Barbara Longley Interview Published on: 10, Mar 2018
Where did you grow up and what high school did you go to? What did your parents do for a living?
I was born in Maryland, then we moved to Pennsylvania, and then we moved to Alabama, and then we moved to Minnesota, and then we moved to Indiana, and then . . . I grew up all over. I have two brothers and two sisters, and none of us were born in the same place. I went to three high schools in four years.
When did you start writing full-time? What did you do before and do you ever regret not taking the step earlier?I began writing full-time about the same time I got my first contract, which was in 2011. I continued to work full time as a teacher while also writing full time. That first book netted me abut enough to fill my gas tank each quarter. I couldn’t afford to quit teaching until 2015, and then I took early retirement. I was a single mom with two amazing children. I could not have taken the step any earlier than when I did. My children were in high school by the time I began writing for the purpose of publication. I have no regrets.
As an author, what is the highest compliment someone could pay you?The highest compliment a reader can give me is to tell me I made them laugh, cry, or they couldn’t put the book down. That and telling me they felt as if they were right there with the characters in the story.
Since it is a job, how do you keep writing from becoming monotonous and boring?I keep my ‘job’ from becoming monotonous and boring by genre jumping. I write contemporaries, Celtic fantasies and historicals. Switching genres forces me out of my comfort zone and challenges me to improve my craft.
What are some of your favourite elements and folklore that you love to incorporate in your books? What is one writing cliché you hate and try your best to avoid?I write Celtic fantasy romance, and it’s partially because I find Celtic mythology and legend so very fascinating. Clichés abound in romance. When you get right down to it, “and they lived happily- eve- after” is a cliché, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing. Romance as a genre is all about the “happily- ever-after.” In these difficult times, don’t we all need a little more HEA?
What does the name 'Fáelán' (Tangled in Time) mean? How do you normally go about naming your characters?Fáelán is the diminutive form of wolf, so, it means little wolf. If I’m writing a Celtic fantasy, I have dictionaries, lists of Celtic names and what they mean, and also an embarrassing number of books of myth and legend from which to pull names. For contemporaries, I steal names from people whenever the opportunity arises. I get names from all over. I used to work part time soliciting blood donors. I’d keep a tiny notebook next to me, and when I came across a cool name, I’d write it down in my notebook. (I didn’t take any other info, just the name.) I was driving once and saw a company name on the side of a building. Stole it; used it. I’m a name thief.
How does writing a series differ from writing a standalone? Do you like to plan out the entire series beforehand or just start writing and see where it takes you?Ha! Good question. Standalones are simpler, because you don’t have multiple plot lines or characters to keep track of. In a series, you have a plethora of details, characters and possibly the children of characters to keep straight. Keeping a “book bible” is not necessary when you write a stand-alone, while a book bible is absolutely essential when writing a series.
Generally I have ideas for all the books in a series before I begin writing, but it’s only the first one that is fully fleshed out and researched at the beginning. Then, each subsequent book evolves out of the previous storyline. My series follow different couples in each book, while the characters from the previous stories pop in and out. Some writers prefer a series starring the same heroine or hero throughout. They like to leave the reader with a cliffhanger at the end of each book. I like to tie up loose ends before I begin the next tale.
What did you enjoy most about writing The Novels of Loch Moigh? How do you think you have evolved creatively from the first book to the last book of this series?What I enjoy the most about writing any Celtic fantasy, The Novels of Loch Moigh included, is the opportunity to allow my imagination the freedom to make stuff up. I love being able to build a world and a concept based upon existing mythology. True to the Highlander took shape as a result of reading a story about a haunted Castle near Nairn, Scotland. A great injustice was committed there, and I felt the need to send someone back in time to rescue the tragic figures involved. A couple of secondary characters in the first story clamored for their own HEAs. One of these days yet another character from the series might come begging for their story to be told. It could happen.
If Perfect, Indiana a real place? What are some important issues you address in "A Change of Heart"?Perfect, Indiana is a fictional town loosely based upon Haubstadt, a rural town where our family lived for a few years. I combined Haubstadt with all the picturesque small towns along the Ohio River that I remember seeing while we lived in Indiana. In fact, Close to Perfect, out in April, is the story of the town’s founders, set in the year following the end of the Civil War.
All of the Love from the Heartland, Perfect, Indiana books address very real issues faced by our returning veterans as they reintegrate into civilian life—PTSD, depression, the dissolution of significant relationships, amputation, TBI, and through it all, their desire to adapt, adjust and find happiness. A Change of Heart gives the reader a look into sexual assault in the military, and the PTSD or depression that often results from the experience. When the heroine in A Change of Heart pressed the army to do something about her victimization, they did something all right. They slapped her with a personality disorder diagnosis and gave her a dishonorable discharge, leaving her without any benefits after many years of exemplary service. I took bits and pieces from true stories I’d researched to create my character, and then I researched non-profit organizations dedicated to providing legal help to these brave women. My heroine fought her case in court and won. Tough issue to turn into a romance, right? The hero in A Change of Heart had to be a compassionate, sensitive man, and to this day he’s one of my favorites.
In what ways do you try to influence or inspire people through your writing? Besides being your job and something you like to do, what else does writing mean to you?I don’t know that I consciously set out to influence or inspire anyone through my stories. I think it’s more a case of . . . this is how I wish the world was, and so I express things in hopeful, positive ways. I’ve always processed what is going on around me through writing. Writing has always been a form of meditation for me, and the only activity that takes me out of myself and allows me to play a role as someone else. Fiction is a way to shape an imaginary universe in which problems always resolve in a good way. What we read and watch is very subjective. A lot of people enjoy a tragedies or hair-raising tales of horror. Not me. There is enough tragedy and horror in the world as it is. When I spend money on entertainment, I want that entertainment to leave me with a happy sigh at the end. I’m not interested in having bad dreams as a result of a book I’ve read or a movie I’ve watched. Yes, I am that wimp.
How important is research to you when writing a book? What kind of research do you do for most of your books?I’ve always loved research, because I’ve always loved learning. My reference library is in Minnesota, and right now I’m in Tennessee. Otherwise I’d take a picture and show you how truly geeky I am. It’s impossible to create realistic scenes without having done some research. I took fencing lessons in order to better understand how to write fight scenes. I’ve traveled to Scotland and Ireland in order to better describe the settings where my stories unfold. I took Gaeilge (Irish language) classes so I could use a few phrases correctly in Tangled in Time. (I still made a few mistakes with the language, and I hope readers will forgive me.) I did a year’s worth of research regarding how people lived and the political landscape in medieval times before writing a single word for True to the Highlander. I’ve read a ton of books about Celtic mythology and legend, along with the histories of Scotland and Ireland. I’m a research geek.
For the Perfect, Indiana scenes I spoke with veterans and psychologists. I read a ton about PTSD, and news stories about what was going on with our troops.
For the Haneys, I watched videos about how to do remodeling jobs and how to install tile. There’s always something to research. Sometimes I don’t know the right questions to ask, and I get something wrong, but I try.
Being an author, would you say you are a grammar nazi?I’m not a grammar nazi. There’s a difference between conversational English and academic English. Having the dialog in my stories sound natural and conversational is more important to me than absolute grammatical correctness. Plus, we have line editors and copyeditors to help us with the more obvious grammatical errors.
Could you tell us a little bit about the book publishing business and some common scams or traps that a lot of new authors fall prey to? How do you avoid these traps?The publishing industry is a continually moving target. The minute you believe you have a bead on the bull’s-eye, everything shifts. It’s a tough business. Everyone goes into publishing with different expectations and motivations. My advice to new authors is to take stock of what you want out of writing before you dip your toe into the water. If your goal is to make a fast buck, good luck.
Write because you feel compelled to do so. Write because you’re a storyteller right down to the very marrow in your bones. Love what you do, and don’t get caught up in all the stuff that is so very discouraging about the publishing industry. Don’t follow trends; start them. Don’t accept someone else’s perception of you as a “data point” on some graph, or base your success upon “numbers.” If you want to last, let the satisfaction of a tale well told be your sole motivator.
