Lori Beasley-Bradley Interview

A CMWAS Exclusive Interview with author, Lori Beasley-Bradley

Jessi: Please tell us a little about yourself and your background.
Lori: I was born in southern Illinois on a small self-sustaining farm. The house I grew up in did not have central heat or air conditioning until I was in high school. I draw on this for my writing about the 19th century. I washed clothes by hand and hung them on a clothesline to dry. I grew and canned vegetables. We had a four-acre garden, chickens, pigs, and a milk cow. I made butter.


Jessi: What were you like in school?
Lori: I was a good student and loved to read. I was that kid with a library book hidden behind her textbook. My mother started nursing school the year I started high school and I did all her reading assignments and wrote her reports. She made the Dean’s List every semester.


Jessi: Did you always know that you wanted to write?
Lori: I started writing in grade school. I wrote short stories and sold them in high school to kids who needed writing assignments.


Jessi: What are your ambitions in regards to your writing career?
Lori: I’d like to see one of my novels become a best-seller.


Jessi: What writers (if any) have inspired you?
Lori: There have been many! I read The Lord of the Rings at ten. I devoured Edgar Alan Poe for his horror, Anya Seton for her Gothic romance, and Anne Rice for her fabulous vampires and witches. Marion Zimmer Bradley created an amazing world in her Darkover novels. Edgar Rice Burroughs for Tarzan. And so very many more! I’m currently in love with James Rollins for his action/adventure novels and his coupling with Rebecca Cantrell to create a new twist on the vampire genre.


Jessi: What have you written?
Lori: The Legend of the Swamp Witch was my first novel, then book 1 of my Soiled Dove Sagas, The Ruby Queen and book 2 The Queen of the Cow Towns. Sweet Rewards, my first romance will be published by Etopia Press later this year. Promises, a contemporary romance, Moon of the Witch and Man in Black are Paranormal romances set in the Louisiana bayous. The Green River War is a Historical romance set in 1876 Texas and will be published by JK Publishing in November by JK Publishing.


Jessi: What genre are your books?
Lori: I write Historical Fiction set in the Old West and Erotic Romances set in several genres.


Jessi: What draws you to a particular genre?
Lori: I’m all over the map on that one! I love history and have studied it. I love ghost stories and things that go bump in the night. I write erotica because sex sells!


Jessi: What actors/actresses would you like to see playing the leading roles to your latest book?
Lori: I pictured my latest hero as Tom Selleck and the heroine as Sissy Spacek.


Jessi: Do you write every day? If so, do you aim for a certain amount of words/pages per day?
Lori: I don’t write every day, but when I do, I set a goal of 2500 words or 1 chapter.


Jessi: What do you feel is the hardest thing about writing? The easiest?
Lori: The writing is easy. It’s the promotion that’s hard!


Jessi: Do you ever get writer's block? If so, do you have any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer's block for other writers?
Lori: I always have 2 or 3 projects outlined. If I get stuck on one I move to another until I’m ready to go back to the other.


Jessi: Do you proofread and edit your own work? If not, how do you select the person/company that proofreads and edits your work?
Lori: I proof and edit one chapter before going on to the next. When the manuscript is complete I do a full read and edit. I also belong to a critique group who critiques and edits my work. I also have an editor from that group that I pay.


Jessi: Who designs your book covers and how do you choose different aspects for your covers?
Lori: When I self-publish I use Createspace’s cover creator. The novels published by traditional publishers get covers designed by the publisher’s designers with my input.


Jessi: What are your thoughts on good/bad reviews?
Lori: All reviews should be looked at as learning experiences. Bad reviews help a writer know where she’s fallen short and good ones let her know where she’s strong.


Jessi: What are your views on social networking? Which social networking sites work best for you?
Lori: I have a Facebook account, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. I post covers and my blog is connected to all of them. Have they helped me sell more books? I have no idea. There’s no way to track it as far as I know.


Jessi: What do you think of trailers for books? Do you have any trailers for your books?
Lori: I have no trailers. Have I ever bought a book because of a trailer I saw? No.


Jessi: What is your favorite motivational phrase/positive saying?
Lori: Just do it!


Jessi: Describe yourself in three words.
Lori: Crazy Cat Lady … nope, don’t have a cat. Dirty-minded old tart … hyphenated counts as one word, right?