Welcome, Lorelei! Thanks for chatting with me today about your books and life as an author.
Let's get started...
Let's get started...
What kind of research did you do for the Deadly series? Did you travel, use the Internet, speak with experts on a topic, etc?
I did extensive research for this series, internet searched as well as a personal interview with the Detective in charge of the local Task Force for Human Sex Trafficking. I was then asked to attend their quarterly meetings where they discussed new ruses used by abductors, as well as sting operations successes and fails. I traveled to North Carolina, Denver, Co, and Virginia just to get the lay of the land. It was on a drive back to Florida at a rest stop I saw a poster about Truckers Against Trafficking and I knew I had to get this information out there, hence, Deadly Homecoming was created. I continue to research because there are always new tactics developed to enhance someone into trafficking on both sides of the law.
What process did you go through when you picked your characters’ names for Deadly Deception?
Wyatt and Isabella spoke to me. Wyatt strong, nothing-gets-past-him and Isabella, a naïve 2nd grade schoolteacher who, by the end of the story has grown into a very strong woman, agreeing to go undercover in a sting to catch the leader of the group you abducted her.
Do any of your characters take over and write the book themselves sometimes?
Who? Every. Single. One. I had very little to do with it.
What do you prefer: ebook or print? Why?
I still prefer a paperback. It feels better in my hands, soft, warm, cozy, and I can always reference the beautiful cover for a picture of the characters, or the vast meaning of the book.
How long have you been writing? When did you decide to become an author?
I’ve been writing most of my life in a journal every night but Deadly Deception, the first book in the series came to me in a dream in 2006. I quickly wrote down everything I could remember and because at the time it seemed unbelievable to me, I started researching. I interviewed the local detective to confirm that this heinous crime happens in my neighborhood. I finally had the first book published in 2010. By then I had already written two more books in the series.
What did you do when you received your first Acceptance Letter?
Jumped for joy, I didn’t believe it and had to reread it many times. I’d had received a ton of rejections obviously. lol
All writers suffer from writer’s block at least once in their career. What’s your go-to cure?
I usually take a day off and then start working on another book when I dropped it because of writer’s block. I sit down and type everything I ever thought about for in this book and most often I can get back on track. I had a really hard time writing all together when my mother passed away two years now in April. I was in total denial, not my mom, she wouldn’t leave me. So I wrote about that and since both my parents were gone now I had to really be the adult. I wrote about growing up in rural PA on a farm and how far I’d come since then. I’ve lived in Florida for 40 years.) I also wrote about lessons learned from hard work, growing up poor but didn’t know it until I went to the high school, etc. Lots of lessons I learned at a young age that made me the strong independent woman I am today.
Sometimes the romance genre gets a bad reputation for being cliché and full of Fabios. How do you respond to that?
Romance, sex, and relationships are all part of life. Every man you meet you may hope he’s Fabio, but when you meet the man for you, he’s so much more than handsome on the outside.
Any advice for the aspiring authors out there? Particularly those who are feeling a little discouraged.
Just start writing, anything. How your day was, why you can’t sleep, your favorite color, your childhood, why you married your spouse, what would you change, etc. and somewhere in there a spark will ignite your creative juices and a story will begin, interwoven with all these thoughts.
How do you market your books? What do you find more effective?
I do everything. I’m posting, tweeting, and gramming. And for the first time this year I have someone who makes beautiful graphics and posts them everywhere for me. They’ve helped a lot.
What is your favorite book? Favorite author?
Shannon by the late Kathleen Woodiwiss. Growing up in the country we had very little down time, chores especially in the summer were from dawn to dusk. We didn’t have access to a library or money or buy books. And then we found about the book mobile visiting a small town a couple miles away once a month. My sister and I would walk or ride our bikes just to borrow a book for a month and we would read it over again and again.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
I grew up sewing so I still do a little of that now and then, quilting, embroidering (I like the ribbon embroidery) scrapbooking is huge. I’ve put together about 30 albums, including one for each of my boys from the time they were born until they were 30 years old. They love them and call and ask where did we live when you took this picture, or something along those lines so I know they’re looking at it and sharing with their kids.
What’s your most bizarre life experience?
My first date with my husband of fifty years May 10th. It’s a long story but to summarize I asked him to my 8th grade dance a few years before, and we reconnected through his sister. Neither of us remember the movie we saw that night and on the way home I asked to drive his car one last time before I took my driver’s test the next day. I wrecked his car, hit my head on the rearview mirror, blood everywhere, had to call my dad, past my driver’s test in the morning, he called and took me to the doctor in the afternoon, torn ligament in my neck, we’ve been together ever since, including two tours in Viet Nam. I did a lot of writing newsy love letters every night. We were never able to get his car’s passenger door open and he sold it for $200 bucks. We were married in between his two tours.
Tagline - Strong men and the women who steal their hearts!
The entire series is now in KU with applicable prices for a series.
Book #1: Deadly Deception
Tagline: “A dangerous encounter & an unexpected romance.”
Book #2: Deadly Revenge
Tagline: “He couldn’t stay and she couldn’t leave.”
Book #3: Deadly Deliverance
Tagline: “Going undercover is an adrenaline rush but has its own peril.”
Book #4: Deadly Lessons
Tagline: “Can he protect her from himself?”
Book #5: Deadly Homecoming
Tagline: “One is the loneliest number…”
Book #6: Deadly Gamble
Tagline: “Will their new relationship, built on trust, thrive or die?”
Buy Link for the Whole Series: https://www.amazon.com/Lorelei-Confer/e/B004HX4G6K/
Customer reviews: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/community?ie=UTF8&bookASIN=&page=2&sort=posted-date-descending&viewType=short
Author Bio
Lorelei Confer lives on a peninsula in the mid west coast of Florida with her high school sweetheart, now husband, and AJ, her longhaired Chihuahua.
In the fourth grade, she wrote her first story—something about getting a shot at the doctors—that was produced by the teacher for parents and students in an assembly. When she was older, she spilled her guts in a journal every night and wrote long newsy love letters to Viet Nam.
She is a multi-published author of romantic suspense with two series: The Deadly series and the Saddle Creek series. She also has written numerous novellas and short stories. She loves to hear from her readers so if you want to stay “in the know” visit her website, sign up for her newsletters and contact her.
Social Media
Website: www.loreleiconfer.com
Blog www.loreleiconfer.blogspot.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/loreleiconfer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LoreleiConferAuthor/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/loreleiconfer/
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2U1jLw9
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Lorelei-Confer/e/B004HX4G6K/
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/2UZyQe1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorelei.confer/
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