Blog Archives
Past, Present, & Future with Helen Lacey
In celebration of the upcoming release of my debut novel, Fast Forward (see announcement here), welcome to the very first interview in my brand new blog segment: ‘Past, Present & Future’. Kicking things off is Harlequin romance author, Helen Lacey. Read on as I delve into her past, her present, and (bring out the crystal ball) her future!
PAST:
1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wrote my first book when I was seven years old, so I guess I’ve always known I would be a writer. It was a romance about two horses and was sixty four handwritten pages long.
2. What did you do before you became a writer?
Well, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a writer. But a couple of years before I was published my husband and I had a sea change so that I could write full time. Before that I worked as a manager in a department store.
3. What is one of your most treasured memories from the past?
When I was thirteen I got my first horse. I had wanted my own pony since I was a small child and the day my parents bought me my very first horse, whose name was Oakie, I felt as though all of my dreams had come true.
PRESENT:
4. What’s your latest release about and/or what are you currently working on?
My latest book is my November release from Harlequin Special Edition called Marriage Under The Mistletoe. It’s a Christmas romance and was just so much fun to write. I have another release out in January called His-And-Hers Family and another book scheduled for the middle of 2013.
5. What’s a typical day like for you? (If there is such a thing!)
I write every day. I send my husband off to work around 6.30 am and then try to work on achieving 1500 words a day. Of course this depends on things such as edits and revisions or new releases etc. Around three every afternoon I head outside to spend a couple of hours with my animals, which include eight horse, three dogs, two cats, three birds and a house cow named Ginger.
6. Name three things you are grateful for in your life right now:
The wonderful life I share with my husband and family. That I have a career doing what I love. And most definitely my animals, as my pets, particularly my dogs and horses are a big part of who I am.
FUTURE:
7. If you could fast forward in time to any age or year for just one day, what would you choose & why? I’d go to the day that was meant to be my last day and work out which of my dreams/plans hadn’t been achieved and then come back to the now and make sure I did everything I could to achieve those dreams.
8. If you could have any new technology or invention in the future that would make your life a whole lot easier (or more fun), what would it be? Oh, that’s easy – a robot to do housework.
9. What are your hopes & dreams for the future?
To stay happy. To surround myself with wonderful family and friends. To travel to Africa. To write books and create stories I can share with readers.
Thanks for joining me on the blog, Helen, and all the best for the future (I’ll have one of those housework robots too, please!)
Just in time for Christmas you can pick up Helen’s book, ‘Marriage Under The Mistletoe’ via these retailers:
B&N Book Depository Harlequin Mills & Boon Aust
Visit Helen online:
Web Facebook Twitter Author Page
Helen Lacey answers Juliet’s Ten Awkward Author Questions!
In this segment, authors will be subjected to a list of awkward questions that may reveal more about themselves than they really wish to share, and they will receive a score on the ‘Braveometer’. If they choose to answer only five questions, they are a ‘Brave Author’, if they answer 6 to 9 questions they are a ‘Mega-Brave Author’, and if they answer all 10 questions they are an ‘Ultra-Brave Author’!
Today I’d like to welcome Helen Lacey to the blog!
1. If only one of your books could have been / could be published, which one would you choose? (C’mon, I don’t want to hear ‘Oh, I love them all, there’s no way I could choose.’ Time to be ruthless, these are the Ten Awkward Questions after all!)
I have to say my first book, Made For Marriage – because if these two people hadn’t met and fallen in love, then the next six books in my series might never have been written.
2. Okay, now which one of your children/family members would you… nah, just kidding! Which of the following words most accurately describes your best personality trait (you must pick only one!):
Punctual. Good listener. Neat. Graceful. Generous. Cheerful.
Cheerful. (Or at least I like to think so)
3. Which of the following words most accurately describes your worst most challenging personality trait (even if you’re perfect, you must pick one):
Always late. Blabbermouth. Slob. Complete klutz. Scrooge. Grumpy pants.
I am an absolute klutz. If there’s a ditch, I’ll fall in it, if there’s mud, I’ll slip over.
4. Have you ever had a romantic crush on one of your characters? Who and why?
I just finished writing book five in my series and absolutely fell in love with the hero. He was a doctor with a painful past and I just loved him. Although, I thinks it’s important to fall a little in love with my hero every time a start a new book. If I want readers to love him, I need to love him first.
5. When writing an important scene, do you act it out to allow you to better describe what’s happening?
Sometimes I do, especially to get the rhythm of the dialogue right.
6. Do you talk to yourself when writing or coming up with plot ideas?
Constantly! Coming up with ideas is one of my favourite things, so talking about it, even to myself, makes it all the more fun.
7. Who would be ideal to play YOU in a movie of your life?
Hmmm. Tough question. I’d like to have Charisma Carpenter, because I think she’d make a great cheerful klutz 🙂
8. If you could be any book character for one day, who would you be and why?
I’d like to be Jo March from Little Women. She was spunky and spirited and had an amazing imagination. She longed to be a writer and it would be great to experience being that driven by a dream in those long ago days.
9. You’re about to be left on a deserted island for a year, and while your basic food and water needs will be met, you can only bring one extra thing from the following. Which would you choose?
a) A pen and notepad that never runs out
b) An unlimited supply of books
c) An unlimited supply of chocolate, coffee, or alcohol (your choice)
d) A gorgeous man/woman depending on your preference
A pen and notepad that never runs out.
10. If you had the attention of the whole world for two minutes what would you say?
To be tolerant and not judge others. And to read more books, of course.
Thanks for taking part in my Ten Awkward Author Questions, Helen. You have achieved Ultra-Brave Author status on the Braveometer!
Check out Helen’s book, MADE FOR MARRIAGE:
Equestrian Callie Jones was used to difficult parents at her riding school. But Noah Preston took the cake.
How dare he question her teaching abilities, after his headstrong daughter paid no heed to rules—her teacher’s or her father’s?
Single dad Noah was ready to apologize for overreacting. But he wasn’t sorry for the way the stunning American riding instructor made him feel. And he soon learned that there was more to Callie than her smarts, sass and fire: a shattered heart that threatened to splinter even further. Could he make her see that he—and his family—were for keeps?
Buy Links:
Harlequin Amazon Amazon UK Book Depository
Helen Lacey on the web:
Website Facebook Twitter Blog Helen’s Page at RomanceWiki
For full itinerary on Helen’s Celebration tour check out Helen Lacey- Author Page.
JULIET MADISON 