Dishing it up with Lisa Scott

Today I am dishing it up with Lisa Scott. Lisa is a writer and a voice actor that holds workshops that teaches parents and kids how to use character voices and sound effects to make reading more fun.

JET: Can you tell us about Flirts?

Lisa: I just started publishing my Flirts! collections this past summer. Each collection contains five short stories (8,000-12,000 words per story) that stand alone, but are also linked in the collection, with characters appearing in other stories. (my readers love that!) It all wraps up with a perfect happy ending. I’ve also published Beach Flirts! and Holiday Flirts! The plan is to release a new collection every few months. The stories are available as individual reads, or in the collection. Lots of new readers are discovering short stories, and are surprised how much they enjoy them. I have a group of ladies who read them on their lunch breaks. I’ve heard from mothers who enjoy them during their kids’ sports practices. Even some people who claim they don’t like short stories are enjoying them.

JET: What drew you to romance?

Lisa: I think any situation has the potential for a little romance, and I like the challenge of getting two people together under unlikely circumstances. I enjoy writing stories that make people smile, and I think my sweet, funny romances do that, so they’re always fun for me to create. I’m never at a loss for ideas.

JET: What’s been your most challenging hurdle on the road to publication?

Lisa: The frustrating agent/publisher search. Before indie publishing, that was your only shot—to submit to agents and publishers. I actually self-published before landing an agent and my book deal. Many times I thought of giving up. I’m so glad I didn’t.

JET: What was your favorite moment in the journey?

Lisa: Submitting my romance novel to Belle Bridge Books this fall and getting an offer half an hour later. (Another romance publisher took 11 months to tell me no thanks. Half an hour for a yes was like a dream!)

JET: Which authors had the most influence over you growing up?

Lisa: I loved the Little House series growing up, and read every Nancy Drew available. I grew up out in the country without a ton of friends, so reading was a wonderful escape.

JET: When did you know you wanted to take the plunge into the writing world?

Lisa: I’ve always dabbled in writing, whether it was for the newspaper in high school, for the literary journal in college, or humorous essays for a parenting website. After college, I pursued a career in the TV news industry and knew someday when I left that field, I’d focus on publishing fiction.

JET: What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of book research? Most interesting fact you uncovered?

Lisa: When I was working on the middle grade novel my agent has out on submission, I was sprinkling in facts from the summer of 1977, when the story takes place. It’s set in North Carolina, and in doing research I discovered there was a major drought there that year. I became so caught up in incorporating real life details into my story, that I asked the weather guy at the station where I was working if he’d contact weather officials in North Carolina to find out the exact rainfall amounts for the summer of 1977. (I’d been thinking I’d make the weather for each day accurate to what really happened that summer.) When even they couldn’t find that information, I figured I might be going a bit overboard. Yeah, just a bit.

JET: Of all the novels and stories you’ve written - which one is your favorite? Why?

Lisa: No Foolin.’ That’s the romance novel Belle Bridge Books is publishing in November 2012. It’s the first in my Willowdale romance series. It’s a southern romantic comedy, but there are plenty of heart wrenching moments, too. Every time I re-read it, I laugh and cry. That’s always a good combination in a book. I love the characters, I love the journey and the heartache they face, and I love the resolution. I’ll be releasing related Willowdale Romance Short Stories on Amazon etc. preceding the release of the novel.

JET: Any advice for the novices out there?

Lisa: You’re never going to please everyone. Don’t be discouraged if someone doesn’t like what you’ve written. However, if you keep hearing the same criticisms, you might want to see if there’s some truth behind it. But no matter how good your writing, there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t care for your style.

JET: All right - now that I’ve hammered you with the big questions, let’s tackle my favorite (and geeky) quick ten. Starting with…Paper or Plastic?

Lisa: Plastic (but I do recycle.)

JET: Steak or Tofu?

Lisa: Chicken?

JET: Beach or Mountains?

Lisa: Maui? Because it has both.

JET: Country or Rock-n-Roll?

Lisa: Elvis, baby!

JET: Leather or Lace?

Lisa: Lace

JET: Angels or Demons?

Lisa: Angels

JET: Paper or Digital?

Lisa: Digital

JET: Twilight or True Blood?

Lisa: Twilight

JET: Coffee or Tea?

Lisa: Tea, hot or cold, all day long

JET: Thank you for indulging me. Before we wrap this up, can you tell us what you're working on now? What's next?

Lisa: I’m just finishing Fairy Tale Flirts! which will be out in early January. Modern day love stories inspired by classic fairy tales—and the only magic involved is the real-life kind.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat on my blog. Folks, you can find out more about Lisa Scott and her work at the following places:

http://twitter.com/?iid=am-167106996113238295867243099&nid=23+recipient&uid=334757844&utm_content=profile#!/ReadLisaScott

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Read-Lisa-Scott/227457993948941

http://readlisascott.com/


Thanks for joining us today and have a fun and safe New Year’s Eve!

See you next year!

Ciao

JET