LORRIE FARRELLY is the author of a
Western historical romance trilogy, contemporary romantic thrillers, and sci
fi/paranomal romantic thrillers. A graduate of the University of California,
Santa Cruz, and Northwestern University, she's been a Renaissance nominee for
Teacher of the Year, a ranch hand at Disneyland’s Circle D Ranch, and a
“Jeopardy!” television quiz show champion. Western historical romance TERMS OF
SURRENDER and time-travel romantic thriller TIMELAPSE are 2014 Readers’
Favorite International Book Awards winners, and TERMS OF SURRENDER is also an
Orange Rose Award finalist. Lorrie and her family live in Southern California.
Q: Your real name and pen name?
A: Lorrie Farrelly is my real name.
Q: Biggest source(s) of inspiration?
A: My family, my love of animals, and my fascination with history.
Q: Favorite genre?
A: I most love to write romance of all kinds, especially historical Western, and paranormal. But I read EVERYTHING I can get my hands on, even the cereal box!
Q: Start and purpose of writing?
A: I started writing when I was a child – I made little books for my dolls. (I was actually more interested in the books than the dolls.) I write stories that capture my imagination and my emotions, ones that delight and satisfy me to read. Then I share them, hoping others will find them as entertaining as I do!
Q: Published work? Forthcoming work?
A: I have six published novels, including two that just medaled in the 2014 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards, and a short story, “The Sheriff of Hel’n Gone,” in a just-released Halloween anthology, COWBOYS, CREATURES & CALICO, from Prairie Rose Publishing. Another story, the Western historical romance “Christmas Treasure,” will be in the soon-to-be released holiday anthology, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, also from Prairie Rose.
All of my works contain a touch – and sometimes much more – of the paranormal. TERMS OF SURRENDER (medal winner), TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT (Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars), and TERMS OF TEMPTATION (Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars) form a Western historical romance trilogy, following the same family (and the family ghost/guardian angel) from 1865 – 1904.
TIMELAPSE (medal winner) is a time-travel/sci fi romantic thriller, and the contemporary DANGEROUS and paranormal THE GUARDIAN’S ANGEL (both Readers’ Favorite 5 Star winners) are both suspenseful romantic thrillers.
Q: What continues to motivate?
A: I simply love to tell a good story, and I’m content with writing whenever inspiration strikes.
Q: Project Management?
A: When I get an idea for a story that captures my imagination, I try to write straight through as much as possible; not necessarily the entire piece, but at least through whole scenes. The muse doesn’t always stay for long, so I try not to dawdle. I don’t want to lose the thread of the story. I also keep a pad and pen on my nightstand, as ideas sometimes come in the wee hours of the night. If I don’t scribble them down, come morning I won’t remember what they were.
Q: Paper or ebook?
A: I love my Kindle for novels and short story anthologies. I used to pack a suitcase full of books when I traveled; now, with the Kindle, I have hundreds of books at hand and can actually use the suitcase for clothes! J However, when I’m doing research, I much prefer paper books and maps. I find it very awkward with an eReader to try to flip back through the book for information or quotes. And it’s hard to study pictures on my Kindle. So, for me, my preferences very much depend what kind of reading I’m doing.
Q: Most important 4 things when writing a book?
A: Telling a coherent story; developing fully-realized characters, settings, and natural dialogue; clarity; and very diligent proofreading and editing.
Q: Country born in? Where traveled?
A: I was born in the United States. My father was in the Navy so we moved up and down both coasts. I’ve been to Canada and Mexico, The Dominican Republic, Colombia, the Azores and the Canary Islands, Ireland, England, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium. I hope I’m just getting started, because I love traveling. I still have a lot of the world yet to see!
Every country I’ve been in has had something about it that enchanted me. There’s not one I wouldn’t enjoy returning to. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve encountered wonderful, friendly, welcoming people. I especially enjoy historic or culturally significant sites. I loved Pompeii and the Roman Forum, the Renaissance streets of Florence, Stonehenge and the Tower of London, Mont. St. Michel, historic “old towns” in too many cities to name, and the ancient stone castles and churches of Ireland.
Q: Favorites?
Time of day: End of the day, when everyone’s home and the house is full. Zodiac sign: Capricorn. Favorite color: Blue, because it’s both serene and energetic. Last books I finished: Jenny Harper’s FACE THE WIND AND FLY, set in a semirural suburb of Edinburgh, and Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s THE SECRET DAUGHTER, set in California and India. Currently reading: Mary Smith’s NO MORE MULBERRIES, set in Afghanistan. Favorite movie: I have a lot, because I just plain love movies! But some of the ones I’ve most enjoyed are “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Gettysburg,” “Jaws,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Haunting” (the original black-and-white film, with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom), “Séance on a Wet Afternoon,” and even the first “Paranormal Activity,” because the director and actors did such a great job of making scenes of a person simply standing beside a bed absolutely terrifying. I’m a big Disney-lover: “Frozen,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid’ – I love them! Favorite food: Well, I never met a chocolate I didn’t like. J
Q: When I think of India?
A: I think of a teeming, vibrant society that spans a huge range of cultures, ways of life, and times, from the very modern and scientific to the very traditional, even the superstitious, from cities bursting with color, noise, wealth, poverty, and everything in between, to the rural villages and countryside, where little has changed over time.
My son-in-law recently traveled with his stepfather back to the town a few hours from New Delhi that was his stepfather’s original home. It was an amazing experience for them both!
Q: Quickies:
A: Moon, laughter, evening, no coffee or tea – I’m a Diet Pepsi-holic J , mountains, long drive, silence, water, earth, Jupiter, tulip, blue, right, glance, money, no boy/girl preference, day, tree, love.
Q: Words that come to mind?
A: Technology: fast, communication, health Life: love, family, growth God: faith, benevolent, peace Humanity: best, worst, strive Terrorism: brutal, barbaric, insane Racism: ignorant, cowardly, inhumane Childhood Abuse: cruel, pitiful, sick Parenting: joy, stress, rewarding Old age: better than the alternative, always learning, always something new
Q: Thoughts on waking up to sex change?
A: Well, hmm, this is rather awkward…
Q: Favorite quote?
A: My favorite quote from my own work is: “It’s not a comfort to be reminded, but it’s not a comfort to forget, either.” Favorite quote from someone else: (from the movie “Jaws”) “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Q: Last line of autobiography?
A: Wait, I just remembered something else…
Q: Title of autobiography?
A: Really, I’m Not Making This Stuff Up!
INFO FOR THE BOOK I’D LIKE TO FEATURE: THE GUARDIAN’S ANGEL by Lorrie Farrelly:
On Kindle Countdown Deal Special Nov.9-15, 2014, for $0.99 (US).
Paranormal romantic thriller. BLURB: When nobody knows what to do with a troubled, damaged kid, it's time to call Elizabeth Driscoll. A wary, vulnerable, unusually intuitive young woman, Libby has a knack for helping children that others have given up on.
Certainly nobody knows what to do with Tommy Madden, least of all his fiercely devoted guardian, Seattle Police Detective J.D. McCammon. McCammon believes the autistic little boy witnessed a double murder: his mother and his father, the city's District Attorney. J.D. is determined to help and protect Tommy at all costs, and somehow, find a way to communicate with him.
When Tommy's life is threatened by the corrupt organization that killed his parents, J.D. and Libby take him on a desperate and dangerous flight to safety. They must place their trust in one another to escape a relentless evil that threatens not only their lives, but that of the child they've both come to love.
On the run, Libby and J.D. are tested to the limits of their courage and resolve. They discover an intimate and mystifying bond that will either drive them apart, or become their greatest source of strength and passion.
THE GUARDIAN'S ANGEL has been awarded READERS' FAVORITE 5 STARS.
ISBN-10: 1469953560 ISBN-13: 978-1469953564 ASIN: B0053GBAZU Publisher: Amazon Digital Services and CreateSpace AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Lorrie-Farrelly/e/B008P3LJ0O (AUTHOR PAGE) http://amzn.to/1kpymGp (THE GUARDIAN’S ANGEL PAGE) AMAZON UK: http://amzn.to/1mWwAxJ AMAZON AUSTRALIA: http://bit.ly/1iwU1y5 Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/LorrieFarrellyAuthor eNovel Authors at Work: http://enovelauthorsatwork.com/153-2/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4351229.Lorrie_Farrelly Website: https://sites.google.com/site/yourbestreads Twitter: https://twitter.com/@lorriewrites Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+LorrieFarrelly/posts/p/pub LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lorrie-farrelly/27/5a0/64 Author Shout: http://www.authorscave.com/authorshowcase/lorrie-farrelly.asp Reddit: http://www.reddit.com/user/lornwal/ Riffle Books: https://read.rifflebooks.com/profiles/151016 Authors’ Cave: http://www.authorscave.com/authorshowcase/lorrie-farrelly.asp
Booklife: http://booklife.com/profile/lorrie-farrelly-2988 just released COWBOYS, CREATURES & CALICO, published by Prairie Rose Publishing. The link at Amazon is http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_19?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=cowboys+creatures+%26+calico&sprefix=Cowboys%2C+Creatures+%2Cstripbooks%2C328 My story in the anthology is "The Sheriff of Hel'n Gone," a paranormal Western romance.
