Welcome Lyrical Press author, L K Below!

Really looking forward to interviewing you L K and finding out about your new series of stories inspired by fairy tales - what a great idea! A bit naughty but nice, you could say... ; )

Okay, here we go...

1) What is your writing routine?

I’m not so sure I have a “routine”. I’ve tried many. A set amount of words per day, a set time to write versus handle other aspects of my career such as promoting or blogging, the list goes on and on. Fact is, I’m still searching for that

2) Which author/s inspire you to write?

Goodness, the list goes on and on. I have my favorite authors just like anyone else. The genre of the book I’m writing determines which would be most likely to influence me. A fantastic book in any genre will make me want to write something in the same field. For instance, even though I don’t consider myself to be a particularly funny person, I’m currently trying to write a humorous fantasy in the same vein as Terry Pratchett, who I find hilarious.

3) Which is your favorite romance subgenre to read? To write?

I’m a sucker for world building. I love to do it, even though I don’t always set aside enough time to write the novel afterward! Getting lost in a new world is one of my favorite things to do, be it through reading or through writing.

I’m also a complete history buff. I love to visit the past and learn new things. I often find myself getting lost in research. So reading or writing about the past gets me excited. I especially love to read or research places or time periods I’m not familiar with.

But I enjoy them all, or I wouldn’t write in them. :)

4) How do you deal with criticism/rejection?

I ignore it. Honestly, that’s my strategy. If this criticism is sound advice, I bear it in mind while I continue to write. If I gave in to every rejection or negative remark, I’d never make it in this industry. So I let it roll off my thick skin and try to view objectively to see if there’s a grain of truth in it.

5) What do you expect from an editor?

My editors are some of the people I esteem the most. They’re able to work with me to hone my work and create a stronger piece. If there are holes I just can’t see because I’m too close, they point them out and they get fixed. Thus far, I’ve been gifted with amazing editors.

6) Tell me about your latest release

Never a Princess, Always a Frog is the start of a new series. I’m very excited to launch it. This hot contemporary romance series each features elements from a different fairy tale. The first -- from “The Princess and the Frog.” Learn more about the series at http://bit.ly/ModernFairytales.

7) Tease us with a blurb or short excerpt

Here's the blurb for Never a Princess, Always a Frog:

Has this frog finally found her prince?

From the moment Colleen confesses her deepest desire -- to experience the same passion she’s read about in books -- she is swept away on the most daring escapade she’s ever experienced. Dressed in nothing but green paint,she attends a Halloween party searching for the man of her dreams. She finds him, but then fears she won’t be able to give him up.

Since the death of his wife five years ago, Dan’s life has been on auto-pilot. But from the moment he meets Colleen, he starts to feel alive again. And he knows he can’t let this would-be princess stride out of his life…

Buy the book or learn more at http://bit.ly/NeverAPrincess.

8) Which is your favorite character in the book? Why?

While I have equal affinity for my two main characters, Colleen and Dan, my favorite character in the book is Colleen’s best friend, Hannah. Trust me when I say, Hannah is hilarious. She’s the kind of boisterous side character who shakes things up for other people and I just know that she’ll be getting her story soon.

9) What are you working on right now?

I just finished up Beauty in His Bed, the second book in this series, featuring Colleen’s plus-sized cousin, Amy. At the moment, I’m fresh-faced, looking for something new to dive into. I get the feeling that this “something new” will be the third and last installment of The Order trilogy. The first book in this urban fantasy series, Stalking Shade, is due to come out this October.

10) Your biggest piece of advice to aspiring novelists?

Don’t give up. I say it again and again because it definitely takes perseverance to make it in this industry. As long as you have the determination, it’ll happen. The only variable is the when.

11) Where can readers find you?

My website is www.lbelow.net. I love to tweet -- you can catch me at @LBelowtheauthor. I also blog obsessively at http://lbelow.blogspot.com.

Want to win Never a Princess, Always a Frog? Be sure to visit my blog for the Week-After-Release Party on Monday, July 11th 2011. One lucky commenter will win this book!

I absolutely LOVE the sound of this series and will be popping over to Lyrical Press to download a copy of Never a Princess, Always a Frog asap. I'm sure my visitors will have lots of comments and questions for you. L K is waiting, people!