In the interview seat today we have the lovely L.E Maguire. She is an independent author who is a born and bred Jersey Girl currently living below the Mason-Dixon line.
She is an avid reader with a passion for romance novels. When she's not reading, you can usually find her writing.
Starting Over (Hart of Seattle, #1) was her first published novel on July 27, 2013. Her second novel, New Beginnings (Hart of Seattle, #2), is the second and final in the Hart of Seattle series, and was published on December 31, 2013. Her third release, unrelated to the first two, Picture Perfect, was published on April 7, 2015.
She also has a special love for photography, football (sharing an equal passion for both the NY Giants and the Seattle Seahawks), and all things vampire.
Facebook Author Page / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest
Hello
and welcome to Booky Ramblings of a Neurotic Mom. Was
there anything particular that inspired you to start your journey of
being an author?
Well,
I always enjoyed writing; whether it was letters to friends, poems or
book reports. When I got laid off from my job, I went to school for
medical transcription and met a few great people through that online
course. We became friends on Facebook, and, through a shared love of
Twilight, we got talking about books. They encouraged me to write my
book and I took a few writing classes through my local community
college. The idea for my first book, Starting Over, is the result of
those classes.
What
would you say is the hardest part of writing/publishing a book for
you?
Believe
it or not, the hardest part is hitting that publish button. It’s
hard to put your heart and soul into something and then put out into
the world for all to criticize.
If
you could only read four books for the rest of your life, what would
they be?
Well,
I suppose I should something like Gone With The Wind for one, which
by the way I loved, but I’m going to be totally crazy and say the
entire Twilight Saga. Picking up Twilight literally changed my life.
I was never much of a reader until I read that book, and now look at
where I am! If I’m not reading, I’m writing. But, seriously, I
loved all the Twilight books, and I have read them many, many times.
Do
you and your main character share any personality traits?
Oh,
yes, absolutely. I put myself in that character’s shoes when I’m
writing so it’s only natural that a little bit of me can be found
in all my characters. But I think that is what makes the criticism
even harder to handle though, because I take the negative personally,
especially when they are critical of a character.
If
you could live in any book what book would it be?
Why,
Twilight, of course. I love the rain, so naturally the rainiest place
in the US would be ideal for me, and I love all things vampire. And
who doesn't want to find their soul mate and spend eternity with them?
Where
do your ideas for your books come from? Dreams? Music?
From
anything really. Starting Over was born from my first writing class.
The first 500 words were actually part of my final for that class and
the story just grew from there. The idea for Picture Perfect came
from an interview I saw with David Gandy. He had gone on to say that
a relationship with someone who is not in the modeling world is
difficult to maintain because they don’t understand. They see him
on set with beautiful women but there is anything but privacy during
a shoot. So, I got to thinking what would it be like if a model and a
photographer got together? A photographer would be able to understand
the life of a model, but could they still make it work? And my
current WIP actually came to me while I was at an Avenged Sevenfold
concert. I was watching the photographers run around on the floor
taking pictures of the guys when the idea hit. Here I was writing
notes on my phone during the concert. It was kind of crazy.
Any
advice for aspiring authors?
Yes,
write and keep writing. Write every day. Be it a word, a line, a
paragraph or a page, just write, and write what you love. And when
you’re not writing, read. Stephen King said it best with, “If you
don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools)
to write.” And ignore that inner critic. You can’t worry about
whether what you are writing is good or not. We all have to start
somewhere. And lastly, seek out other writers. I have many on
Facebook and I joined RWA (Romance Writers of America) and a local
chapter, Carolina Romance Writers. It’s great to connect with
fellow writers. To have a group of people who understand the trials
and tribulations of being a writer, who you can share your
achievements with and build goals with, is inspiring in itself.
**********
Picture Perfect
Ember’s assistant secretly enters her in a local contest, winning her a gallery showing. She's hopeful this will get her and her work quickly noticed. While out celebrating her impending show, Ember gets hit on by the most annoying, arrogant man, who is also the most attractive man she’s even seen. He’s tall, built, and ruggedly handsome. He's perfect, but he's also not part of her plan.
After landing a photo shoot for a popular fashion magazine, in strolls the up and coming male model, Evan Ryan James. The perfectly annoying, arrogant, gorgeous man from the bar. Evan had been immediately captivated by Ember, but after getting her heart broken by her former philandering boyfriend, Ember vowed she would never get involved with another model again. But Evan isn’t going to take no for an answer. He believes he found the perfect woman in Ember, and he is determined to make her see it. Just as Ember starts to let Evan in, both of their careers take off. Soon, their tenuous relationship is quickly put to the test when they are both pulled in different directions by the high demands of their jobs.
You just reminded me about writing and reading what I love. This sounds fascinating! :) xx
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