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An Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Lorraine Heath

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An Interview with New York Times Bestselling Author Lorraine Heath   

Lorraine Heath's new book A Duke of Her Own is currently available in bookstores and at Amazon.com. I bought the book last week and recommend it to all who enjoy romance novels. In the Author's note in A Duke of Her Own Lorraine talked about having to have the ability to weave fact and fiction. I contacted Lorraine last week and she graciously agreed to be interviewed for this newsletter regarding researching her novels and juggling family and career.

What are the staple research/reference materials you always keep at your desk?

Heath: Webster's Collegiate 10^th Edition (for verifying when words came into use)

            Titles and Forms of Address 14^th edition

            How to Marry an English Lord

            Daily Life in Victorian England

How do you locate source material for your research?

 Heath: I rely heavily on the Internet these days, but I still enjoy using actual books. I tend to purchase too many, there, though and never read them as often as I'd like. I also find Carmelsloop@yahoogroups.com very helpful when I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer for. I also highly recommend Reslib@yahoogroups.com and Reglib@yahoogroups.com. The information sent through those loops provides little gems that I enjoy weaving into my stories.

Once you locate the material, how do you arrange it in a system to utilize as you write? In other words do you use a notebook, arrange it on a computer or just do scraps of paper?

 Heath: I have folders on my computer: Texas, Victorian, Civil War, etc. If a book I'm writing has a particular subject, then I'll further divide the folders. For example, my 2007 release Just Wicked Enough addresses lunatic asylums so under Victorian, I created another folder and began moving appropriate files into "lunatic asylums" so I had easy reference.

 For each book, I also create a "Facts" page and as I write and include a fact, I'll indicate the fact on the Facts page and my source so if anything is questioned, I can go back and look at my source again. I usually include the facts page with the manuscript just so the copy editor doesn't feel a need to question everything.

When you use internet research do you organize bookmarks to sources you are using for a particular book in any special manner?

Heath: I generally give them a broad heading: Victorian, teen, crime.

What software if any do you use or would you recommend to help a person organizing their research or performing research on the internet?

 Heath: At present, I just use folders in my MSWord software. My husband has recommended a couple of other softwares but I just haven’t had time to sit down and work with them yet.

Any favorite or recommended internet sites?

Heath: The Research Library, http://www.researchlibrary.net/, of course. I just noticed you have a paranormal list so I'll need to get information on subscribing to that. <g>

I also really like Hereditary Titles http://www.hereditarytitles.com. They have an awesome database and I can verify that none of the English titles I'm using actually belong to anyone.

How do you determine as a writer (or as a reader) how much of your research to incorporate in your books and how much might be too much?

Heath: I try to use the research as flavoring rather than the main ingredient. It's really tempting to include a lot of the really neat research but too much can slow the story down. If I'm reading along and the characters aren't there, then I've used too much.

Do you still work for the IRS in addition to your writing? I know you worked an outside job and wrote full time for a number of years. How did you balance your time when doing that? I also know you have a family so how do  you balance all three? How did you determine what time of the day and how long you could devote solely to writing on a daily basis when you work and have family to attend to?

 Heath: I actually had the good fortune of being able to resign from the IRS at the end of 2000. In addition, my sons have grown up and are now living out on their own. But it still seems like I don’t have enough hours in the day.

 Several years ago, I wrote a 3 part article: Juggling Career, Juggling Hubby, Juggling Children:

 For Juggling Career:

 We have a lot of time during the year that is ours to spend as we want.  If you work full-time and think you don’t have time to write, consider this:

 Weekend days:   104

Holidays:               10 (more or less depending on company policy)

Vacation                26 (will vary depending on length of time you’ve been with company)

TOTAL               140 Days that are mine to do whatever I want.  That’s 20 weeks.

 You can do a lot of writing in 5 months.  Of course, this doesn’t take into account the days that you need simply to relax . . . and no one expects you to use every day . . . but as you can see, it’s hard to say we don’t have time to write when the real problem is that we aren’t utilizing the time.

 I have found that if I take my research books to work and browse them during breaks and lunch, that I don’t find it so difficult to slip into writing when I get home.  I’ve managed to focus on my project a couple of time during the day so I anticipate working on the project when I get home.

 Of course, working another job while writing isn’t totally without merit.  Nikoo and Jim McGoldrick have found that having another career provides “financial security and the opportunity to interact with other adults.  It also helps during book signings.”

 Authors also find that having another career gives them ideas for stories, an opportunity to interact with people, and a chance to observe dialogue, habits, and character traits.

 Basically, juggling a career and writing is something that most writers have to do at some point in their life.  One of the keys is to make the most of the situation, to view it as an opportunity, and to prevent it from stifling your creativity.

 For juggling children, I have 10 tips to offer:

 1.      A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is an emergency. Remember that for a child, everything is an emergency. When they come in requesting your attention, give it to them. If you tell them to come back in a minute, they'll be back in 10 seconds. Instead of being interrupted once, you're interrupted twice.

 2.      Break your story down into small parts. Then when you're interrupted, you've only lost a small portion and not a large concept. It's also easier to keep a small segment rolling through your mind while you're making that sandwich.

 3.      Carry a tote bag wherever you go. The tote bag should have research material, articles you want to read, a pad of paper for jotting down notes -- and anything else that's easy to carry around.

 4.      Take advantage of those "waiting" minutes. You'd be surprised how long you spend waiting for your kids — to get out of school, to finish soccer practice. Have that tote bag with you and pull out that article that you've been meaning to get to. Small tasks add up over time.

 5.      Save the most emotional scenes for the moments when your children are asleep. I get up before 6 am on Saturday and Sunday to write those deeply emotional scenes. The husband and children are asleep, the house is quiet, and I'm sure I won't be interrupted. If you're a night owl, write after they've gone to bed — even if it's only half an hour — you're that many words ahead.

 6.      Serve take out food if your budget allows for it. Otherwise, cook simple, often 1-dish meals. Children are seldom gourmet eaters, and peanut butter is really very healthy.

 7.      Take your children to the library when you need to do research. If they're old enough, you can let them browse the children's section. Or better yet, write down the types of books that you are looking for and let them use the computers to find them.

 8.      Designate chores. A small child can fold washcloths, and the folds don't have to be perfect. In the beginning, it may not seem like much of a help, but as they grow accustomed to handling chores, you'll find that you have more time to write.

 9.      Explain to your children that you're writing. You'll be amazed at how supportive they can be, and when they appreciate your efforts they'll be more willing to accept the limitations that writing places on your activities.

 10.  Don't feel guilty. This step is the hardest. No matter how much time we give our children, we tend to feel that we're somehow cheating them. But consider this — By pursuing your dream of being a writer, you're teaching your children to reach for their dreams.

 As for juggling hubby: only one bit of advice. Don't lose sight of your real hero while creating your fictional hero.

How did it feel to make the New York Times bestselling list?

Heath: It was absolutely awesome and totally unexpected. My editor had informed me earlier in the week that my book distribution had gotten messed up and the book didn't hit all the stores at the same time. So I wasn't making lists. Then Thursday morning, I returned home after walking the dog to find a message on my answering machine from my agent: "My dear, you hit the New York Times. Call me."

 Hubby was home, but doesn't answer my phone. I was screaming and crying. He came downstairs to find out who had died.

How important are/were support groups on the internet/or local for you when you were starting and as you continue your writing career?

Heath: They weren't important before I sold because the Internet was just getting started back in 1990. I had only just hooked up with two writers who would become near and dear to me: Carmel Thomaston (who wrote as Fay Robinson) and Barbara Pierce. Eventually we critiqued each other's work until our careers made us too busy to do so. Although Barbara and I have been talking about critiquing again. But the support, being there for each other, celebrating the victories, sympathizing with the disappointments has been immeasurable.

 This new book is part of a series. How many books are in the series and what characters (if any), from A Duke of Her Own will be in the next books?

Heath: When I originally pitched the series, I pitched it as a trilogy. However, I didn't realize that the American heiress sisters, Kate and Jenny, had a brother until he made his appearance and began flirting with the chaperone. I've had several readers express an interest in his story so it may become a 4-book series.

Where did you get the idea for A Duke of Her Own and for the series?

Heath: Actually, a scene came to me one morning at RWA National . . . I just saw this hero who was married to the woman he didn't want, the woman who had been the chaperone of the woman he did want. That scene in this story didn't play out exactly has I'd envisioned it, but it gave me the idea for the series.

When will the next book be published?

Heath: Just Wicked Enough will be out in October 2007. It's the story of Falconridge and Kate. He's totally clueless when it comes to love. He's a dark hero but his attempt to please Kate provides some humor.

Do you have any booksigning schedules you want to give me that I can post?

Heath: I will be at the Celebrate Romance conference in March in Kansas City. But other than that, I seldom do appearances anymore. My writing schedule is keeping me fairly busy. This year I wrote 6 books.

You also write for teen readers. Do you have a new release in that regard? if so when? Title?

Heath: I have lots of releases scheduled for teens. Trust Me, written as Rachel Hawthorne, is hitting the stores in a couple of weeks. This book is geared toward younger teens. She gets a kiss at the very end. The next Rachel book is The Boyfriend League which I really enjoyed writing and is geared toward older teens. The kisses are a little hotter. It'll hit June 1. Then May 1, I'll be releasing a pirate romance, To Catch a Pirate, as Jade Parker.

You can get more information about Lorraine and buy a copy of this book at her website. Also visit her blogs.

http://www.lorraineheath.com/

http://www.Rachelhawthorne.net

http://avonforum.fanlit.com/blogs/the_fanlit_blog/default.aspx

http://forums.harperteenfanlit.com/blogs/the_daily_blog/default.aspx

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Internet Resources

http://ajax.parish.ath.cx/translator/

Ajax Trans -- translates what you type as you type it. English Spanish, German Italian Portuguese and French

http://anthro.net/

Anthro.Net Search engine for anthropology and archaeology that is edited by real humans for content

http://www.libworm.com/

LibWorm search for over 1000 RSS library feeds. Try 18th Century and see what you get!

http://www.scholarpedia.org/

Scholarpedia is a free encyclopedia that is written by scholars and reviewed by scholars

http://www.ukeig.org.uk/training/index.html

UK einformation Group--Free workshops that cover all types of search tips and tricks for the internet

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/

Internet Guides from UC Berkeley

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