An Interview with Lillie Spencer

 

The Reading Cafe would like to welcome Lillie Spencer as our guest today.

Lillie released her debut novel Manhunt, which we just posted the review, in May.

Let’s meet Lillie and begin our interview.

 

 

TRC: Hi Lillie and welcome to The Reading Café.  We would like to start with some background information.

Lillie: Hi!  Thank you so much for having me!

TRC: Please tell us something about yourself?

Lillie: Hmmm… my degree is actually in Wildlife Biology with a specialization in animal behavior.  I learned a lot about people by studying animals!  I’ve done a lot of crazy things — gotten a bear hug by a real bear, raced a panther, been crapped on by a komodo dragon, hung out with homosexual flamingos.  I’ve only been bitten once – by a donkey.  He was a real ass.  😉

TRC: Have you always been interested in writing?

Lillie: I have.  Even though I was studying Wildlife Biology in college, I tutored English Composition and was a teaching assistant for English as a Second Language.  I wrote countless stories before I got up the nerve to submit one.

TRC: Is there anything (in general) you find particularly challenging about writing?

Lillie: Finding time to do it!  I have two middle schoolers who keep me on my toes, a small menagerie of pets, sick family members to care for, a couple of charities I volunteer at, et cetera.  It’s too easy for me to go days at a time without writing anything.  Recently, a friend of mine and I have started ‘word strolling’.  We carve out just a half an hour, a couple of times a day of no-stress writing, and send each other the last sentence we wrote when the half hour is up.  It really works.

TRC: What challenges have you faced getting your novel published?  How does it feel to see it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other sites?

Lillie: When I first wrote MANHUNT in 2009, it won one award and was a semi-finalist in another.  I thought I was in like Flynn!  But then… nothing.  I got downhearted and set it aside for a long time.  But then people started asking me about it, pushing me not to give up.  A writer friend of mine recommended me to her publisher and here I am!  The lesson for aspiring authors is – Never Give Up – Never Surrender!  Seeing it now online, and receiving such wonderful feedback on it, it’s amazing!  I cried when I first held my book in my hands.

TRC: Manhunt is your first book, would you please tell us how you came up with the idea of the story.

Lillie: It’s so completely cliché that I cringe to even say it, but it’s true.  It just came to me.  I was actually tossing around ideas for the one I’m working on now, and this completely unrelated storyline popped into my head and wouldn’t let go until I wrote it.

TRC: Can you please tell us the premise of Manhunt?

Lillie: It’s about a girl named Nikki Wright, who wakes up in the hospital injured and with amnesia, the victim of domestic abuse.  Out of nowhere, a man barges into her hospital room, covered in blood, and tells her they have to leave.  Something inside her says to trust him, so she lets him whisk her away.  The man, Michael, claims to be her high school sweetheart and one true love, and takes her on a cross-country adventure.  She starts to remember a little at a time, falling in love with him all over again, only to learn he’s wanted for the murder of her ex-boyfriend.  At its heart, it’s a story of love, loss and redemption.

TRC: You were nominated for an award for a work in progress..a paranormal book called The Circle.  Are you planning on publishing this book?  If so, when do you anticipate releasing it, and will this be part of a series?

Lillie: It’s a paranormal romance about a shape-shifting immortal Druid on the run from a group of Roman assassins called The Circle.  I’m almost done with it, and the feedback I’ve received from my critique readers and the RWA-Passionate Ink judges has been phenomenal!  If it turns out as well as I hope, it will be the first in a series of four books, each focusing on a different Druid.

TRC: Which genre do you prefer…Romance Suspense or Paranormal? 

Lillie: I like both, for different reasons.  A good romantic suspense novel is always a page turner for me, especially if there’s a strong mystery component.  With paranormal romance, I fall in love not only with the characters and the story, but with the world around them.  It’s the same when I write. I loved hiding little clues and building the arc in MANHUNT.  With The Circle, I’m weaving magic and casting spells – it’s a blast.

TRC: What are you working on now? 

Lillie: I’m almost done with The Circle, and then I plan to write a companion piece to MANHUNT telling the story of Nikki and Michael’s best friends, Christian and Sophie.  Christian has been a fan-favorite, and I love writing him.  He’s funny and sarcastic and adoring, but he is also completely badass.  After that, I’ll start the second book in The Circle series.

TRC: Many author bounce ideas and information between each other and their family and spouses.  With whom do you bounce ideas?

Lillie: I have a small group of friends and fellow writers that I go to whenever I hit a snag or just want to make sure I’m still on the right track, and their advice is invaluable to me.  But the true litmus test for me is my sister.  She has high expectations and tells me how it is.  If she likes it, I’m golden.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – maple glazed salmon

Favorite Dessert – At the moment, strawberry bruchetta

Favorite TV show – The Vampire Diaries, and anything with Gordon Ramsay in it.

Favorite Movie – The Princess Bride.  There is a subtle or not-so-subtle reference to that movie in all of my stories.  It’s kind of a tradition that started out as a Where’s Waldo for a friend of mine who loves that movie.  An Affair to Remember and Philadelphia Story are right up there too.

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Dark, with a glass of red wine

Favorite Author – Anne Rice

TRC: Lillie, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.  We wish you luck on Manhunt and look forward to your next The Circle.  The Reading Café wishes you all the best.

Lillie: Thank you again for having me!

Lillie has graciously offered to give a member of The Reading Café a chance to each win an e-copy of her “Manhunt’ novel. 

1.  You must be a member at The Reading Cafe. If you are not a member, please register using the Log-In at the top of the page, or by using one of our social log-ins.

2.  If you are using a social log-in e.g. Twitter, please leave your email address along with your comment.

3.  Please post a comment and say hello to Lillie.

4.  Giveaway open Internationally

5.  Contests runs from August 3rd – 6th.