A New Collection of Questions & Answers about recent publications

An Interview with Author Luann Lewis

Brigitte Whiting

I’ve spent a lifetime writing, but much of that writing was for work. Now, partially retired, I’ve taken the opportunity to enjoy creative writing. Most importantly, however, is the fact that I am a Christian, a wife, a mother and a grandmother. I work as a paralegal two days a week and homeschool my teenage granddaughters in history and ELA one day a week. The rest of the week, I relax, keep house, and write. I live outside of Chicago.

I’ve been in WVU for 7 years and earned my Fiction MFA in 2021.

I’ve had short stories, creative nonfiction, poetry, novellas, and novels published, a flash fiction story performed by Manawaker Studios, and some educational scripts purchased and produced by Newton County, Georgia. The genre that has captured me, however, is romance — I love the escape and fantasy of the romance genre.

Currently, I have published a three-part sci-fi romance series: Twisting Time, Facing Fate, and Defying Destiny, which begin in the 1960s, twist through to 2200, and then back to the 1950s. They were impossibly fun to write. I had to create a huge spreadsheet just to keep everything straight. My editor and I worked very closely to make sure the timeline was right and the events correct.

I also have two published romance novellas. One is a mystery, The Sound of Her Voice, and the other a spy story with a lot of humor, The Cryptographer’s Romance. And finally, my latest novel has just been released, Machine Gun Eyes, of a love triangle with twists and turns.

What was the time frame for writing this book?

Each of my books has taken less than a year to write the first draft. Then follows editing, and then the publishing process which can take a year

Where do you find your ideas?

For my romances, my muse has been an old celebrity who is now deceased, with my protagonist based upon a character from one of his roles. During quarantine, I caught this guy in an old cult show and was completely inspired. Prior to that I hadn’t been able to finish any of the novels so he was a great muse for me.

How do you write?

I spend hours thinking and think out many of the passages before I ever start writing in Google docs.
 

What is your favorite part of writing?

I love the part when my friend, Ann, reads it.
 

Least favorite?

I hate hate hate editing… at least when I get to the fourth or fifth time.

What keeps you writing?

Obsession.

Which do you find the hardest, the first sentence or the last?

Oh, what a great question!!! Probably the last. I can’t even seem to start until I have a good first sentence (which is almost never the one I end up keeping by the time it’s published), but I’m often not sure exactly how it’s going to end.

What were your 1 or 2 biggest learning experiences or surprises throughout the publishing journey?

I was surprised at how long it takes, but even the big publishers (non-independent) take about a year to get a book out. I was also surprised how little any of the publishers do to help promote your books :-( The biggest learning experiences came with working with my editors. The first editor, who did the Twisting Time series with me, made it like a master class in writing. Some rules are different when you’re writing in the romance genre such as no colons and semicolons. Little things like that were very surprising.

What is the best advice you heard on writing?

You’ve all heard it a number of times: Show, don’t tell. It’s amazing how many sneaky ways you can find yourself “telling.”

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Don’t be disappointed at the outcome. There are a LOT of books out there and NOT a lot of readers.

What are you working on now?

I’ve just finished another romance novel. The working title is His Woman, His Baby. It’s got some twists and a little suspense. I’ve just completed the seventh edit so I’m hoping I’ll feel ready to submit it soon.

How can people connect with you?

My website is www.frommindtopen.com which has links to all my books, stories, etc. Let’s be honest, we all write because we want to be read. It’s certainly not for the money, because there is none, unless you’re a JK Rowling or a Stephen King. Especially when you write romance, you don’t expect to gain fame or fortune. You write to escape, but it’s really fun when someone else reads it and comes back and tells you that they’ve escaped too.

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