Writing Questions Archives - Lori Foster

FAQ Category: Writing Questions

How can I find your L.L. Foster books?

Lori Foster writing as LL Foster



The Servant Series

Book 1: The Awakening
Book 2: The Acceptance
Book 3: The Kindred

Gabrielle Cody has the ability to see the demons among us as they really are-and she suffers the responsibility to destroy them. She can’t allow anyone to get in her way, even the magnetic Detective Luther Cross. But when malevolent beings attack, Gaby and Luther must join forces to win against unimaginable evil – and in the process, they find more than a need for justice.

 

Extras for the Servant Series

Book Trailer

Kindred, Manga Style

Romantic Times Interview

Servant Stepback




The Jardines Series

For centuries, males in the Jardine family have been born with a gift: they can sense, capture and manipulate the emotions of others. Such a talent comes with grave responsibility, and the Jardine men, working with high-level government officials, have been given immunity to tame the more psychotic edges of society.

Book 1: Out of the Light, Into the Shadows
Short Story: Christmas Candi

This series features an anthology, Out of the Light, Into the Shadows, containing the L.L. Foster story Total Control, and the Lori Foster story Have Mercy, followed by the short story, Christmas Candi.



Stories Not Part of a Series

The Skin Beneath, included in the anthology Harrowing Horrors: Hanged Man—featuring six stories from J.Z. Foster, Lori Foster (writing as L.L. Foster), and Justin M. Woodward.

What was the biggest misconception you had about writing when you started?

That I would just be able to write. There’s so much more involved – promotion, editing, phone calls, travel. It’s overwhelming at times. Also, one of the things I noticed early on in this business that sort of threw me for a loop, and disillusioned me for a time, was the negativity.

Lots of angst and people talking like they “bleed on the page” to write. It was all suffering and woe and it beat me down. But because I’m a writer, I couldn’t just walk away from it all. Instead, I’ve tried to keep it more upbeat, to show that SOME of us are feeling remarkably blessed, and are very happy. Even when things don’t go 100% right – and they often don’t in this biz – I still can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.

Of course it’s hard work. And very time consuming and often filled with disappointments. But anything worthwhile requires work. For me, though, there’s work and then there’s work. I’ve worked other jobs that were just to make money. There was no personal reward. This is different. This is rewarding in so many ways, I can’t even list them all.

I get to sit at my desk in my comfy clothes with my pets nearby and coffee in front of me – hey it’s a no brainer. This is what I was meant to do. And lucky for me, I’ve met others who feel the same way. There will always be those who suffer for their art. But others are having a great time with this writing gig and they’re not afraid to share the happiness.

What do you do when you get stuck, when your characters refuse to cooperate, and your plot seems to have come to a dead end?

I reevaluate. That doesn’t happen to me very often because I spend a lot of time thinking about my book. But if I’m stuck, then I know I took a wrong turn somewhere. When there’s a lack of enthusiasm on my part, I know there will be a lack of enthusiasm for the reader. So I redirect myself to try to make sure that every page has me anxious to write, so that every page will have the reader anxious to read.

What’s a typical writing day like for you?

I’m up around 4:30, depending on how late I stayed up the night before. I get my coffee first thing, sometimes even before both eyes are open. I feed the cats, and then head to the office to attack emails. I generally get about 250+ emails a day. After that, I check out the websites that interest me. I go to my Facebook Page every day and my Twitter. Often Goodreads and Pinterest too.

It seems I write better when I nosh, so I make sure to have lots of quick snacks around. I do any necessary promo, read galleys and page proofs – and in between all of that, I write.

How many hours a day do you spend writing?

That differs from day to day, depending on what’s happening in my life. More often than not, I write for however many hours it takes to get all the scenes out of my head. When they’re gone, then I need to think about the book some more. With my husband retired and my sons grown and on their own, they’re all pretty wonderful about pitching in and making more writing time for me when they can. But family always comes first, so when I’m needed, I’m there – and writing just has to take second place, or third or fourth…

How many revisions does each manuscript go through before you submit?

In the earlier stages of my career, quite a few! But now, not much revising at all. I do most of my revising in my head long before I ever sit down to write.

Each new day, I reread what I wrote the day before and make any changes that are necessary. This way, when I finish the story, it really is finished!