A Navy brat and graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, LORRIE FARRELLY is proud to be a Fightin' Banana Slug. Following graduate school at Northwestern University, she began a career in education that included teaching art to 4th graders, drama to 8th graders, and finally, math to high school students.
She's a three-time winner on "Jeopardy!" She has shepherded wide-eyed foreign exchange students along Hollywood Blvd, and has happily curried and shoveled as a ranch hand at Disneyland's Circle D Ranch. And always, she writes.
Lorrie has won a Presidential Commendation for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. She's been a Renaissance nominee for Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Orange Rose Award in romantic fiction. A number of her books are Readers’ Favorite 5-Star novels. She's never won the lottery, except where her family is concerned. For her, they're the ultimate prize.
She's a three-time winner on "Jeopardy!" She has shepherded wide-eyed foreign exchange students along Hollywood Blvd, and has happily curried and shoveled as a ranch hand at Disneyland's Circle D Ranch. And always, she writes.
Lorrie has won a Presidential Commendation for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. She's been a Renaissance nominee for Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the Orange Rose Award in romantic fiction. A number of her books are Readers’ Favorite 5-Star novels. She's never won the lottery, except where her family is concerned. For her, they're the ultimate prize.
Julie: Hi Lorrie! How are you today?
Lorrie: Very well, thanks! And you?
Julie: I'm doing great! I'd like to start by asking you, how long you have been writing and what inspired you to use indie publishing?
Lorrie: I've been writing as long as I can remember. As a little kid, I wrote little books for my dolls. I wasn't able to really give it my all, though, until about 5 years ago, when I stopped teaching full-time. For some time I worked with editors, but it was a very frustrating experience. One told me she didn't get what the Civil War had to do the West, and another asked if I could make a sociopathic character "nicer." (It's not that I don't appreciate helpful criticism, but that was too much. I made him meaner. LOL) Anyway, as indie publishing was gaining more notice and popularity, I realized I could take my career into my own hands. I've never regretted doing so.
Julie: Yes, there's certainly much more control over your work with indie publishing. You have a total of six books that I know of, are you working on something new that you might be able to share a little but about with us?
Lorrie: Right now I'm working on a couple of things. I'm writing a series of short stories . (One, TO MY JULIA, will have a sneak peek soon on Alison E. Bruce's VALENTINE SHORTS feature, and another, THE BEST CHRISTMAS, can be read at http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca/2013/12/holiday-short-from-lorrie-farrelly.html). I'm also adapting my novel TIMELAPSE as a screenplay. I'm finding it tougher than writing a novel, but it's really fun!
Julie: I thought of trying to write Jillian as a screenplay but I have no idea on how to begin! Is it difficult to adapt a book to a screenplay?
Lorrie: I think it's more difficult than I expected it to be. Events have to be structured differently, and some things that work well in a novel (for example, what a character is thinking) have to be translated into action and dialogue – or thrown out altogether – in a screenplay. And because of the format, there's a completely different flow to the text. It's definitely a learning curve, but an exciting one.
Julie: Out of all of your novels, which one is your favorite or is there a certain one that you have a deeper emotional investment in? Or should I have said attachment?
Lorrie: I love all my stories, but the one closest to my heart is TERMS OF SURRENDER, the story of a young veteran of the Civil War who heads West after losing everything: his home, his family, his innocence, his purpose. All he has left is his honor and stubbornness, until the day he happens upon another life-and-death struggle: rancher Annie Devlin's war. The novel is about the healing power of love after the pain and chaos of war. The story came to me when I found some old family papers, among them an Oath of Allegiance and a parole pass signed by my Confederate great-grandfather. He was allowed to go home and "remain undisturbed" only if he swore never again to bear arms against the USA, and only if he obeyed all the new laws, including the emancipation of the slaves. I had so many questions: What would such a man feel? Humiliation, bitterness, relief, defeat? What if he had nothing and no one to go home to? And why would a good man decide to fight for a new country that had its foundation in terrible injustice? I wanted to know the answers, so I wrote them myself. (And just in case anyone's wondering, I'm not really a million years old. Late-in-life babies were apparently common in my father's family. My mother thought I was a symptom of menopause, and apparently our family Johnny Reb was a bit of a frisky old fellow, too, which accounts for him being only 3 generations removed from me.)
Julie: Lol. So let me ask... From the time you began writing The first of your novels, until you finished with your latest release, how long did it take?
Lorrie: I published TERMS OF SURRENDER in 2010, although I'd been tinkering with it for a while. Except for above-mentioned short stories, my latest release came out last Spring. It's the third novel in the series, and it's titled TERMS OF TEMPTATION. (I hadn't originally intended to write a trilogy – TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT is the middle book, although they're all stand-alones – but SURRENDER was well-received, and I fell in love with the family. My only issue was thinking up more titles that began with "Terms," but didn't sound like business contracts. The kids helpfully suggested "Terms of Germs" and "Terms of Worms," but so far, I haven't had to resort to using those.
Julie: So you're kicking them out! That's fantastic! LOL on the kids! Now, on another note... Do you find some of the Facebook groups you're involved with helpful?
Lorrie: Oh, absolutely! First of all, the community of Indie authors is amazing, and so generous and supportive. (You are a shining example!) I belong to a number of groups, such as Western Historical Romance Book Club, Women Writing the West, Book Review Depot, eNovel Authors at Work, and several others. I've learned so much from folks in these groups!
Julie: Thank you, Lorrie. I have met great people through them as well, certainly you're included! What type of advice would you offer to an aspiring author is is looking into indie publishing?
Lorrie: I think the most important thing any author can do is read, read, read! (And, of course, read well-written books.) That's how a person gets a feel for the flow and expression of written language. It's critical to present a professional product, because no matter how good a plot, no one has the patience to plow through incoherent writing. It's important not to leap to publish before being certain the book is polished and professionally presentable. (That's one of the forgiving perks of indie publishing, however. Books and covers can be easily revised, even after publication.)
Julie: What is your favorite time and place to write? Do you listen to music while you write or must you have complete silence?
Lorrie: If I needed complete silence, I'd be up a creek. I write at the kitchen table, and I'm very lucky to be a master tuner-outer. (My family says I should have a sign reading, "Huh?" hanging around my neck.) At home we have 3 dogs (one sleeping under my feet right now), 2 cats, my husband and me, 2 adult kids, and a 13-month-old grandbaby. BTW, "Henry Hugglemonster" is blasting away, even as we speak. LOL
Julie: Lol. My husband gets so mad at me when I zone out. I don't hear anything he says. Being an author myself, sometimes I am hard pressed to find a time to write that coincides with my mental readiness to take on the story. Is it difficult for you to find the time?
Lorrie: Too funny! I say, "Uh-huh," but actually have no idea what Hubby or the kids have said to me, either. But anyway, regarding time pressures and mental readiness to write, I know exactly what you mean. That can definitely be a problem for me, too. I'm trying to balance writing with doing the necessary marketing and promotion (which doesn't come very easily to me – a downside of managing one's own career.) It can be hard to switch from one frame of mind to the other.
Julie: It surely is.. my husband says I say yes to everything He told me that I said yes when he asked if I'd like him to stick his foot in my a** because I wasn't listening to him, lol. But on the other side of the coin... when they know we are writing, they should know to leave us alone because of the difficulties we have getting the time and readiness to enter the zone.
Lorrie: LOL! That's so true!
Julie: I know. I feel likes he's trying to sabotage me, lol. He only wants to bother me when I am doing something important. Ahh, the perks of being a writer! Is there any certain subject that you would like to touch on, Lorrie?
Lorrie: One thing I would like people to know is that all of my books have at least a touch, and sometimes much more, of the paranormal. Not vampires or werewolves, but rather such things as ESP, time-travel, angels, ghosts. I was a huge fan of "The Twilight Zone," and those stories made such an impression on me. They were written by such amazing writers: Rod Serling, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, Jr., among others. The stories had elements of fantasy and the supernatural, but they were really about the human experience: how we live, how we treat one another, what we believe is important. That had such a strong influence on me.
Julie: Lorrie it has been such a pleasure and I truly thank you for your time... please stay in touch and message anytime!
Lorrie: I really appreciate it, Julie. Have a great evening!
Julie: You too , Lorrie!
Lorrie: Very well, thanks! And you?
Julie: I'm doing great! I'd like to start by asking you, how long you have been writing and what inspired you to use indie publishing?
Lorrie: I've been writing as long as I can remember. As a little kid, I wrote little books for my dolls. I wasn't able to really give it my all, though, until about 5 years ago, when I stopped teaching full-time. For some time I worked with editors, but it was a very frustrating experience. One told me she didn't get what the Civil War had to do the West, and another asked if I could make a sociopathic character "nicer." (It's not that I don't appreciate helpful criticism, but that was too much. I made him meaner. LOL) Anyway, as indie publishing was gaining more notice and popularity, I realized I could take my career into my own hands. I've never regretted doing so.
Julie: Yes, there's certainly much more control over your work with indie publishing. You have a total of six books that I know of, are you working on something new that you might be able to share a little but about with us?
Lorrie: Right now I'm working on a couple of things. I'm writing a series of short stories . (One, TO MY JULIA, will have a sneak peek soon on Alison E. Bruce's VALENTINE SHORTS feature, and another, THE BEST CHRISTMAS, can be read at http://alisonebruce.blogspot.ca/2013/12/holiday-short-from-lorrie-farrelly.html). I'm also adapting my novel TIMELAPSE as a screenplay. I'm finding it tougher than writing a novel, but it's really fun!
Julie: I thought of trying to write Jillian as a screenplay but I have no idea on how to begin! Is it difficult to adapt a book to a screenplay?
Lorrie: I think it's more difficult than I expected it to be. Events have to be structured differently, and some things that work well in a novel (for example, what a character is thinking) have to be translated into action and dialogue – or thrown out altogether – in a screenplay. And because of the format, there's a completely different flow to the text. It's definitely a learning curve, but an exciting one.
Julie: Out of all of your novels, which one is your favorite or is there a certain one that you have a deeper emotional investment in? Or should I have said attachment?
Lorrie: I love all my stories, but the one closest to my heart is TERMS OF SURRENDER, the story of a young veteran of the Civil War who heads West after losing everything: his home, his family, his innocence, his purpose. All he has left is his honor and stubbornness, until the day he happens upon another life-and-death struggle: rancher Annie Devlin's war. The novel is about the healing power of love after the pain and chaos of war. The story came to me when I found some old family papers, among them an Oath of Allegiance and a parole pass signed by my Confederate great-grandfather. He was allowed to go home and "remain undisturbed" only if he swore never again to bear arms against the USA, and only if he obeyed all the new laws, including the emancipation of the slaves. I had so many questions: What would such a man feel? Humiliation, bitterness, relief, defeat? What if he had nothing and no one to go home to? And why would a good man decide to fight for a new country that had its foundation in terrible injustice? I wanted to know the answers, so I wrote them myself. (And just in case anyone's wondering, I'm not really a million years old. Late-in-life babies were apparently common in my father's family. My mother thought I was a symptom of menopause, and apparently our family Johnny Reb was a bit of a frisky old fellow, too, which accounts for him being only 3 generations removed from me.)
Julie: Lol. So let me ask... From the time you began writing The first of your novels, until you finished with your latest release, how long did it take?
Lorrie: I published TERMS OF SURRENDER in 2010, although I'd been tinkering with it for a while. Except for above-mentioned short stories, my latest release came out last Spring. It's the third novel in the series, and it's titled TERMS OF TEMPTATION. (I hadn't originally intended to write a trilogy – TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT is the middle book, although they're all stand-alones – but SURRENDER was well-received, and I fell in love with the family. My only issue was thinking up more titles that began with "Terms," but didn't sound like business contracts. The kids helpfully suggested "Terms of Germs" and "Terms of Worms," but so far, I haven't had to resort to using those.
Julie: So you're kicking them out! That's fantastic! LOL on the kids! Now, on another note... Do you find some of the Facebook groups you're involved with helpful?
Lorrie: Oh, absolutely! First of all, the community of Indie authors is amazing, and so generous and supportive. (You are a shining example!) I belong to a number of groups, such as Western Historical Romance Book Club, Women Writing the West, Book Review Depot, eNovel Authors at Work, and several others. I've learned so much from folks in these groups!
Julie: Thank you, Lorrie. I have met great people through them as well, certainly you're included! What type of advice would you offer to an aspiring author is is looking into indie publishing?
Lorrie: I think the most important thing any author can do is read, read, read! (And, of course, read well-written books.) That's how a person gets a feel for the flow and expression of written language. It's critical to present a professional product, because no matter how good a plot, no one has the patience to plow through incoherent writing. It's important not to leap to publish before being certain the book is polished and professionally presentable. (That's one of the forgiving perks of indie publishing, however. Books and covers can be easily revised, even after publication.)
Julie: What is your favorite time and place to write? Do you listen to music while you write or must you have complete silence?
Lorrie: If I needed complete silence, I'd be up a creek. I write at the kitchen table, and I'm very lucky to be a master tuner-outer. (My family says I should have a sign reading, "Huh?" hanging around my neck.) At home we have 3 dogs (one sleeping under my feet right now), 2 cats, my husband and me, 2 adult kids, and a 13-month-old grandbaby. BTW, "Henry Hugglemonster" is blasting away, even as we speak. LOL
Julie: Lol. My husband gets so mad at me when I zone out. I don't hear anything he says. Being an author myself, sometimes I am hard pressed to find a time to write that coincides with my mental readiness to take on the story. Is it difficult for you to find the time?
Lorrie: Too funny! I say, "Uh-huh," but actually have no idea what Hubby or the kids have said to me, either. But anyway, regarding time pressures and mental readiness to write, I know exactly what you mean. That can definitely be a problem for me, too. I'm trying to balance writing with doing the necessary marketing and promotion (which doesn't come very easily to me – a downside of managing one's own career.) It can be hard to switch from one frame of mind to the other.
Julie: It surely is.. my husband says I say yes to everything He told me that I said yes when he asked if I'd like him to stick his foot in my a** because I wasn't listening to him, lol. But on the other side of the coin... when they know we are writing, they should know to leave us alone because of the difficulties we have getting the time and readiness to enter the zone.
Lorrie: LOL! That's so true!
Julie: I know. I feel likes he's trying to sabotage me, lol. He only wants to bother me when I am doing something important. Ahh, the perks of being a writer! Is there any certain subject that you would like to touch on, Lorrie?
Lorrie: One thing I would like people to know is that all of my books have at least a touch, and sometimes much more, of the paranormal. Not vampires or werewolves, but rather such things as ESP, time-travel, angels, ghosts. I was a huge fan of "The Twilight Zone," and those stories made such an impression on me. They were written by such amazing writers: Rod Serling, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, Jr., among others. The stories had elements of fantasy and the supernatural, but they were really about the human experience: how we live, how we treat one another, what we believe is important. That had such a strong influence on me.
Julie: Lorrie it has been such a pleasure and I truly thank you for your time... please stay in touch and message anytime!
Lorrie: I really appreciate it, Julie. Have a great evening!
Julie: You too , Lorrie!
WHAT READERS AND REVIEWERS ARE SAYING about Lorrie's novels:
"Filled with sweet emotion, but also heart wrenching hurt, TERMS OF SURRENDER by Lorrie Farrelly is exactly why I am such a fan of historical fiction!"
"TERMS OF SURRENDER is a heart-melting, pulse-racing, beautiful piece of literature."
"TIMELAPSE is a fast-paced story that keeps the pages turning until the very end. This is one of my favorite books of the year!"
"DANGEROUS is a beautiful romance, full of heart wrenching insecurity and doubt, but it is also a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat!"
"TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT is a powerful story. It incorporates love, danger, and excitement, with a soupcon of the paranormal.”
"Wow. What a great book! TERMS OF TEMPTATION has it all: coherent plot, clear setting, credible dialogue and slang (for 1903, Wyoming), textured primary and secondary characters, humor, pathos, villainy and murderous mayhem (but not too much), authentic adolescents, adorable baby wild animals, and a few profoundly moving scenes involving the family ghost, or guardian angel."
"Using a great descriptive style, Ms. Farrelly has written a wonderful story not only of danger and impending doom, but also a love story liberally sprinkled with humor. THE GUARDIAN'S ANGEL."
Lorrie always enjoys hearing from readers! Find her at:
http://www.amazon.com/Lorrie-Farrelly/e/B008P3LJ0O
https://www.facebook.com/LorrieFarrellyAuthor
https://sites.google.com/site/yourbestreads/
https://twitter.com/@lorriewrites
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4351229.Lorrie_Farrelly
Find Lorrie's Books in the New Releases Section!
"Filled with sweet emotion, but also heart wrenching hurt, TERMS OF SURRENDER by Lorrie Farrelly is exactly why I am such a fan of historical fiction!"
"TERMS OF SURRENDER is a heart-melting, pulse-racing, beautiful piece of literature."
"TIMELAPSE is a fast-paced story that keeps the pages turning until the very end. This is one of my favorite books of the year!"
"DANGEROUS is a beautiful romance, full of heart wrenching insecurity and doubt, but it is also a gripping thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat!"
"TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT is a powerful story. It incorporates love, danger, and excitement, with a soupcon of the paranormal.”
"Wow. What a great book! TERMS OF TEMPTATION has it all: coherent plot, clear setting, credible dialogue and slang (for 1903, Wyoming), textured primary and secondary characters, humor, pathos, villainy and murderous mayhem (but not too much), authentic adolescents, adorable baby wild animals, and a few profoundly moving scenes involving the family ghost, or guardian angel."
"Using a great descriptive style, Ms. Farrelly has written a wonderful story not only of danger and impending doom, but also a love story liberally sprinkled with humor. THE GUARDIAN'S ANGEL."
Lorrie always enjoys hearing from readers! Find her at:
http://www.amazon.com/Lorrie-Farrelly/e/B008P3LJ0O
https://www.facebook.com/LorrieFarrellyAuthor
https://sites.google.com/site/yourbestreads/
https://twitter.com/@lorriewrites
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4351229.Lorrie_Farrelly
Find Lorrie's Books in the New Releases Section!
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