Q&A With Lori Ann Bailey

Tonight, I have the honor of doing a Q&A with author Lori Ann Baily. Lori is the author of many Scottish Historical Romance Novels. Some of them are “Highland Deception,” “Highland Redemption,” “Highland Temptation,” “Highland Salvation,” and “Highland Obligation”.

Q: So Lori when in your life did you realize that your calling was to be a writer?

A: I didn’t realize that writing was my passion until I was in my late thirties. By then, I’d had a short career in the business world and spent many years as a stay-at-home mom. Reading for pleasure was something I’d never considered until my family and I moved to a new neighborhood and I joined two separate book clubs because I wanted to meet people. Once I began, I was hooked. From a young age, I’d made up stories in my head to fall asleep at night. I never thought of writing them down. But one morning I woke up and it dawned on me; maybe others might like my tales. My supportive husband bought me a laptop and I set to work.

Q: What made you want to write historical romance set in Scotland? Have you ever been to Scotland?

A: I simply loved reading Scottish historical romance. Writing it was a natural progression for me. My husband and I were fortunate to live in London for a short time when our daughter was a baby. We took the train to Edinburgh for a long weekend and I fell in love with the city and the people. After I’d signed the contract for my first book, my husband took me back and we were able to go to Inverness, the Fort William area, and the Isle of Skye. And… I have a trip planned to return next year with my three best friends who also happen to be authors.

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to any of your novels?

A: They don’t, but wouldn’t that be fun?  I’d love to see more Scottish historical romance on-screen.

Q: What do you like most about writing in the historical romance genre? What do you like least?

A: What I love most is escaping to another place and time. The turbulent political and religious struggles that have taken place in Scotland over the centuries make a great backdrop for built-in conflict with beautiful scenery and a culture that is steeped in pride and family (clan) values. I love it all, but if I had to pick the hardest part to write, for me, it’s fight scenes. It takes quite a while to get the blocking down and I typically don’t write long ones, but they are usually an integral part to my plots.

Q: What advice do you give to anyone who feels the call to write? What advice do you give to anyone struggling with writers block?

A: The first thing I tell people is to find their network. Your support group can be people who write the same genre as you or other writers looking for feedback and ways to grow as an author. I’ve never specifically had writer’s block, but I have had difficult times in my life when my muse has taken a back seat to more pressing matters. When this happens, I usually listen to music that somehow relates to what I want to be writing or go for a long drive. Some of my best ideas have happened in the carpool lane.

Q: Are you writing a new novel now? If so is it part of your Highland series or is it a standalone novel?

A: I just finished writing the fourth book in my Wicked Highland Misfits series, Surrender of a Highland Smuggler. It’s a second chance romance about a lass whose family was destroyed by the whisky business and Re-discovering the smuggler and lost love she’d thought long dead. It can be read as a stand-alone, but is part of my series based on a band of orphaned brothers and sisters who come together to survive life on the streets of Regency Aberdeen, Scotland by any means necessary.

 Thank you so much for hosting me. ��