DON'T YOU CRY, by author, MARY KUBICA

In downtown Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. A haunting letter addressed to My Dearest is found among her possessions, leaving her friend and roommate Quinn Collins to wonder where Esther is and whether or not she's the person Quinn thought she knew.

Meanwhile, in a small Michigan harbor town an hour outside Chicago, a mysterious woman appears in the quiet coffee shop where eighteen-year-old Alex Gallo works as a dishwasher. He is immediately drawn to her charm and beauty, but what starts as an innocent crush quickly spirals into something far more dark and sinister than he ever expected.

As Quinn searches for answers about Esther, and Alex is drawn further under the stranger's spell, master of suspense Mary Kubica takes readers on a taut and twisted thrill ride that builds to a stunning conclusion and shows that no matter how fast and far we run, the past always catches up with us in the end.

If you haven’t read Mary Kubica yet, you need to start right this minute, with DON’T YOU CRY. This riveting psychological thriller had me turning the pages at warp-speed and kept me rooting for its heroine, the completely relatable Quinn Collins, who sets out to uncover the truth about her seemingly-perfect female roommate after the roommate mysteriously vanishes. The plot twists and turns more than Single White Female on steroids, and both women characters are crafted with emotional intelligence and extraordinary talent. Mary Kubica is a must-read for me, and she will be for you, too. ~ Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Every Fifteen Minutes

Don’t You Cry, an artfully crafted, wickedly smart page-turner about the razor thin line between suspicion and obsession, will keep you glued to its pages–and guessing wrong about who to trust–until its breathless ending. ~ Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, and Where They Found Her

Some Q & A with Mary:

1.    Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I’m a mother of two and a former high school history teacher.  I’ve been writing since I was a little girl and have a secret stash of incomplete manuscripts hidden away in my basement, none of which will ever see the light of day.  I began working on my first novel, The Good Girl, in 2005 after I left my teaching career to start a family.

2.    What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I volunteer at a local animal shelter, which – aside from my family and writing – is a passion of mine.  I photograph all incoming animals for our shelter’s website, and foster cats and kitten in my home.  I also enjoy reading (of course!), running and spending time with my family. 

3.    Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

I don’t.  I made the decision to be a stay-at-home mom when my oldest was born and am fortunate enough to now have a writing career that I can do from home.

4.    Where do you get your ideas?

Generally they stem from my imagination and begin as a small concept that I shape and mold over time.  My forth novel, which will release in 2017, was the first that came from a news headline I read about how a toddler’s dreams helped solve the mystery of her father’s death.  My interest was piqued; I knew there was a novel there.

5.    Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

There really isn’t one in particular, but as a writer of psychological suspense, one of my favorites is S.J. Watson’s Before I Go To Sleep.  He truly sets the bar high for the genre.  I often mention Anita Shreve’s The Last Time They Met as well.  Though it isn’t a suspense novel, it has one of those killer endings that makes you question everything you’ve just read.  I haven’t read the book in many, many years, but I still think about the ending and how much it affected me, and hope to emulate that feeling in my readers with surprise twists. 

6.    Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

Yes!  After I wrote The Good Girl I submitted it to at least a hundred agents, all of whom passed on it.  I was sure the book would never be published, until two years later when one of the agents reached back out to me to see if the book was still available.  As it turned out, she had been recently promoted and actively seeking out authors and books, and she remembered The Good Girl for all that time.  It was a dream come true. 

7.    If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

No, I honestly am thrilled with the way everything has turned out.  I feel very fortunate for the success of my novels and to be working with such a phenomenal publishing team.

8.    How do you market your work?

For the most part, I rely on the wonderful publicity team at Harlequin Books for that, but I love to connect with my readers on social media, and to attend book clubs in person or via Skype.  I think that personal contact is so important with readers and makes me something other than just a name on a book.

9.    What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished my forth novel which will release in the summer of 2017.  It’s about a man who is killed in a car crash with his four-year-old daughter in the backseat, unharmed.  The crash is ruled an accident until the coming days when the little girl begins having nightmares about a car following and pushing them from the road, and the man’s widow sets off to find his killer. 

10. Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

No, completely fictional!

11. Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

Generally my first and last chapters are my favorites to write.  The first I love because it’s a fresh start, and the last I enjoy because it feels like such a huge accomplishment – all the time and energy spent on the manuscript has come down to this one scene.

12. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Be patient and be persistent!  It can take hundreds of rejections and many years to find an agent or publisher.  Don’t give up.  You only have to find one agent to love your work, so keep going until you find that one.

13. What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

Travel can be tricky at times.  It’s hard to be away from my family – logistically and personally.  I don’t want to miss out any moments in their lives, and finding childcare can prove difficult at times.  But I love connecting with readers, I love creating characters and watching them morph into something new on the page.  I love that my greatest passion is now my career.  It almost feels too good to be true. 

14. Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

Just a huge thank you for all the support for my novels over the last few years!  It’s readers who determine the success of a book, and mine wouldn’t be what they are without terrific fans.  Thank you, thank you!

To connect with Mary:
website: http://www.marykubica.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Mary-Kubica-Author-529093127112073/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryKubica

THE TWO-FAMILY HOUSE, by author, LYNDA COHEN LOIGMAN

Brooklyn, 1947: in the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born, minutes apart. The mothers are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night. When the storm passes, everyone seems to have gotten what they wanted, but the truth is not that simple. The consequences of that night, of one misguided choice, shape the course of the families – friendships unravel, marriages change and even the sacred bonds between mothers and children are tested. No one knows why, and no one can stop it, but everyone’s lives have been shaped by that evening.

From debut novelist Lynda Cohen Loigman comes The Two-Family House, a moving family saga filled with heart, longing, love, and mystery.

“It’s hard to believe The Two-Family House is Lynda Cohen Loigman’s debut novel. A richly textured, complex, yet entirely believable story, it draws us inexorably into the lives of two brothers and their families in 1950s Brooklyn, New York…. As compelling as the story line are the characters that Loigman has drawn here. None is wholly likable nor entirely worthy of scorn. All are achingly human, tragically flawed and immediately recognizable. We watch them change and grow as the novel spans more than 20 years….engrossing from beginning to end.”

―The Associated Press (As seen on ABCNews.com, The Washington Post, San Diego Union Tribune, Daily Mail, The Daily Journal)

Q & A with Lynda:

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

I have been asked this question more times than I can count, and I think it’s because The Two-Family House is truly a family story. The characters are people many readers seem to recognize from their own families. Whenever anyone tells me that they have a relative who is exactly like Abe or Mort, it always makes me smile.

The truth is, the people in the novel are not based on anyone from my actual family. My mom did grow up in a two-family house in Brooklyn with cousins living downstairs, but in that house, all six children were girls. Helen is not my grandmother and Rose is not my great-aunt. The men are not based on men I have known in real life. But still, certain anecdotes and even objects from my own life have made their way into the pages of the story.

In the novel, Helen talks with her brother Sol about weekly childhood visits with their grandmother. Their grandmother came once a week to babysit, and when she came, she always brought a small chocolate cake with a candied cherry on top. In real life, my grandmother really did visit every Saturday afternoon with a small chocolate cake for my brother and me. Every week, my brother and I fought over that cherry, and every week, my grandmother insisted that my brother should have it.

When I was young, my grandmother spoke openly about how much she adored my brother. He was the first grandchild, after all, and a boy. Hers was a preference that stemmed from both cultural influences and the fact that she had three daughters and no sons. My grandmother’s feelings were part of the inspiration for The Two-Family House, and because of that, it felt right to include the anecdote about the cake in the story.  

In terms of real life objects that I mention in the novel, the most significant one is Rose’s recipe box. In one of the early chapters of the book, Rose is sitting at her table with a recipe box, trying to figure out what to make for dinner. Because Mort is spending the night away on business, Rose is free to stray from the family’s weekly menu schedule that Mort has insisted on since the beginning of their marriage. The recipe box belonged to Rose’s mother and she describes it as her mother’s “touchstone.” Rose talks to the recipe box as if her mother was inside it, “like a genie in a bottle.”

When my own mother passed away nine years ago, I took her recipe box home with me in my suitcase. To this day, it is one of my most treasured possessions because, for me, it represents the true essence of my mother. It is precious to me in a way that I could never fully explain, and I suppose that is part of why I included it in my novel – I could describe Rose’s feelings for her mother’s recipe box much more easily than I could ever describe my own.

I believe that all writers draw from their own lives in their work, even when the stories they write are not based on real life experiences. For me, this is certainly true. The fact that I have chosen to include pieces of my real life in my novel has made me feel slightly more vulnerable about sharing it with the world, but it has also made the process of sharing it more meaningful.

Some info about Lynda:

Lynda Cohen Loigman grew up in Longmeadow, MA. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is now a student of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and lives with her husband and two children in New York.

My website is located here: http://lyndacohenloigman.com/

My twitter is here: https://twitter.com/lyndacloigman

My facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/Lynda-Cohen-Loigman-Author-1707732082781276/?fref=ts

My instagram is here: https://www.instagram.com/lloigman/

UNTETHERED, by author, JULIE LAWSON TIMMER

UNTETHERED tells the story of Char Hawthorn, the stepmother to a fifteen-year-old, Allie. Before the book begins, Char’s husband dies, leaving open the question of who Allie should live with--Char, the devoted stepmom who has raised Allie full-time for the past five years but has no legal rights to her, or Allie's self-involved bio mom, who lives across the country and has never been interested in parenting, yet who now has sole legal rights to the teenager. While this situation plays out, Char and Allie get swept up in the life of a ten-year-old girl, Morgan, who was adopted out of foster care and then subsequently “rehomed” by her adoptive parents.

Reviews:

"Timmer handles the sensitive, emotionally charged nature of her plot with reverence and openness, avoiding harsh judgments. Untethered is a beautiful mosaic of love’s many fragments, no matter how shattered." Library Journal (starred review)

"[A] thoughtfully written and ultimately uplifting celebration of families that are not bound by blood or by law but by love." Kirkus Reviews

"Harper Lee famously wrote that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. In Untethered, Julie Lawson Timmer makes mincemeat of this old chestnut, proving that a modern family can indeed consist of people who find their own way to each other, however circuitously. The pulse of the story is in the journey, and the triumph is in the unexpectedness of the destination. If you’re inclined to gently strong-arm your book club, Timmer’s is a poignant page-turner worth going to the mat for." Elizabeth Egan, author of A Window.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I am a just-turned-50 mom/stepmom to 4 teens. I live with my husband, Dan, and two of those teens (two are in college) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I grew up in Stratford, Ontario, but have now been living in the states for longer than I lived in Canada.

I made some lazy efforts to write at various stages of my life, but the year I was turning 45, I decided I needed to buckle down and really make it happen. A few months before my birthday, I decided I would not turn 45 without a completed draft of a novel. Having that deadline in mind was a huge help. Also at that time, I lost a friend to cancer, and her death inspired me to write my debut novel, FIVE DAYS LEFT (I dedicated the book to her). Having my friend as a guiding light was incredibly motivating. Any time I considered giving up, I thought about her, and pictured the dedication page which I knew from the start would have her name on it, and that was enough for me to sit back at the computer and keep writing.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I love reading and spending time with Dan and the kids. I’m interested in personal fitness, and spend time taking classes (spinning, barre, Pilates, yoga, etc) at a terrific gym in town. I’m a recovering CrossFitter and often do “TimmerFit” with Dan, who has rigged our basement up into his own personal CrossFit gym. I also love spending time at my favorite place on earth, our cottage north of Ann Arbor. We have no Internet or TV up there so we completely unplug--relaxing, reading, sleeping in. It makes me smile just to type that! 

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

Yes. I’m a lawyer, and I work as in-house legal counsel for an automotive company. In 2015, I went part-time at work, and this has made a huge difference in my life! I used to write from 4am-6am every morning, and now, thanks to the additional days at home, I can sleep until a much more sane hour.

Where do you get your ideas?

Some materialize in my head based on a fleeting notion about a character--I tend to start with characters and build stories around them. But some ideas have come from friends, and one in particular (also a writer) who has a wonderful habit of sending me articles she thinks I should base stories around. My newest book, UNTETHERED, came from one such article.

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

Margaret Atwood. When I was just out of law school, I read CAT’S EYE, about a regular girl growing up in Southwest Ontario. Until then, I hadn’t thought that I, a regular girl who grew up in Southwest Ontario, had anything to write about. Reading that novel made me see that it’s not so much in the story--explosions! Disaster! Mystery!--but in the telling, and the characters, and finding a common human emotion or experience that readers can identify with.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

Oy! I queried easily 100 literary agents before I landed my agent. I was shopping around FIVE DAYS LEFT, my debut novel. That took about 2 years, during which I rewrote and rewrote and rewrote the book so thoroughly that its final form bears almost no resemblance to the first draft. My journey from agent to publication was short--21 days!--so no complaints from me there. It was the querying that was exhausting. I became an expert in receiving rejection.

If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you’d change?

I would be sure to celebrate every single step more, and to worry less about the steps to come. This is the advice I give to people who have a first book coming out: cherish the exciting moments and try not to let yourself be consumed with the stress of impending deadlines, publicity requirements, etc. This is a lifelong dream for most of us, yet we can manage to turn it into drudgery if we fail to remind ourselves to stop, breathe, smile, celebrate.

How do you market your work?

Ha - not very well! I’m the worst when it comes to selling my book. Usually, in response to the question, “What’s your book about?” I’ll answer by talking about someone else’s book, and hand selling that. I’m much more comfortable promoting other authors than I am in promoting myself. For this reason, I rely on the publisher’s marketing and publicity, and with UNTETHERED, I’ve also used an outside publicist. 

What are you working on now?

I’m doing publicity for my second book, UNTETHERED, which came out in June, and I’m about to start edits on my third book, MRS. SAINT AND THE DEFECTIVES, which comes out summer 2017.

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

Yes. UNTETHERED is told from the point of view of a stepmom, and I’m a stepmom. It also tells about the practice of “rehoming,” which is, sadly, a real-life phenomenon involving adoptive parents giving away their adopted children through ads they place on the Internet.

Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

Good question. I always tend to like endings, as they wrap everything up, and I feel UNTETHERED ends in a satisfying way.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Be careful about taking writing advice from other people, including me! We all have to find what works for us. I hear about a lot of writing “rules” and I fear some aspiring writers take those to heart. I’m a believer in making up your own rules based on trial and error. I don’t write every day, for example, and that is often the #1 rule in any list. It doesn’t work for me, so I don’t do it. 

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

A downside I’m really feeling this summer is the sense that I never have a day, or even an hour, off. “I should be writing” is a phrase that haunts me every time I sit down to watch a movie or read a book or do anything that’s not writing. That’s a problem when, as I’ve said above, writing daily doesn’t really work for me. But it also doesn’t work for me to feel guilty on days I take off. I’m trying to figure out a way to assign myself days off and take them without guilt.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

I am so grateful for readers, fans, book bloggers, booksellers, librarians and (to the extent not covered by those categories) family and friends. Support from these groups is not something I ever take for granted. Every email or phone call or post on social media from someone who enjoyed what I wrote is an absolute gift.

Julie's Social Media:

Twitter: @JulieLTimmer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieLawsonTimmerAuthor/

Instagram: JulieLawsonTimmer (https://www.instagram.com/julielawsontimmer/)

THE GOODBYE YEAR, by author, KAIRA ROUDA

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Proclaimed to be Desperate Housewives meets Beverly Hills 90210, The Goodbye Year is the must read novel of the spring by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda. 

Melanie is a perfectionist mother who is in disbelief that she only has one year left to live vicariously through her son, Dane. She sees his high school graduation and the end of her parenting as a type of death. 

Sarah is just realizing that her graduating daughter, Ashley, has been serving as a stand-in for her traveling husband. The thought of her only daughter leaving is slowly chipping away at Sarah’s perfect façade. Will and his wife are fine, so long as he follows her directions and keeps his affair with Lauren, who also has a graduating daughter, a secret. 

Told from the parent and kid’s perspectives, The Goodbye Year delves into hot topic issues, such as peer pressure and empty nesting. It is a breathtaking depiction of the all too real struggle that parents and children face when transitioning into life post-high school.

Some Q & A with Kaira~

1.   Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I knew from elementary school on that I would be a writer. It's what I dreamed of becoming as early as I could envision a profession. It still makes me smile to think about it. Later, in middle school and high school, I lost confidence in my writing and didn't write for publication until after college. I was an English major without a byline. That changed once I graduated and started working in the real world first for newspapers and then magazines, and then advertising agencies. But I wanted to write novels. So I did. On the sly, at night after the kids (4 in five years) arrived, and somehow kept the dream alive. Ironically, my first book published was in 2009, a business book for women entrepreneurs titled REAL YOU INCORPORATED: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs. I had never dreamed of writing a nonfiction book, but when I was asked, it made sense. It became a great summary of all I had learned in my working life up to that point. It's still popular and I'm proud of that as it was one of the first business books for women without a pink cover. (I'm not kidding.)

My first novel, Here, Home, Hope was published in 2011 and marked the beginning of the next chapter in my life. We moved from Ohio to California, my husband and I sold the business we created, and it was time to take the chance. 

2.    What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I am so blessed to live in Laguna Beach, California, the inspirational setting for my contemporary romance series of the same name! Here, almost everyday is perfect. So I try to be outside as much as possible, walking, hiking, just enjoying the sunshine. I’m a fan of yoga, and of spending as much time as possible with friends and family.

3.    Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

No. This is my full-time job. After a long career in marketing, journalism and entrepreneurism, I’m enjoying my second act.

4.    Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas are everywhere. When something touches my heart, good or bad, it usually appears somehow in a story.

5.    What are you working on now?

Since I write both contemporary women’s fiction and romance, I most always have a WIP. On the women’s fiction side, I’m about to begin a re-write of a book I’m really excited about, and in the world of romance, I’m so excited that Amazon has offered me a Kindle World. Kaira Rouda’s Laguna Beach launches on July 7^th with an amazing group of talented authors writing stories in the Laguna Beach world. It’s exciting! If you aren’t familiar with Kindle Worlds, here’s a link: https://kindleworlds.amazon.com

6.    Is anything in your book based on real life experiences?

I wrote THE GOODBYE YEAR during my son’s senior year in high school. He is my youngest, so his goodbye year had the added stress of my approaching empty nest. Yes, there are some real life experiences in the novel, twisted and fictionalized, of course. Here’s a piece I wrote for Woman’s Day about it! http://www.womansday.com/relationships/family-friends/a54482/empty-nesters/

7.    Do you have a favorite chapter or scene?

I have a favorite character in The Goodbye Year. His name is Dane.

8.    Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

 1. Write what you know, in your heart.

 2. Don’t write for money, fame or other people. Write because it is  what you must do.

3. Read, read, read. And then, read some more.

9.    What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

There aren’t any downfalls in my opinion. I’m enjoying the career of my dreams. The best part is the people – especially the other authors I’ve met either online or in person. They are, without question, the most supportive amazing group of women I’ve had the opportunity to meet and spend time with. The other best part is when I see somebody smiling as they read one of my books. Or when I read a positive review. That is the best feeling.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

THANK YOU. For reading my words, for supporting me and my stories. Without readers, it would be a really lonely profession. I learn so much more about my characters when I have the chance to interact with readers. Basically, thank you so much.

Kaira Rouda is a USA Today bestselling, multiple award-winning author of contemporary women's fiction and sexy modern romance novels that sparkle with humor and heart.

Her women's fiction titles include THE GOODBYE YEAR, HERE, HOME, HOPE, ALL THE DIFFERENCE and IN THE MIRROR. Her bestselling short story is titled, A MOTHER'S DAY. Her sexy contemporary romance series include the LAGUNA BEACH Series, the INDIGO ISLAND Series and a new MALIBU Series launching in 2016.

Nonfiction titles, REAL YOU INCORPORATED: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs, and REAL YOU FOR AUTHORS: 8 Essentials for Women Writers (available for free download on her website) continue to inspire. 

Kaira's work has won numerous awards including the Indie Excellence Award, USA Book Awards, the Reader's Choice Awards and honorable mention in the Writer's Digest International Book Awards. She lives in Southern California with her husband and four almost-grown kids, and is at work on her next novel. 
Connect with her on Twitter @KairaRouda, 
Facebook at Kaira Rouda Books 
and on her website, http://www.KairaRouda.com.

Kaira Rouda

USA TODAY Bestselling Author

Stories that sparkle with humor and heart 

KairaRouda.com

Facebook.com/KairaRoudaBooks

SISTER DEAR, by author, LAURA MCNEILL

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All Allie Marshall wants is a fresh start.  But when dark secrets refuse to stay buried, will her chance at a new life be shattered forever?

Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie watched a decade of her life vanish – time that can never be recovered. Now, out on parole, Allie is determined to clear her name, rebuild her life, and reconnect with the daughter she barely knows.

But Allie’s return home shatters the quaint, coastal community of Brunswick, Georgia. Even her own daughter Caroline, now a teenager, bristles at Allie’s claims of innocence. Refusing defeat, a stronger, smarter Allie launches a battle for the truth, digging deeply into the past even if it threatens her parole status, personal safety, and the already-fragile bond with family.

As her commitment to finding the truth intensifies, what Allie ultimately uncovers is far worse than she imagined. Her own sister has been hiding a dark secret—one that holds the key to Allie’s freedom.

Reviews~

'...McNeill kept dangling me above the motivation until she finally explained it to me. I highly recommend this book to everyone.' (Fiction 411)

'Overall, it’s an original twist on the wrongly accused victim trying to exonerate herself, and will keep readers interested throughout.” (RT Book Reviews)

Some Q & A with Laura:

Tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you started writing.

I was very fortunate to have a lovely, idyllic childhood. Growing up, my parents kept the TV off all summer, every summer. While I wasn’t thrilled at eight years old, at about age 28, I discovered it was the best gift they could have given me. I trekked to the library and back by myself almost every day of the summer and it grew my love of reading exponentially. As I grew older, I still turned to books and always dreamed of writing a novel. I decided to give it a go in 2011 and indie published under the pen name “Lauren Clark” (Amazon). It was through those books that I landed the two-book deal with Harper Collins.

What are some things you enjoy when not writing?

I love traveling and have friends all over the world. I am looking forward to visiting more of Europe and I would love to fly to Greece one day for an extended vacation! I also like to exercise, spend time outdoors, swim, boat, and ski.

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well?

I do have a day job. I am an instructional design manager for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where I help faculty put Face-to-Face courses online. It combines a little bit of writing, with structure, organization, creativity, insight, and some technology skills. On Friday, for example, I helped edit a 10 minute video introduction to a course on Health Care Quality Management. I created a fun slide show to go with it, and the instructor was really pleased with the result. Those sort of days are really satisfying for me.

Where do you get your ideas?

My book ideas usually start with a “What if” question. For example, Center of Gravity began by me asking myself, “What if a young woman married a man who wasn’t at all who he said he was. What if they had a child together, and what if the man had a dark and violent past?”  Sister Dear began quite the same way, with me asking “What if a woman went to prison for a crime she didn’t commit, and left a young daughter behind? What would her life look like and how would she cope reconnecting with her family in a small Southern town?”

Is there a particular author or book that influenced or inspired your writing or decision to write?

I definitely am a fan of Jodi Picoult’s and I do enjoy JoJo Moyes very much. I think the book that is most inspiring, to me, as a writer, is Stephen King’s “On Writing.” It’s definitely a toolbox for writers.

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

I sent out a LOT of letters to agents when I first began writing under “Lauren Clark” … In fact, I still have about 40 of those rejection letters! I finally decided, on the advice of a friend, to give self publishing a go in 2011. It was a great decision (and a lot of hard work), as it all led to the contract with Harper Collins!

How do you market your work?

I travel to indie bookstores, visit book clubs, am active on social media, and speak at conferences, which is all so much fun!

What are you working on now?

The World Breaks Everyone. It’s the story of sixteen-year old Olivia Jacobs, on the run in New Orleans after she and her celebrity chef father are brutally attacked at his French Quarter restaurant opening.

From the Garden District to Baton Rouge, the dark secrets Olivia uncovers along her journey challenge everything she believes about her life, her future, and, most unsettling of all, the tragic death of her mother several years earlier.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My best advice is don’t give up. New authors need to finish their first manuscripts, even if they think it is the most awful piece of garbage in the world. Typing “The End” gives a writer an amazing sense of accomplishment, and it teaches tenacity and perseverance. Writing can be discouraging, and it requires discipline to keep at a project for 80,000 words or more. My first awful manuscript is finished, stored on a flash drive, and will never see the light of day. The story isn’t pretty, but it’s done, and that’s a huge part of the growing process as a writer.

As many authors say, success in this business is a marathon and not a sprint. Center of Gravity was a labor of love and went through years of changes and revision. My first Center of Gravity manuscript looks nothing like the first, and that’s a good thing. I learned so much in the process.

What are the downfalls of your writing career? The best parts?

There’s a bit of wisdom someone once shared with me, and it makes a lot of sense: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”

I’ve learned that there will always be “Hey, Mom” moments. Even if you don’t have kids to worry about, a neighbor might be outside trimming the hedges or leaf blowing when you need to edit, there may be a crisis at work, or your home’s A/C unit may decide to quit in the middle of writing the final chapter of your manuscript. All in all, it’s better to write with a bit of chaos than not at all.

Is there anything you’d like to say to your readers and fans?

I’m so grateful to the amazing bloggers and wonderful reviewers and all of the friends and family who’ve supported Center of Gravity and Sister Dear from the very beginning. I’ve been touched by all of the positive feedback about the novel from Beta readers and have been blown away by my fellow authors’ support on social media. If you’ve Tweeted, shared, or told a friend about my books, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

About the Author:

Laura McNeil is a writer, web geek, travel enthusiast, and coffee drinker. In her former life, she was a television news anchor for CBS News affiliates in New York and Alabama. Laura holds a master's degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and is completing a PhD program in instructional technology at the University of Alabama. When she s not writing and doing homework, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time at the beach. She lives in Birmingham, AL with her family.

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