Questions About you as an author:
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Well, I was very intrigued with writing from about the age of nine; however I don’t think I actually made the firm conscious decision to pursue it until I was in my twenties. It was always something that I thought would be “cool” to do, but I didn’t really know if I had the patience to sit down and write a book and do all the research that would come with it. I’m a pretty impatient person and I love being able to see instant results of my work, so writing was something that totally didn’t comply in that regard. It was something I had to ponder over for years and eventually talk myself in to.
How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
Wow. Let me count real quick here. I think it’s around eight. I worked as a nanny in my teens before becoming a cashier at Wal-Mart for a while. I also worked very briefly at a fast food restaurant, and as an organist for a Catholic church, before I got into emergency medicine. I worked for a couple different ambulance companies, as well as for one fire department and one hospital emergency room.
How long does it take you to write a book?
That depends. It took me fourteen years to pen my first novel I ever wrote, but I think that was mostly due to the lack of technology in my life at the time. With the Of Witches and Warlocks series I wrote one book in seven days and the rest have been between three weeks and five months. The ones that have taken me longer have been due to interruptions that caused me to have to set my writing aside for a while. I think if I can sit down and completely dedicate myself to writing without distraction I can easily write a book in a month.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Hmm. If I ever get stuck in my storyline I take a weekend road trip with my husband and we discuss the plot line while we drive to where ever we are going. Those conversations never fail to spark an idea and help the story get moving along in my head once more. He’s very helpful to me that way!
Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame of mind to write?
Not too much of one. I’m usually able to get into the groove pretty quickly once I set my mind to it. I like to write while sitting on my bed with my laptop. I prop some pillows up behind my back and throw a couple under my knees and get ready to curl up with my characters. Sometimes I read the preceding chapter I wrote just to get my mind in the previous place it was, and I like to listen to play lists I’ve built around my storyline while I write too. Throw a water bottle into the mix and I’m good to go for hours!
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
I try to allow myself to keep my mind open enough so that I can be influenced by anything that comes along. I believe there’s inspiration everywhere. My first story was inspired by a castle shaped cloud I saw. The Of Witches and Warlocks series was born off of a comment made during a hair dying experience. Other storylines I have outlined have come from dreams I’ve had, visits to a crystal shop I saw on vacation, looking at fantasy art, and from a song I heard on the radio. The imagination is a wonderful thing, and I believe anything can inspire it.
About you as a person:
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I’ve had both all throughout my life and loved them all dearly, even considering some of them as “best friends.” But if I were to suddenly say, “Let’s get a pet!” it would almost always be a cat that I was thinking of, so I guess that makes me a cat person.
My very first pet was an all black, very furry cat, named Fizzy, because I was young enough to confuse that for fuzzy! Ha ha!
The dog that holds my heart to this day was an Australian Shepherd mix and her name was Belle. She adopted me, following me home from school one day. We never found her owner and she lived with us until she died of old age. I think she ruined me on all other dogs because she was the most perfect animal I’ve ever known!
Our family currently has a very energetic Schnauzer. She is very sweet and just watching her makes me tired! I wish I could bottle some of her energy sometimes!
What books have most influenced your life?
In my younger years I loved the Nancy Drew books, and I was obsessed with Tom Sawyer and Little Women. I read and reread those books until the covers were falling off of them. As a teen I liked those little high school kind of stories, like Sweet Valley High and some of those. In my early twenties I fell in love with the Anne of Green Gables series. I felt like I wanted to drown in the writing style of L. M. Montgomery. After that I found I had a great love for reading historical romances and spent several years reading some of those. My recent introduction in loving to read YA paranormal began with Harry Potter and then the Twilight series.
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love to read of course, and I blog too. I’m a HUGE fan of watching football. I love it! I also enjoy stamping and making hand made cards. When my health permits it (I have bad asthma) I love doing physical things. I used to really enjoy biking and hiking, but my lungs don’t tolerate that as well anymore. I do still enjoy camping though, or going to play ball at the park with my kids. Pretty much anything I can do with my family is fun to me.
What is your favorite comfort food?
Chocolate! I have a great love for chocolate that is very bad for me!! LOL It’s the perfect compliment to any mood or celebration! I love chocolate/peanut butter combinations the most, but my sister-in-law has a hand made chocolate business and hers are the best I have ever tasted in my life! I once bought my actor friend, Matt Lanter, two boxes to send to him for Christmas, but he said he couldn’t eat all the junk I wanted to send him so I ate both boxes myself! Aarrrgh! (Thanks a lot Matt! Ha ha! See ladies, that’s the difference between having will power and having none! It’s also the reason he looks hot and sexy and I don’t! LOL) Unfortunately, my husband happens to be my chocolate enabler, so I don’t see much hope for a recovery in my future!
What do you think makes a good story?
For me personally, it’s all about the romance. But while that is definitely my favorite aspect, I’ve read lots of other stories too that weren’t romances and I think it really comes down to whether or not the writer can suck the reader into the story and make them feel like they’re living it along with the characters. If you’re laughing and sighing, or crying and feeling emotionally invested in those characters you will remember that story long after you put it down.
Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
I really can’t pick a favorite, because there are so many great tales out there, but if I had to pick a few that I most admire, I would definitely say that I lean toward some of the classics like L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, and Jane Austin. I love those historical eras and the way their characters move around each other, and the descriptions of their writings make me feel very nostalgic for a time gone by.
What book, if any, do you read over and over again?
Other than the ones I mentioned earlier, Tom Sawyer, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, I haven’t read a lot of books over and over recently. I think I read the Twilight series two or three times, well at least Eclipse I read three times. That was my favorite from that series. I read a couple of the first Harry Potter books more than once. I actually went on a little bit of a Harry Potter boycott after J.K. Rowling killed off Dumbledore. I was mad at her for making me cry and causing me to walk around with a lump in my throat for days! Haha The most recent book I’ve reread is Forbidden, by Tabitha Sazuma. That book caused my soul to wrench in two I think. I literally closed the book and picked it up immediately again because there was just so much emotion to digest. I don’t think I have gotten over that book yet. Oh, and I’ve reread The Mortal Instrument series by Cassandra Clare too. That’s a favorite of mine.
I’m sure there would be a few more, but I just haven’t had the time lately because I’ve spent a lot of time rereading my own series to make sure that plot lines keep adding up from book to book. So hopefully when I’m done with that I will be able to reread some of the others I’ve really enjoyed recently.
Thanks so much for having me! :D
Lacey Weatherford has always had a love of books. She wanted to become a writer after reading her first Nancy Drew novel at the age of eight. She resides in the White Mountains of Arizona , where she lives with her wonderful husband, six beautiful children, one son-in-law and their energetic schnauzer, Sophie. When she's not out supporting one of her kids at their sporting/music events, she spends her time writing, reading, blogging, and reviewing books.
Win a Kindle Treasure Hunt!
We want to reward all the wonderful followers of this blog tour, so what better way to do that than to give away a free Kindle and Of Witches and Warlocks Swag! Being entered to win is easy! All you have to do is follow the tour each day and search for the highlighted words in the post. There may be only one word on some days or two or more on others, so be sure to read the whole post. They could be anywhere…even in this description! Keep collecting the words each day to build a certain phrase. At the end of the tour on April 22nd, bring your completed phrase to The Delusional Diaries and submit it into the form to be entered into the Kindle drawing! Did you miss a day? No worries! Just follow the linky list on The Delusional Diaries to the post for that day and search for it. After you have submitted the special phrase, add up all the times you commented on the different posts during the tour and add that number for extra entries! Lots of chances! So come join in the FUN!
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If you haven't started this series yet - - be sure to get these three books to the top of your TBR mountain!
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