Today I’m pleased to welcome a friend participating in the Author SummerRead Exchange with me. Join us for a tall glass of iced tea and talk about her book, Living The Dream.
Larynn is intrigued by the paranormal. She’s a day dreamer and a romantic. She loves to let her mind wander always searching for a happy ending to her dreams.
At home in East Central Alabama, she worked as a cook and cashier before becoming a wife and mother. Earned a degree in Elementary Education, taught school, and worked in customer service. All the while her day dreams stacked up in the archives of her mind.
She put some of those ideas on paper in 2009 and she’s going to keep on dreaming and searching for those happy endings.
Welcome, Larynn. And thanks for agreeing to answer some of my quirky questions just for fun.
- How long have you been writing?
I started writing in high school. It was a family-oriented love story that never made it past chapter one, but the notion of writing never left me. I thought about it often for years and after my girls were grown and I had more time on my hands, my desire for reading came back to life. I decided how much fun it would be to create worlds and build stories, so I opened my computer and gave it another shot. I had no idea if I’d make it past chapter one but here I am. Living the Dream is the third book in a trilogy detailing the lives of Lynzi Lancaster and Layne Brady and their journey to happiness.
2. Are you a plotter, a pantser or some combination of both?
I’m a pantser and a messy plotter. I started my first book, In My Wildest Dreams, totally pantsing my way through telling my story. As ideas for future scenes popped into my head, I would drop to the bottom of my document and jot down my newest idea. I’d bounce back and forth from the story to the ideas section of the page deleting the notes at the bottom as I used them at the top. My form of plotting, if you can actually call it that, has continued through five novels, a novella, a short story, and my current work in progress.
3. Where do you go for inspiration?
A dark quiet room with no distractions is certainly ideal for thinking and that is in fact where the concept for the Dream Trilogy was born but more often than not, inspiration comes to me. It can be song lyrics that spark a Q & A session with myself, answering all sorts of “what if “and “why” questions. It can also be a cross on the side of a highway marking the place where someone died as it was with A Place To Belong, my fifth novel due to be released in March of 2019.
4. Tell us about your current WIP.
The book is a spin-off of my second novel, Rescued, which remains title-less at this point. I have never had a problem with titles before but for some reason, this one is still undecided. Rescued was written as a stand-alone book but at least one of the characters refused to remain between the covers of a closed book. Roxie was a mouthy teenager who turned her life around after she had a close call with death and had to be . . . wait for it . . . Rescued! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
5. What is the best compliment you ever received as a writer?
A couple of comments made by readers directly to me almost had me in tears. One said the descriptions were so vivid she could see the scenes playing out in her mind. Wow! I mean that’s exactly what writers shoot for right? Making the story come to life for our readers. She really made my day. Another comment was simply, “I can’t wait.” Comments like these make the long hours worthwhile.
6. What is something we’ll never catch you doing?
Hmm . . . There’s probably a long list of things you’d never catch me doing but the top of the list has to be, getting a tattoo. I understand they are a form of art and some are quite beautiful but it’s just not for me.
Now let’s hear all about Living the Dream.
Lynzi Lancaster Brady is, at long last, living her happily-ever-after with the man of her dreams. Their honeymoon bliss is interrupted when an innocent family visit drops her in the middle of the deadly situation they’ve been dodging for so long.
The troublemaking relative with a vendetta against the family forces them into a final showdown with a disastrous ending that threatens to take the elder of their family from them forever. Will an ancient sorcerer to able to bring her back from death’s door?
Book (trilogy) Buy Links:
Amazon: https://www.larynnford.com/p/living-dream-kindle.html
Book 1 in the trilogy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CE3B11I/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i3
Book 2 in the trilogy:
https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Come-True-Larynn-Ford-ebook/dp/B00NULPUHO/
Soul Mate Publishing: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/larynn-ford/
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/living-the-dream-larynn-ford/1128507757?ean=9781682916636
Book Excerpt:
Allvis grunted his disgust bringing an abrupt end to my vain attempts to gain my freedom when he pressed the blade in his other hand to my neck with a firm pressure. I sucked in a sharp quick breath and held it. One wrong move on my part was certain to send the sharp edge slicing deep into my throat. I’d be a goner for sure.
I gritted my teeth tighter. Hands clamped around his wrist, I dug my nails in deep, ripping at his skin to ease the blade away, and relieve the pressure. He put an abrupt end to my efforts by looping my hair around his fist again and jerking me at least another inch higher. The movement caused the blade to nick my skin. I dangled like a puppet from a string in his grip.
“Lynzi!” I read my name on Layne’s lips, horror and desperation carved into his face as he screamed for me, pounded the air, and begged Aunt Pet to work faster. Allvis grunted his disgust bringing an abrupt end to my vain attempts to gain my freedom when he pressed the blade in his other hand to my neck with a firm pressure. I sucked in a sharp quick breath and held it. One wrong move on my part was certain to send the sharp edge slicing deep into my throat. I’d be a goner for sure.
Allvis howled again. “Hey, boy! Where do you want me to leave her head when I separate it from her weak little human body?”
Author Links:
Website: https://www.larynnford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larynn.ford
Twitter: @LarynnFord https://twitter.com/LarynnFord
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/larynnford/books/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Larynn-Ford/e/B00CELS1V8/
Larynn’s Blog: https://www.larynnford.com/index.html
Thanks for stopping by Larynn. Come back anytime!!
Susan A. Royal 