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Welcome to New Faces, where we're pleased to introduce some of the newest authors on the romance scene. This week we welcome Ann Lawrence, whose debut fantasy romance, Virtual Heaven, is now out from Lovespell. Welcome, Ann! Tell us about yourself. I was born in England and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs where I still live with my husband, two children, two Maine Coon cats, and enough sports equipment to open my own store! I've been teaching the love of reading and writing to children for more years than I have fingers and toes. It has only been in the last few years that I've turned to writing. Are you coming to romance writing from another job? I think that when you are teaching others a certain skill, you eventually want to make use of what you know. I would not want to give up teaching, however. I love every minute of it! Of course, I'm answering these questions while on summer vacation. If you asked me this question in the middle of February, I might give a different answer! : ) What led you to write romance? I am a long time reader of romance. I also reread books which my husband thinks is weird. I have a huge romance collection and will reread a favorite book any number of times. But what led me to writing was meeting some wonderful members of the Valley Forge Romance Writers. They introduced me to the world of critique groups, and my critique group led me to the decision to try to write VIRTUAL HEAVEN. Tell us about your road to publication. As I said, I met this great critique group (1995). Although I had written some before meeting them, it was through them I decided to enter my work in the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Contest for unpublished writers. I entered in 1996 with VIRTUAL HEAVEN and it was a finalist in the paranormal category. I was thrilled. I then entered it in the Valley Forge Romance Writers "Winning Beginnings" contest and the judge, Alicia Condon of Dorchester Publishing, bought it. The down side was that she bought it for their new "Perfect Heroes" line and it wasn't launching until 1999! From the "call" in early 1997 to publication was a lonnnngggg two year wait. What kind of research was involved for your first book? My first reaction was to say, only a little, but then I thought about it and realized, I'd actually done quite a bit. I used a setting I'm very familiar with--Ocean City, New Jersey, for the contemporary part. That way I could walk on the boardwalk and breath in the air and know I was putting it down accurately. I also spent quite a bit of time interviewing a wonderful cover artist, Jon Paul (view his work through a link on my website), who guided me through the very fascinating world of cover art and models. I used lots of little snippets of ancient legends, so I needed to read and reread my books of legends. I also used real settings for most of my fantasy world with alterations to make the world my own. I used my favorite places in the southwestern states and in England, especially those areas near or connected to the legends I'd researched. No, I did not hop a plane and go to England just for VIRTUAL HEAVEN's research, however. I had been on a month long trip to see my relatives in 1995 so everything was fresh in my memory, and I had scads of pictures to help me out. Who are your influences as a writer? Hmmmm, I'm looking at my bookcases. I see Terri Brisbin, Tracy Fobes, Nora Roberts, Tami Hoag, Amanda Quick, Catherine Coulter, Diana Gabaldon, Candace M. Robb, Dick Francis, Anne Perry, Elizabeth George, Nelson Demille, Stephen King, John Sandford, Jane Austen, Daphne Du Maurier. I could continue on indefinitely because I read anything I can get my hands on. Now that I'm writing, I am always looking for the underlying structure--what made a book work for me and so on, so I suppose every author I read influences me one way or another. I especially like to read a new author and see how they structure their story. I greatly admire authors who craft strong characters, but I especially like a very "good" hero and a wonderfully "bad" villain. That is why VIRTUAL HEAVEN was picked so readily for the "perfect heroes" series. I happened to be in the right place, with the right hero, at the right time. My next book, LORD OF THE KEEP, also has a very strong hero. That is not to say a book does not need a strong heroine. I don't think you can match a weak heroine to a strong man. They must be complementary to each other. What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst? My family is both amused and happy for me. Amused because I'm often looking about like a lunatic, trying to pick up the thread of a conversation after being "lost" in my writing. My daughter knows my laptop needs to be closed before making any important requests! My family is also happy that I've realized an important dream. I tell my children and my students that it is never too late to strive for what you want. Tell us about plans for future books. My next work is a novella in an anthology from Dorchester called PARADISE. It will be on the shelves this July. Each story has an Elvis theme and it was a hoot to write. Each story is different and I really enjoyed getting to know the other authors as we put it together (Madeline Baker, Nina Bangs, and Kathleen Nance). In December of 1999, I will have another "Perfect Heroes" book out for Love Spell. LORD OF THE KEEP is a medieval historical set in the late 1100s. In July of 2000, VIRTUAL DESIRE will come out. It is the sequel to VIRTUAL HEAVEN and will feature a secondary character from that book named Vad. There are excerpts from my stories on my website for those who are interested. I hope my paranormal readers will try out my medieval historical and vice versa. I've loved writing both. Each is a different challenge in research and characterization. Each, however, is very near and dear to my heart. How can readers get in touch with you? I would love feedback from readers!
E-mail: annlawrence@pobox.com Thanks, Ann! Readers, we have a review of Virtual Heaven on our TT/Fantasy page. June 18, 1999
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