I got my rights back, and even before with my second series, I decided to try the self-publishing route.
TRI: At what point while writing Wanted: One Ghost did you feel or sense the story taking a life of its own? name a scene and how did it feel.
LL: Wow! Ummm…I would have to say once April brought James to life. How they interacted with each other was just “them”—two people figuring out each other and the world. James really took over. I think he was trying to find himself, the modern world he wasn’t used to and feeling a sense of attachment to April in a spiritual and physical way. Each moment of what he did, I found April having to counter him to keep up. The connection built from there and I had to make sure when I went back that everything was covered as far as the plot/storyline. To this day, I still feel that James and April are ‘real’ people.
TRI: I had that experience in the Vicar’s Deadly Sin. Though in a more different scenario. Are you planning on sticking with paranormal romance or venturing out to other genres?
LL: Funny you should ask. Yes, I am going to be venturing out into Contemporary Romance, one I am working on now is military related. And I have a series of novellas I want to do soon based on contemporary romance in a way. But I will still be doing novellas and finishing up series in the paranormal worlds I’ve created.
TRI: What advice would you offer a newbie author?
LL: Learn all you can from others. Get in with a great group who share your dreams and goals. Write, write, write…from your heart. Don’t worry if there is a market for it. (Markets are fickle.)
TRI: The market is truly fickle. Heard recently that science-fiction romance is on the rise. When talking to one author, her respond was, “they (publishing houses) have been saying that for years.” What kind of questions do you get from fans? List two (if you can) and your response to them.
LL: One question is: Where do you get your ideas from? Truthfully I have one of those overactive brains in which I turn things around and do, “What if?” as in, “What if this happened differently? What would be the outcome?” Or I might focus on a topic of historical significance and put my own twist on it.
Another question is: When do you find the time to write? I will be the first to admit, I don’t sit down every day to write (too much going on in my life) but when I do, I am at it for hours, pumping out characters and ideas.
TRI: I like that. I never thought of doing it that way. What’s ahead for Loni Lynne the author?
LL: So much. I have my two series I’m finishing up but hope to work some novellas into them from time to time. But I have a contemporary/military romance in the works and also a possibility of a new series in which the main story is a novel but the rest in the series are small novellas. So far that is all I can fore see. I’ll be busy though…no doubt.
TRI: Sounds like a lot. But I can relate. Thanks for taking the time to talk to me and readers of paranormal romance. I read Wanted: One Ghost, from A Crossroads of Kings Mill, Book 1 and Distilled Spirits (Crossroads of Kings Mill, Book 2) and I can honestly say I am a huge fan. Can’t wait to read Unsettled Graves (Book 3 of the Crossroads of Kings Mill series).
LL: Oh, thanks, Lina. It was my pleasure. All the best and hugs to everyone out there. Remember…Believe in Fate!
TRI: For copies of Ms. Lynne’s books please visit amazon.com. Her Book 3 of the Crossroads of Kings Mill series, Unsettled Graves recently released in March of 2016.