Romance Hideaway

About L.A.A. Law:
Living on the east coast, I love to travel to Maine. It is just far enough away to feel as if I am escaping the demands of work to enjoy time with my wonderful family while being close enough that most of the short time we find in our competing work schedules to escape is not taken up by travel. The beautiful scenery, national park, and abundance of rocky beaches offers peace and tranquility. I am the mother of three wonderful children and work in a law firm. Writing is something I never thought I could do. My vast work experience is more in accounting and legal work dealing with figures and asset allocation. Writing became a way to allow my mind to escape for short periods of time while my body stayed anchored to care for two dying parents while still attempting to ensure that my children could have a somewhat normal childhood.

What inspires you to write?
I love reading romance stories and cannot wait to see how the couple ends up with their happily ever after. Yet, as I read them, a lifetime of exposure to the darker side of what life can bring twists the characters and scenes into something more sinister, and new characters with emotionally darker tales to be told are born. When this occurs and the new story or scene forms, I feel compelled to give the character their voice or the story its reveal.

As for my newest trilogy, this series was born because I could not stop myself. I could not help myself. Being late to the Fifty Shades of Grey party, by the time I learned of these books, all three were out and I indulged in E.L. James' world, staying up until the sun began to rise and I had to care for my family before heading off to work. Reading them quickly and moving to Sylvia Day's Crossfire series to fill the void that finishing E.L. James trilogy left in the late evenings when I just could not sleep, I quickly learned that sleep was overrated and reading after everyone else had gone to bed was beneficial. As I had yet to purchase a kindle, nook or tablet and being absolutely abominable with the internet, to the point where I could not download books to read on the computer without also ensuring that my laptop got a virus or some vicious malware that would keep the Geek Squad working for hours, I had to find a new avenue to quench my thirst for such stories. Being the middle of the night and without a bookstore, I shifted away from the final installment of a general audience series that I was in the process of publishing and began writing a fan fiction that had one erotic scene but is not erotica. As I wrote, a dark character with secrets and a mysterious woman who was unaware of her true past emerged. As the two crossed paths, they were thrust into a dark and dangerous world where things and people are not always as they appear. Unable to figure out how to post the fan fiction, the story grew and grew and now it is available to you.

My other pseudonym, L.A.A. Law, released a free book series on Smashwords (not of a mature and darkly emotional nature – G rated for all audience) in hopes if people enjoyed reading them, they would donate to the requested charities.

Tell us about your writing process.
The process started truly as a complete surprise. Speaking to a client who had gone through a similar experience that I was in the midst of, she suggested that a way to deal with the warring emotions short of therapy, would be to sit at the computer and write my feelings down, especially when you can’t really talk to those closest to you because they are experiencing the tough time requiring you to be strong and to spread yourself thin between aging and sick parents and young children. Sitting down, I had every intention of trying her suggestion, but how do you complain about a situation that you chose to enter into, were not mad about, but felt guilty over because you could not be there for everyone 100% of the time? Sitting there, staring at the screen my mind suddenly drifted toward a road that became the escape route in the prologue of my first book. My fingers began flying across the keyboard, but truly, I wasn’t reading the words, I was describing the images that began forming in my head and the feelings of a character who sprang from thin air. The next evening, when everyone was asleep, I opened the computer and was absolutely shocked at what was before me. I’m not saying that it was well written, some may say it still needs help and probably does, but for a numbers’ person, I was truly astonished that anything even somewhat creative came from me. As I got to the end of the writing, the pictures began forming again. I could see what happened next and my fingers began flying once more.

The process which started my writing is still with me as characters and storylines play like a movie in the background of my thoughts, regardless of what I am doing. If I am near my computer, I will place it as a side note to the outline which I draft and continuously re-draft. Otherwise, I will jot down a thought or character on a sticky note and then at night, when my world settles, I will see if the character, scene, conversation, or thought enhances my growing outline or needs to be put aside.

How do you develop your characters?
My characters lead me through the story they want to tell for my first draft. There are times when I find myself writing one way and then when I go back to review what I wrote, sometimes an event that I have been exposed to or which comes to light seems to be perfect for the character to experience or for the storyline. In those cases, I have found myself re-writing the entire story because that one change takes me on the most unexpected path and I love it. Writing and re-writing the story is a present I give to myself and hope to share with you.

What authors inspire you?
Authors who inspire me and become my favorite change with the beautiful stories I come across and read. However, I must say that throughout it all, I love stories from Melody Anne, Ruth Cardello, Catherine Bybee, Jennifer Probst, Kristen Proby and my all-time favorite, J.S. Scott. These wonderful authors bring romance to life with characters who have depth and something to say. I have enjoyed a laugh and many times a cry when reading the couples’ tales of passion which many times touch my soul.

How do you keep going in the midst of distractions?
Working at a law firm where I am required to where several hats, chaos seems to always surround me. I have become used to switching gears to accomplish a task that needs to be done before I can get back to what I am doing. That is why, I write only at the crack of dawn while those in my world are still sleeping or at night when everything I need to complete is done.

What are your hobbies when you need a break from writing?
I love to cook. At Christmas time, my kitchen looks like a bakery and my dining room is filled with empty containers waiting to be filled so that I can send them to friends, families, and local organizations. Cooking also allows me to share something with my children while teaching them a skill they need. I also love to kayak on the water because it offers such a sense of peace and freedom.

What romance genres do you write?: Romance, Paranormal

Do you write in genres that are not romance related?
To date, the stories I have written all have a romantic slant. However, as my characters are the ones who lead me through a story, it might be interesting to tell a different kind of story. To day, I don't know what that is right now, but it will be interesting to see it unveil if the opportunity presents itself.

What formats are your books in?: eBook

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Where to find out more about the author

Website(s)
L.A.A. Law Home Page Link
Link To L.A.A. Law Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on Smashwords

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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.