Author on the Couch: Lisa Wells

This week on Author on the Couch, I conduct a session with…

Lisa Wells

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Me: Tell me about an experience that had a profound impact on your life.

Lisa: When I was five, I was dragged by our galloping pony across the fields of my grandparent’s farm. During this adventure, I had one foot all the way in the stirrup and the rest of my body was bouncing off the rocky ground. The horse finally stopped when a bob-wire fence got in her way.

I was in the hospital for two weeks.

No one blamed the horse. It was my fault. One simply does not place their whole foot in a stirrup. Nor try to dismount a horse while it’s moving. No one suggested I never ride a horse again. Of course I would continue to ride horses.

That moment in my life taught me to get back up and do it again. A skill that has come in handy throughout my life. Especially as a writer. A rejection from an editor or agent is nothing compared to an up close and personal journey over a thousand jagged rocks.

[Tweet theme=”basic-white”]”That moment in my life taught me to get back up and do it again.” @lisawellsauthor via @Abbie_Roads #amwriting http://wp.me/p5h5aN-z6[/Tweet]

Me: Lisa–What a powerful lesson from such a scary experience! I love it when people can find the lesson from a bad experience.

What personality trait of yours helps you most as an author?

Lisa: I’m Princesses Positive. I expect good things to happen.

Me: What personality trait of yours hinders you most as an author?

Lisa: I work best under pressure. Which means I procrastinate when there’s no pressure. Until you get a contract, there’s not a lot of pressure. I need deadlines to be productive.

lisawells

Me: What was your high point as a writer—a time when you were happiest?

Lisa: My husband surprised me by reading my first published book. And he loved it. And then he bragged about it to anyone who would listen. That made my year.

Me: Aww… That’s so sweet. He’s a keeper!

What was your low point as a writer—a time when questioned your path as a writer, a time when you felt really crappy about your writing?

Lisa: I once entered a contest, and a judge made the following comment about my entry, “I thought this was a joke.” I put that manuscript away and started a new book.

Me: Gah. I hate mean contest judges. Don’t they realize how hurtful those comments can be to aspiring author?

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Lisa: In 3rd grade, my teacher would give us the first line of a story and we had to write a story to go with the line. I LOVED doing that. I knew then, I wanted to be an author some day.

Me: How many books have you written? How long does it typically take you to write a book? What’s the most painful part of the writing process for you?

Lisa: I’ve written five or six books. As I mentioned earlier, I work best with a deadline. That being said, I now know I can write a category length book in 3 months.

The most painful part of writing, getting edits back from an editor and trying to make myself and her happy.

Me: Who is your book boyfriend? Why?

Lisa: Rhett Butler. He’s the ultimate charmer.

Me: Rhett Butler–Amen, sister! He’s a classic. One of my favorites!

What’s your life motto? Why does that motto speak to you?

Lisa: “Be nice.” I work with middle school students who aren’t nice to one another, and I hurt for the kids who are bullied.

Me: I love that. It’s so simple, so basic, and yet so necessary.

Me: Tell me about your Contemporary Romance novel THE SEDUCTION OF KINLEY FOSTER!

Lisa:

Librarian Kinley Foster wants to write erotic romance—the steamy, sexy, curl-your-toes kind of stuff. The problem? She desperately needs a little erotic inspiration. And at a romance convention in Vegas, she finds it…or rather him. The sizzlingly sexy guy who refused Kinley – and her virginity – when she was sixteen.

Me: Share a few of your favorite paragraphs with us.

Lisa:

Ian stepped into the session on Naughty Words for Nice Writers being presented by author Cara Bristol, a writer of erotic romances.

He sat down next to an older lady, probably in her early seventies, with gray hair and pearls. He wondered if she was published or still trying to get her first contract.

“Some men have nicknames for their penises. I once knew a guy who referred to his as Fred,” the speaker said. She was best known for her Rod and Cane Society domestic discipline series.

“Who would call their penis Fred?” the lady sitting beside him asked in a smoker’s voice.

Lisa: I love this passage, and the paragraphs that follow, because it’s a shout out to a dear friend of mine, Cara Bristol. She’s real. Her Naughty Words for Nice Writers is a real book as are her Rod and Cane Society books.

Purchase THE SEDUCTION OF KINLEY FOSTER!

Entangled Publishing

You can find Lisa here:

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Abbie Roads writes dark emotional novels featuring damaged characters, but always her hero and heroine a happy ending… after torturing them for three hundred pages. Her debut novel RACE THE DARKNESS is available for pre-order now. Cover-RacetheDarkness