LAURA STRICKLAND (Cont.)
INTERVIEW
MFRW:
LS:
MFRW:
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MFRW:
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5
Would you like to write a different genre
or sub-genre than you do now?
The truth is, I’m what I like to call a genre-
hopping author. I started out writing Celtic
mythological fiction and switched to Scottish
Romance fiction when I received my first con-
tract from The Wild Rose Press. I still love
writing Scottish Romance but find other writ-
ing ideas also abound. I’m currently involved in
no less than three series, one Nineteenth-
Century Historical, one Mythical Scottish and
one Steampunk Romance.
I enjoy them all and find that switching
genres keeps my voice and ideas fresh.
Do you feel humor is important in fiction
and why?
I love including humor in my books, and
readers really respond well to it, especially in
my Steampunk Romance series. I happen to
have a dry and rather black sense of humor
which comes creeping in and is often reflected
in the personalities of my characters. I find that
makes my characters seem very real—just like
people we meet in life, they often use their hu-
mor as a coping mechanism.
What is your writing routine once you start
a book?
Once I’ve started a book, the story and
characters tend to take over. I just sit back and
go along for the ride. Often, this
process begins even before I put
pen to paper (yes, I still write my
stories first in longhand, using a
blue pen and spiral notebooks
an d type them up later.) As soon
as I get the spark for an idea, the
characters begin to hound me till
I tell their stories. They’re relent-
less!
MFRW:
What about
your family? Do they know not
to bother you when you’re writ-
LS:
MFRW:
LS:
ing, or are there constant interruptions? Are
they, especially your significant other, suppor-
tive of your work? Do you ever ask them for
advice?
Ah, ha ha! Excuse me while I cue the hysterical
laughter. Are there interruptions? I often think
the fact that I’m working, either hunched like a
mad troll over my notebook or in the depths of
editing on my computer, must escape detection.
My daughter’s now grown and moved from the
family home but my husband and dog, Jessie,
more than take up the slack. My husband can
walk into the room and begin telling me a long,
involved story, totally ignoring the wild, desper-
ate look in my eyes, and Jessie always picks the
penultimate moment in plot development to
ask to go out. But yes, my family is very sup-
portive of my writing and I have asked my hus-
band for advice. He has a wonderfully practical
mind and sees things far differently than I do.
It makes him great at spotting potential holes in
a plot!
If you came with a warning label, what
would it say?
Do not surprise this woman! Do not
spring things on her or bring unexpected com-
pany to her door! She has been busy writing
and her house is not clean. It’s not even pre-
sentable. The dust bunnies under the bed are
organizing and forming an army to attack the
spiders in the cor-
ners. If you want to
see her turn from a
calm, loving and
serene person into a
shrieking warrior
woman worthy of
Brian Boru’s forces,
just surprise her.
Hey—at least I
know my triggers,
right?