The ideas for your books are so fun – particularly for The Pack? Where did you get them and what motivates you to get them on paper.
I wanted to write about missing kids escaping from captivity. Every day at my job, I passed a board of missing children. My heart went out to them, and I always hurt for their loss. Once a former colleague who’d been a police officer told me of a horrible case where he had located missing kids that were captured and being used in despicable ways by their captors who had enslaved them for years before disposing of them. These sad facts were the makings of The Pack.
How do you write? When?
I have a writing process that have gone through several changes and now I have found the best routine that fits me perfectly. I write the premise of the story, then do a character bio, collage of the world I’m building and create a chapter outline. Then I make myself take one month before I write. Believe me, that’s the hardest part. I usually take that time and play the story over and over in my head until most of the characters and plot is flushed out. Then I sit down to write. I usually write for 1 hour in the morning before I go to work and for 1 hour in the evening. On weekends I write for about 4 hours, but because I’m full of energy I write in 30 min sessions and take 10 minutes in between. I also love noise while writing so I tend to write on my porch while the kids are playing or I have to have a movie on.
How do you name your characters?
That’s a big secret that no one has caught onto yet. All of my main character’s names coincide with a unique purpose and trait of their characters.
SHAMIRA: Means, Guardian, defender
VALENS: means Healthy, strong and is of Latin origins. ( I actually wanted this name to be similar to my dad’s middle name – Valentino, since my husband wouldn’t let me use this name for my son.)
I noticed you lived in the Washington, DC area. What are your favorite spots?
I love the Washington Zoo, the Air and Space Museum, Georgetown, Rock Creek Park and Han’s point. Those were my favorite places to go when I was broke and wanted free entertainment. Not to mention the tons of free festivals given throughout the summer months on the Mall downtown.
What is your dream vacation? Where would you take your kids?
Well we love going to Hawaii. I even based the world I created for my upcoming book Bandits on the Hawaiian Islands. I would also love to take the family to Greece. That’s my dream, dream vacation and I promise myself that one day I will go there and take the kids with me. When they travel places I love to see their innocence and appreciation for new adventures. This year we drove to the Florida Keys and are going to Niagra Falls then to Ontario Canada. We can’t wait.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
Don’t lose sight of the big picture. Once you start writing, create a platform and grow your network as you write. Join writer’s forums, start a blog where you review books. Learn the publishing business and remember at the end of the day you never give up. Map out your plan A, B and C. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box in relation to your success and define what success is to you. At the end of this journey, your happiness is what matters.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
I hope that anyone that reads my books grab and absorb the underlying message in all of them. That no matter what you’ve been through, where you are at, you have the power to change and control your destiny.
If you could mirror the career of any other author, who would it be and why?
I would love to be like James Patterson. He has tentacles reaching in all genres and also co-authors with others while realizing that publishing is a business. He is always trying new ways to market his stuff. He’s a writer and a marketer. In addition to marketing his work well, his stories are fast-paced, interesting and enjoyable.
What has made you the person you are today?
I love this question. I’ve become the person I am today because of all the hurdles, trials, mistakes and tenacious spirit of hope that I have. These lessons I weave into my writing for young people, because my readers value being portrayed as smart, resourceful and fearless – which are the traits that most teens have.
What is the most interesting thing about you?
That I’m not what I seem. Most of my peers in the engineering world were shocked that I had a creative side. Most engineers are considered nerdy. Also, the fact that I’m an African American woman that loves to write science fiction. Even my friends were shocked with that. I believe that most people have varied sides to themselves that they have yet to explore. In addition to all of the above, I accomplish tons of stuff at one time. The reason…I just can’t help myself. It’s the way I’m wired. I write, work a full-time job, volunteer with MWA (Maryland Writer’s Association), teach college courses part-time and am a wife whose husband indulges her in the many vacations needed to keep my creative juices running. I kick out about 4 books a year simply because I love the writing process. I never complain about how busy I am, because for some reason I have this need to reach all of my dreams before I leave this place, and my goodness I’m gonna try.
What is the worst book you’ve ever read? Why?
Uh-oh, I hate this question because as an author I realize that my opinion is strictly that, my opinion. Let’s just say that the worst book I’ve read is a highly popular book that bored me to death and made me want to reach within the novel and choke the main character that was weak and suffered from co-dependency to the point where the secondary character was way more interesting. Now with that said, the premise of the book kept me reading in hopes that the main character would change. Only problem was it took 2 additional books within the series for it to happen.
What are you working on now?
Bandits, the first in a two book series, is about a teenage boy who was raised as a thief and mercenary by his renowned father. His relationship with his father was strained due to his father’s refusal to continue his role as a leader of the Zukar. With his father’s murder, he discovers that his father snatched then hid a treasure that is not only worth killing for – but holds a power beyond mortal control. He sets out with his brother and friends to find the treasure before his father’s murderer does. His time is running out as the killer closes in, and the price to stop the inevitable destruction of his world becomes higher than he could ever pay.
Explorer X – Beta is the second book in the Explorer X series and will be full of surprises. The world I created for this book has me excited. This will ultimately be a four book series that will come to a climatic end that is so unpredictable yet powerful. I can’t wait. I’ve outlined the entire series and am finishing up the first draft of Explorer X-Beta, which is scheduled to come out Fall of 2011. In Explorer X-Beta, Aadi realizes that it’s okay to make mistakes, that leaning on your friends make you stronger, and that people are not always what they seem. I’ll give you a hint, he’s on his way to save Dakota and Carter, but in doing so, unveils something about the species in which he and the others were created from. The depth of the deception of TECRC becomes more obvious, and the burgeoning power of each character comes to the surface.
The Pack – Retribution, brings Shamira back where she struggles with being a leader and burying herself back within. Her trust and friendships are further tested. This is due out in Spring, 2012.
Check out L. M. Preston's websites and blogs:
I love people to check out my blog which is http://lmpreston.blogspot.com also I’m having a Virtual Book Release Party with a giveaway of a free hotel night stay among other party favors at http://bookpartylmpreston.blogspot.com
To find out about my upcoming books check out. www.lmpreston.com
And here's the trailer for her latest book, The Pack:
And now that you've come this far, I'm hosting a giveaway! There will be TWO winners...
1) The publisher is offering one signed copy, a poster, and magnet.
2) I'm offering up my copy as well to a second winner.
The giveaway IS international, so let everyone know. Please fill out this form - no comment entries please.
1 comments:
Great interview! And thank you for making this awesome giveaway international! :)
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