Lora Leigh

Hi Lora, thanks for agreeing to chat with us at Enchanting Reviews. We are so excited to have this opportunity to get to know you better.

Aemelia, thank you for the opportunity as well

1. NAUTI DREAMS is the third book in your Nauti trilogy. Please tell us more about it.
NAUTI DREAMS is about facing the past, and facing the knowledge that only that one man (in Chaya’s case) or the one woman (in Natches case) will do. In NAUTI NIGHTS you see Natches with this devil may care façade until the one scene where he interacts with agent Chaya Dane, known as Greta Dane during this investigation. You get a sense there is something more, as do his cousins Dawg and Rowdy. Once you get involved with NAUTI DREAMS, from the Prologue on, you realize how deep that connection between the two of them actually goes and the effect it’s had on each character.
I cried through writing this book. Chaya’s loss and pain, and Natches need to protect and love her, touched me in ways that was very hard to handle. He was dedicated to her in a way that when it came time to end the book, I didn’t want to let it go.

2. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please, tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step.
I first started seriously submitting my work to NY in 2003 I believe after several other authors had read TEMPTING THE BEAST and begin encouraging me to submit. Angela Knight played a huge role in that, she even introduced me to my first agent who picked me up and sold my ideas to Berkley and St. Martins.

3. What kind of research do you do for your books? Do you enjoy the research process?
I do a large variety of research, something I wished I had started sooner. That doesn’t mean I don’t mess up, because I do, often. Details often get mixed up because I’m so involved in my head with the characters and their story that sometimes other information tends to become rattled. But I do enjoy the research I do on my books. The trip to Lake Cumberland and Somerset Kentucky for the Nauti books was really a lot of fun. And the area is simply stunning. I’d encourage everyone to vacation there. It’s gorgeous, and the people are so kind and welcoming. It was a wonderful trip for me.
Different books require different types of research methods though. I have shelves full of notebooks and books for research topics on various series. And I’m always trying to pick up more information. Sometimes the process of research itself helps the plots and ideas to form fully in my head. So it’s a fun process and one I usually enjoy

4. If you could be one of your characters – Who would you be? And why?
That answer would vary from book to book. Whichever character I’m writing at the time I’d have to say. Or whoever’s head I’m in at any given moment. I love all my characters, even my villains. They all have a story to tell me and lessons to teach me, so each one as they come along, is my favorite I guess.

5. When you are in the middle of a book, are you able to turn off/shut off the story you are writing when you leave your office/turn your computer off, in order to interact with family and do all the every day life mom/wife stuff? Or are the characters and story bickering in the back of your mind while you fake normalcy?
What exactly is normalcy I’d have to ask. The stories and characters are always in my head. There is no escaping them. I even carry them into my dreams. I do make time for my family though. Dinner is always a family event with everyone at the table. My office is always open and my husband and son spend a lot of time in here with me. The phone rings and I usually answer it to talk to my daughter or my mother. I’m family focused, but I’m also very focused on my books. I still have a lot to write, and I’m normally a fast writer. So that does leave time for my family between books.

6. Have you ever been in the middle of writing a book where you had to stop because another story would speak louder in your head? If so, were you able to finish both?
Not normally. The next book will usually start harping at me around the end of the book before it. Before I had deadlines, I’ve had that happen. I’d hop between this book or that book and just play with each one. The deadlines have taught me focus and discipline though, and I think it’s helped to make the books more structured.

7. Do deadlines help or hinder your muse?
My muse is pretty flexible. He just comes and goes as he pleases. Sometimes I have to struggle with a book, sometimes the muse hits me hard and heavy and rides me until I finish a book gasping from the pace that’s been set with it. The deadlines aren’t really a factor I don’t believe, other than the fact that they force me to stick with one book at a time.

8. What do you like to do when you're not writing?
I like to garden, go fishing, sometimes I like to cook. It’s varied. Whatever hits my interest at the time. Sometimes I just want to sit back for a few hours and rest, because honestly, there’s rarely a day that I’m not writing.

9. What jobs did you have before becoming a writer?
The same jobs I have now.  A wife, a mother. I’ve always been a writer, no matter what I’ve done at any given time. I was a waitress for a while and my notebook traveled with me.

10. Chocolate or Vanilla? Shower or bath? Blue ink or black ink? Beer or Wine? Jeans or slacks?
Hmm. I’m allergic to chocolate and don’t care much for vanilla. I love a long hot bubble back, and the ink is all according to my mood. Beer and wine are mood things too. Jeans or slacks? Well, that’s kind of according to my mood as well. I’m not one thing at any given time. It’s all according to where I am inside myself at that particular time. And sometimes, I even like purple ink. My journal is written in a variety of colors.

11. Many of our readers love buying books in the ebook format, as it allows them to have a huge library everywhere they go. Many print publishers have jumped on the bandwagon and have started releasing books both in print and in ebook format. Are you planning to continue writing ebooks and will your print books also be released as ebooks?
How the print books will be released I’m never certain. I usually know if they’re ebook whenever a reader posts it to my forum. As for continuing with the ebooks, that’s still not a decision I’ve firmly made yet. At the moment, I’m concentrating on my print contracts and the growth of my books as a whole. I don’t like to say, yes I will do this or no I won’t do that, because invariably something will arise to make me rethink that decision. I do have three more ebooks planned for Ellora’s Cave. It’s just a matter of getting to them.

Lora, thank you for allowing us a glimpse into your world. It's been great hearing about your books, experiences as an author and some of your insights on life. Congrats on your next release. We can't wait to review more of your work!

Aemelia, thank you so much for the interview and the chance to visit with the readers who visit your site. I’ve had fun answering your questions and look forward to visiting Enchanting Reviews again soon.

Interviewed by Aemelia
June 2008