Ask the Author: Loree Lough
Answered Questions (24)
Loree Lough
I love everything written by Jack London. I've read his works 5-6 times each.
Loree Lough
My grandorables will each receive at least one book each, and I enjoy giving cookbooks to my daughters, who are both fantastic cooks. My husband loves action-adventure-thriller type novels, so he'll get a few of those. If I had to guess, I'd say a couple dozen books will end up under the tree this year!
Loree Lough
Good question! I can't find it, either!
Loree Lough
I love the old classics: London, Hemingway, C.S. Lewis. But I also enjoy Nicholas Sparks, James Patterson, Dean Koontz. And of course, books written by my talented author friends!
Loree Lough
A close relative ran away at age 14 and remained missing for 33 years. What prompted the disappearance, how did he survive all that time!
Loree Lough
Before launching my writing career in 1986, writing articles for local, regional, national, and international newspapers and magazines. (Some day I'll tell you all about the reasons I switched from nonfiction to fiction!) My first book was released in 1994.
Prior to that, you could say I was a Jack of All Trades, but I paid my way through school singing and strumming my Yamaha guitar in hotel lounges all across the US and Canada. :-)
Prior to that, you could say I was a Jack of All Trades, but I paid my way through school singing and strumming my Yamaha guitar in hotel lounges all across the US and Canada. :-)
Loree Lough
Gnocchi with meatless spaghetti sauce, the way my Italian grandmother used to make it! That aside, if it's fattening or bad for me, it's a pretty sure bet that I love it! LOL
Loree Lough
There won't be former soldiers in the "Those Marshall Boys" series, but there will be a firefighter and a homicide detective! But I'm putting the final touches on a new series for Heartwarming, and it will feature a former air force pilot...to name just one hero's background!
Loree Lough
Good question, Jennifer! I'd have to say while chowing down on baby back ribs at T-Bonz in Ellicott City, one of our favorites. The restaurant specializes in sports of all sorts, so there are TVs all over the place. Usually, the sound is turned down, but one night while the evening news was broadcasting, a like-minded viewer asked the waitress to turn it up...and the highlighted story sparked the idea for my Turning Points series (Harlequin's Love Inspired line).
The basics: Several teen boys, looking to 'pull' an original prank on Halloween night, made a dummy dressed in boots, jeans, plaid shirt, and battered Fedora on its pumpkin head, and proceeded to toss it onto the railroad tracks...in front of a moving freight train! The engineer, thinking the dummy was a vagrant, did his best to stop, but couldn't. A huge search ensued, and Baltimore County made use of every available tactic: dogs, helicopters with spotlights, teams on foot.
Well, my mind began to wander long before the announcer cited what it cost the county to conduct that search: How did the incident impact those boys? Did they feel guilty? Sorry? Or was the thrill responsible for similar pranks?
I answered those questions in novels that open with a chapter, told from the point of view of one boy--what they contributed to the creation of the dummy, etc.--and ends with him hearing about his massive search, then picks up again 15 years later. In my version of the 'what happened next' story, the engineer had a heart attack after the dummy was "killed," and died despite the valiant efforts of EMTs and ER staff.
Guilt inspired the first boy to become a cardiac surgeon. The second becomes a decorated paramedic. The third an ER doctor.
The baby back ribs got cold as I jotted potential story ideas, and I didn't mind one bit! :-)
The basics: Several teen boys, looking to 'pull' an original prank on Halloween night, made a dummy dressed in boots, jeans, plaid shirt, and battered Fedora on its pumpkin head, and proceeded to toss it onto the railroad tracks...in front of a moving freight train! The engineer, thinking the dummy was a vagrant, did his best to stop, but couldn't. A huge search ensued, and Baltimore County made use of every available tactic: dogs, helicopters with spotlights, teams on foot.
Well, my mind began to wander long before the announcer cited what it cost the county to conduct that search: How did the incident impact those boys? Did they feel guilty? Sorry? Or was the thrill responsible for similar pranks?
I answered those questions in novels that open with a chapter, told from the point of view of one boy--what they contributed to the creation of the dummy, etc.--and ends with him hearing about his massive search, then picks up again 15 years later. In my version of the 'what happened next' story, the engineer had a heart attack after the dummy was "killed," and died despite the valiant efforts of EMTs and ER staff.
Guilt inspired the first boy to become a cardiac surgeon. The second becomes a decorated paramedic. The third an ER doctor.
The baby back ribs got cold as I jotted potential story ideas, and I didn't mind one bit! :-)
Loree Lough
Basic plotlines are as old as the storytelling, itself. That means every author is obligated to put a fresh new spin on every one of those ideas. I could name two dozen NYTimes bestselling authors whose novels all begin to sound alike after the first 50 releases or so. The result is...readers who once stood in line for those booksignings or waited anxiously for a next release aren't doing either anymore. Money is tight these days, and no one wants to spend their hard-earned dollars on the same ol', same ol'!
So no, I don't worry that my novels are like very other out there, because I painstakingly work to ensure that every story is as individual as it can possibly be. My secret? Interviews with folks in the know and lots of deep research. And this is true whether I'm writing a contemporary or a historical. :-)
So no, I don't worry that my novels are like very other out there, because I painstakingly work to ensure that every story is as individual as it can possibly be. My secret? Interviews with folks in the know and lots of deep research. And this is true whether I'm writing a contemporary or a historical. :-)
Loree Lough
Book #2 in "Those Marshall Boys" series (as yet untitled) is slated for release in September. I'm tickled pink that you're enjoying ONCE A MARINE! :-)
Loree Lough
I believe your question is next in line, so you should receive an reply any minute now! :-)
Loree Lough
I use my Timeline to keep salient issues about a book close at hand. It's a chart of sorts that details time period, setting, character descriptions/traits, conflict, etc. I attach notes from people I've interviewed on the subject(s) relating to the novel, as well as photos, maps, and charts that allow me to remain on track. It's a lot of work, but well worth it!
Loree Lough
Denver has always fascinated me, and during visits there I learned a few details about the city's history. Digging deeper only made me MORE fascinated, so I decided to set the "Secrets on Sterling Street" series there. I loved highlighting the clothing, tools, modes of transportation, even the way people talked back then!
As for the reason I chose 'secrets' as the main theme for the series, I'm one of those gals people come to when they have a secret. I often joke to myself that it's only by the grace of God that my head doesn't explode, because there are so many secrets stored in there!
Seriously, though, secrets can destroy a person's health, relationships, even their faith. So I thought...why not explore the psychology behind secret-keeping, and show readers how these two characters had to dig deep and trust God, themselves, and one another if they hoped to find true contentment!
As for the reason I chose 'secrets' as the main theme for the series, I'm one of those gals people come to when they have a secret. I often joke to myself that it's only by the grace of God that my head doesn't explode, because there are so many secrets stored in there!
Seriously, though, secrets can destroy a person's health, relationships, even their faith. So I thought...why not explore the psychology behind secret-keeping, and show readers how these two characters had to dig deep and trust God, themselves, and one another if they hoped to find true contentment!
Loree Lough
Research has always been my favorite part of writing. I learn so many new things, and so many details about things I'd sorta known about!
Loree Lough
The intricacies of self defense surprised me. A lot! I thought I knew a few things, but while researching the subject, I found out just how little I know!
Loree Lough
I have long been a fan of first responders of all forms (firefighters, police officers, EMTs, soldiers), but because I've known several Marines personally ... and admire their courage and drive ... I often feature former Marines in my books. It's my very small and insignificant way of thanking them for their service.
Loree Lough
I love them all, but green is my favorite! So many beautiful things...trees, flowers, meadows, mountains...glow with green. And of course, folding money is green! LOL
Loree Lough
I'm a history addict, & stumbled upon a story about the Sand Creek Massacre. That's all it took to 'get me my fix.' Need to know more? Feel free to ask! :-)
Loree Lough
Tory ideas are everywhere (on the news, in line at the grocery story, sitting in the dentist's waiting room, etc.), & all they need is an inquiring mind who makes smart of the biggest li'l word in the English language: IF. (Feel free to ask me more about that one. )
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