Lois Jaye

I've always been enchanted with words from my earliest memories of sitting on my mother's lap and listening to the stories she would read to us. My fourth grade teacher encouraged me. my fifth grade teacher would walk the entire class to the public library where I got my first library card and there was no stopping me after that. I read everything that drew my interest and I wrote stories but it wasn't until I took a creative writing class at our local college where the teacher suggested I submit a story I'd written to a magazine. They bought it and, through the years, they bought others I'd written. Unfortunately, I was also busy working, making a home and raising a family. Many projects were started then set aside. I promised myself that one day I would write and publish a novel. It wasn't until after I retired, that I finally made that happen. There is a lesson here for anyone who struggles to put a story on paper, "It's never too late."

The children's stories evolved from things I wrote for my children and grandchildren. I still enjoy writing them and there are more coming out but my passion has always been for action and suspense, as well as psychological horror and fantasy, all genres which I devour when I have time to devote to my reading.

As I write, I can see the action from the viewpoint of a reader. If the story starts to lag or I begin to see my interest in the plot slipping, I know it's time to backtrack and change course. I guess that makes me a 'pantser' but I know when the plot needs a kick in the rear or I will lose the reader.

Ah, Raptor's Kiss. The story went through so many transformations before I felt it was good enough to share but the heroine of the story and the psychic anomaly that haunted her life, was always the core of the novel. that never changed, only the characters around her. The reader should expect to be horrified, terrified enough to double check all the locks on the doors and windows before going to bed. And, if they can't sleep, then I feel I've done a good job with the story. Of course, there is always a love interest and they finally sort out all their conflicts when he proves his loyalty and devotion.

Raptor's Quest is actually the second book in the Saga of the Whitehawk brothers so I already had a launch pad for Houston and Jen's story. Keeping the excitement going is easy, the hard part is finding you've placed one of the characters in a safe place and seeing the story begin to die. Figuring out how to bring back the tension was the problem but I've been blessed with a vivid imagination and It has gotten me out of many uncomfortable situations.

The children's story 'What if..." actually started out as a poem I wrote for my grandchildren. I am not an artist. I often tell people I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, so for years, it was just a poem about a child who had a vivid imagination (like me) and was unable to go to sleep until his mother figured out a way to get him settled down long enough for his thoughts to rest. I firmly believe that imagination is the key to innovation and too many children are losing that ability by unlimited screen time where imagination is replaced with gratification. When I found Canva and, with the help of an artist friend, I was finally able to create the picture book.

At one of my book signings for ''What If...', a grade school teacher bought the book and came back a few minutes later and said she would read it to her class. She'd struggled to get them to write about something they'd seen or heard of but all the were interested in was whatever video game they were currently playing. It made my day.

As a pantser, I have a general concept where I want the story and the characters to go but, sometimes, a character will grab me and say "No, we have to go this way." And they're seldom wrong.

I guess I'm mostly drawn to high action and tension. I like stories that can grip you by the throat and leave you breathless for several minutes until you manage to break away and suck in air.

I don't consider myself a poet but occasionally I will throw one out there just to remind myself to stick to action and adventure.

I don't have a typical writing routine. If I am engaged in a story, I can write for hours without a break. Other times, if I'm struggling over a tricky plot, I will do other things or work on a different story until the solution to the plot hits me. That can sometimes be the middle of the night and I will get up and continue ironing out the plot line.

My writing style i think, is unique to me. I don't want to copy or try to write like anybody else. However, I am an avid reader of writers like Harlan Coben, Nora Roberts, Stephen King, Iris and Roy Johannson, Sandra Brown, Karen Robards and Diana Gabaldon. If I see a new book on the shelf by any of them, it's in my cart without bothering to read the blurb.

I would hope readers of my books will take away a feeling of "Is there another one out?" I think that's the goal of every fiction writer.

How do I approach building suspense? That is a question. First, I think you have to start with personal tension between the protagonists and the you kick up the tension by inserting some really bad people who want to kill or destroy one or both of the protagonists. From there, It's just a matter of how many situations you can put them all in before your reader throws up their hands and flings the book at the wall. Then, hopefully, they pick it up and start reading again.

Of course, every author thinks their book would make a marvelous movie and, since Raptor's Kiss and Raptor's Quest are books 1 & 2 of the Whitehawk brothers saga, with book three edited and actively seeking an agent, I have to say, I believe they would make a great movie series.

I love how supportive Mady Joshi and the staff at All Author have been. You make it seem easy for authors trying to break into a very competitive business. The 'Featuring my Book' and the ' Mock up Banners', have given me a big boost.