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Hello readers!
Today I have a very special guest joining me! Whoa! Please welcome Loni Lynne, author of The Guardians of Dacia Series.
Loni, thank you so much for joining me today for an interview.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
I’m delighted to be here. I’m a wife of twenty-eight years and mother of two twenty-something year old daughters. I served in the United States Navy back in the late 80’s early 90’s and became a stay at home mom, PTA-Girl Scout-American Legion volunteer while raising my family. I love helping my friends, ghost hunting and researching History wherever I go.
What were you like at school? What was your favorite/best subject?
Most of my childhood I was shy. I was an oil-field brat who moved every 18 months so I managed to attend 13 schools in 12 years. It wasn’t until I joined Drama/Theater in my sophomore year in high school that I came out of my shell. I loved it because I could be someone different than me…if people laughed, they laughed at my character because they were meant to. I also had a love for English and of course Creative Writing. History was my second favorite (World and American). I was never a Math and Science advocate…trust me, I still prefer a calculator to figure things out. LOL.
Which writers inspire you? Do you have a favorite book?
Wow! Loaded question…I’ve enjoyed so many authors…um, I’d have to say, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lynsay Sands, Katie McAlister, Cindy Miles. I love their characters and storylines. I fell in love with Sherri when I read Fantasy Lover (the first line hooked me…if you haven’t read it just read the first line. It’s a hoot!) and of course the Dark Hunter Series that followed. I loved how she created characters out of mythology.
Also, Cindy Miles did a fantastic job with her ghostly romances set in the Scottish/English country Side. Her first book, Spirited Away just spirited me away!
What made you decide to become a writer? Why do you write?
I’ve always loved writing. I had great English teachers who inspired me to write from the heart. For me as a pre-teen growing up, writing was a way to deal with my angst of moving, making friends, losing friends, etc. I loved the places I moved to and wrote about the places I lived, the culture and History. My books became my friends. I could create anyone, any situation I wanted and most of the time it was much like journaling. Writing to me is cathartic. I write to express what I sometimes can’t say or do. I want to be the characters I create. I live vicariously through them.
What have you written?
I have two series out, The Guardians of Dacia and The Crossroads of Kings Mill. Right now there are four books in The Guardians of Dacia series and three in Kings Mill. Both are very different. The Guardians of Dacia is a contemporary paranormal/shape-shifting immortal culture based and trapped in a time-portal of Dacia (Romania was once known as Dacia before the Roman conquest). I took liberty with the history, folk-lore/legend/mythology of the culture and created my characters.
The Crossroads of Kings Mill is a fictional town in Western Maryland based on History and ghostly characters being brought to life by the contemporary people they encounter (or vice-versa HeeHee) and fall in love with. The characters are inter-woven through the series so it’s like the reader gets to be part of the town of Kings Mill as they read each book.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
It all depends. Sometimes I can do a book in as little as a month to six weeks while other novels will take me two or three months. I think it all depends on my life and real schedules. I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to set my own pace. My latest work (a stand-alone contemporary military romance) started about two years ago and I’m re-working it for a September release.
What’s the hardest part about writing? The easiest?
The hardest part is being your own boss and having to do everything. Marketing, promo, formatting, etc. is a pain at times. The easiest is writing. If all I had to do was write and nothing else…I’d be in heaven! LOL
What does your writing process look like?
Very simple. I am a pantser. I make a one page synopsis of what my book is about and I write it. I tend to find myself as a spectator just watching my characters take over where the story goes. I argue with them and they always win…well not always but most of the time. *sigh*
I sit at my laptop, some days at my kitchen table, sometimes in my office downstairs in basement or I leave the house and go to my favorite local coffee café.
Be honest, how much coffee do you drink?
When I’m in writing mode? Um…depends. I’m a hot tea drinker mostly but lately I’ve gotten into the iced coffee. I’ll fix myself a glass first thing in the morning when I’m writing. (I’m a morning person so writing is early morning for me.) If I’m at my favorite coffeehouse (I love you Dublin Roasters!) I will have a never ending cup of whatever flavor they have out—usually a seasonal flavor. And then around two or three in the afternoon, that’s my cup of tea, time.
Do you ever get writers block? If you do, how do you overcome it?
I don’t believe there is a thing called ‘writers block’. I think our brains just need a break. It’s like going into labor. We are told to change our activity to help alleviate the pain. Same thing. It’s our brain telling us we need to do something else for a day or two. I find that going out for a walk or even driving somewhere, just getting away from the novel for a bit, will kick start our creative juices again. Most of the time when that happens, I’m talking to my characters in my head as I’m power walking. Thank God people think I’m singing along to my iPod when they see me in passing. LOL
What artists are on your writing playlist?
I don’t usually listen to music when I write. I listen to music and see stories in the song that I write down for later. I’m a fan of George Straits earlier music (I was a Country & Western Radio DJ back in the mid-80’s) and when I used to write cowboy stories I would write about the songs (nothing published). I also like early 70’s pop artist, Eagles, Chicago, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Diamond, John Denver, the Carpenters. But I also grew up listening to Big Band era (my dad played drums for jazz group at one point) Glen Miller, Andrew Sisters all the way up to Frank Sinatra. Needless to say, I have eclectic taste in music. And of course, I grew up listening to the real MTV 1980’s music. I never really got into rap or opera except for Les Mis and Phantom but I consider them more musicals than opera. So my playlist? All of the above! LOL!
How do you feel about the world of traditionally published vs indie world?
*Sigh* I wish I was one of the ‘traditionally published’ authors back twenty or thirty years ago. *Sigh* I’d have an agent, publisher, editor, marketing team…quarterly trips to NYC…oh, wait! Sorry. Where was I? Oh yes…That was all fine and good but the Indie world is much more open and accepting of the different style of fiction writing. We’ve created our own world in which many of the new sub-genre’s (YA/NA/Steampunk, etc) wouldn’t have been dreamed of. We’ve evolved the standards in today’s romance literature. We aren’t your grandmother’s bodice rippers anymore. Not that there was anything wrong with them, we’ve just created relatable characters with the heroine being her own hero at times…and still able to be loved by the alpha hottie.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
“Never give up…Never surrender!” –Quote from GalaxyQuest. LOL. That is pretty much it in a nut shell. Write from the heart, not the head…or market. The market is a fickle field. Just write. Don’t think…just write.
Do you have any quotes that inspire you, if so, what is it?
I have a mug that I bought for myself… I’m not sure where the quote came from but I love it. “She believed she could…so she did.”
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
I would love to hear from them. And if they go to my website they can sign up for my newsletter and get one of my books for FREE!! Yes…you heard it here with your own eyes (I know, doesn’t make sense…but you get it…)!! A FREE eBook!
Website: http://www.lonilynne.com
Blog: http://lonilynne.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lonilynne/
Amazon: www.amazon.com/Loni-Lynne/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7115619.Loni_Lynne
Fun questions time!
If you could meet anyone of your characters, who would it be and what would you do?
Trenchfoot from Immortal Angel. He’s a minor character I created. He’s immortal and had died during World War I. I modeled him after Sam Elliot. *sigh* What would I do? (Loaded question?) Actually, just have him call me ‘darlin’ in that husky-I’ll-go-right-out- and- buy- myself –a- Dodge- Ram- Truck -just because- you- said- to, voice of his.
If you could live in any other time period, when would you live?
Either the 1920’s or 1940’s. Flapper Girls were coming into their own and bucking the norm. I’d be a Navy Wave either working as a nurse or administrative position. Or maybe I’d be Rosie the Riveter—both were pretty spectacular influences and essential to the war effort.
You’re stranded on an island and can bring three items with you, what do you bring?
Books, Tea and Sam Elliott.
Someday, I want to _experience being a NYT’s Best Seller. Just once. That’s all. It’s not like I’m asking to be on the top ten all the time.__________(what?)
Are you a listener or a talker?
Both. But I listen and add advice in my experiences. Unfortunately, there are not always situations in which I have the answers or words to console. So most of the time people just need someone to listen so they can get issues off of their chests.
What was the last song you played on your Ipod?
“Photograph”—Def Leppard. (See earlier question about eclectic music lover. LOL)
Published by Dylann Rhea
7 years ago 
