Author Spotlight: Alannah Lynne, "Matter of Time"
In line with the release of Matter of Time, the fifth full-length novel in the Heat Wave series that I'm now a fan of, bestselling author Alannah Lynne was gracious enough to sit down and answer a few questions for us!
Enjoy!
A Q&A with Alannah Lynne
What inspired you to write Matter of Time?
Matter of Time has been percolating in my mind for a very long time…like twenty-five years! I’m often asked if I identify with the heroines in my stories. In this case, Lizbeth is me, at least in the very beginning. “My Logan” and I were planning our future, and then one night he said, “We need to talk.” Like Lizbeth, the course of my life took an abrupt change, but fortunately for me, things worked out much better than they did for Lizbeth. I met my husband a few years later, and he and I have been happily married for almost twenty-one years. “My Logan” has been married to his wife for nearly twenty-five, so things definitely worked out the way they were supposed to. However, I always thought it would be fun to rewrite our history, and this story is it. :)
If you could meet up with someone you haven't seen in years, who would it be and why?
One of my two best friends from college. I’m really lucky to have the job I do, because it allows me to work from wherever I am, which allows me to travel a lot. My dad lives in Florida, so when I visit him, I’m also able to visit one of my two college besties. The other one lives in northern Ohio, and his visits to our hometown in southern Ohio never align with mine, so I haven’t seen him in nearly twenty years. Having all of our college crowd together again would be awesome. Although I have a feeling it would be much more subdued than it was back in the day! LOL
What words of advice would you give aspiring writers?
Two things. First…Write, write, write. Even if it seems like you’re not doing anything but laying down garbage, keep writing. That’s the only way to get better, and over time, you’ll find your writing improving by leaps and bounds.
Second would be to join an organization like RWA. I belong to RWA Online (a chapter of RWA), and some of the writers I’ve met through that chapter have become life-long friends and invaluable writing partners. Find people who will give you honest feedback on your writing. Someone who will give constructive criticism and not just tell you how awesome you are, because none of us is THAT awesome. LOL
As one of my writing partners said the other day, “I know there’s crap in there. Show me where it is so I can fix it.” But you also want someone who is kind in their criticism and doesn’t leave you feeling defeated. It might take a while to find someone you work well with–and that’s where organizations and chapters come in–but don’t give up the search until you’ve found someone you’re willing to share your baby with. And someone who will treat you and your baby with the utmost professionalism and respect.
I guess I also have a third piece of advice: Enjoy the process! Don’t get so caught up in writing rules, or trying to write to the market, or trying to figure out what the next trend is going to be that you forget why you wanted to write in the first place. Which, hopefully, is because you enjoy telling stories.
Thanks so much for letting me visit with you today!
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Thank you to Alannah for her time and to Rock Star Lit PR for facilitating the interview! ♥
Remember to check out Alannah's books at any of your preferred e-retailers:
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