Author Spotlight Marie Lavender

Meet Marie Lavender who writes multi-genre. Marie lives in the Midwest with her family and two cats and has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has published 21 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic comedy, dramatic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction, and poetry.

Please tell readers how many books you've written and a list of pen names.

I’ve written and published twenty-one books to date. As for works in progress, I have a little over one hundred. I used different pen names in the past – Kathryn Layne and Erica Sutherhome, among others – but now I am sticking with the Marie Lavender brand.

Do you have a favorite character from your books?

It’s a cross between Fara Bellamont from the Heiresses in Love trilogy and Caitlyn Johnson from Directions of the Heart (a romantic drama collection). They’re both strong characters, of course, but they are my fave characters for different reasons. I can identify quite a bit with Fara. Her defiance in the face of social expectations is admirable. She’s also a dreamer.

As for Caitlyn, she has my total respect for everything she endured. I went through a period of abuse during my first real romantic relationship, and though it did not quite compare to the horrors this character experienced, I can only imagine how difficult it must be for such survivors. Despite her vulnerabilities due to the trauma she lives through, there is a resilience about her – an innate strength – which can’t be ignored.

For readers who aren’t familiar, can you tell us a bit about the Misfits series?

Yes, The Misfits Series is a set of six books about a group of friends, and the romantic misadventures they encounter.

What was your inspiration for writing about magical secrets and miracle pills?

Actually, I have to put the blame on one of my readers. (Chuckles.) I had posted a funny meme about bad side effects from medications, and then someone commented that I should use it in a story. That got my imagination working overtime, and before I knew it, I not only had the loose plotline mapped out for the first book but also plans for other books in the rom-com series.

How does body image play into your romance writing?

I usually don’t place a ton of emphasis on a character’s appearance. The exceptions to that rule include my description of fashion for a historical time period, or when I’m trying to show that two people are attracted to each other. It also depends on the character, and if appearance is important to them. Beyond that, I believe that what’s inside counts more. But in reality, we focus on it a lot in society. And we’re more critical of ourselves than each other when it comes to all those little flaws we can’t get over. Not that there aren’t some real trolls on social media, debasing and calling people names.

Anyway, I had read some BBW or ‘curvy’ romances in recent years, and I realized that I’ve only ever started one story with a plus-sized character. It didn’t get published yet. So, when the idea for Chasing Ginger came to me, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to try to shine more of a spotlight on body-shaming, both at home in the mirror and towards other people in public. Add to that my own self-image issues growing up, as well a constant struggle with weight, I felt that I had a lot of experience to draw upon. But I also didn’t want it to come off as overly dramatic, so I did my best to add some comic relief here and there.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m writing a romantic mystery collection. First Target is comprised of two novellas –one with a team of detectives who all go undercover to catch the perpetrator of a long string of crimes, and the other focuses on an amateur female sleuth.

Do you have any interesting writing habits you care to share?

Sometimes story ideas come to me while I’m in the shower, and I have to playback the scene in my head a few times, so I won’t forget the details before I can find access to a pen and paper.

What can you tell us about your radio shows?

I’m not sure what exactly you mean by that question, but I have been on several radio shows and podcasts over the years. They’re listed below, in order of appearance.

July 2014 – radio interview on The Authors Show

My radio interview on Urban Nation Radio – September 4, 2014!

Group author interview on ANY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE with Bennet Pomerantz –

The World of Ink Network show on Blog Talk Radio – November 8, 2014!

Radio interview on Jami and Michele’s Cover 2 Cover show on Blog Talk Radio! – April 30, 2015 @ 7PM EST

Radio Interview on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! – July 9, 2015, at 9PM EST

Radio Interview on Carol Graham’s Never Give Up Hope show – February 26, 2016, at 6:30PM EST

Podcast/Radio Interview on Kim Smith’s Writer Groupie show – August 16, 2016, at 8PM EST

Radio Interview on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! – April 6, 2017, at 8PM EST (a neak peek of some paranormal books)

My radio interview with host Mary Ellen Wilson – August 7th, 2017!

Radio Interview on Thorne & Cross: Haunted Nights LIVE! – August 30, 2018, at 8PMEST

Podcast/Radio/Book Interview on Golden State Media Concepts show – January 20, 2019, at 4PM EST

April 18, 2020 – Chat and Spin RADIO on the Weekend Show with Ron Clark and Ian

Johnson (my interview is 47 minutes into this clip)

I think the most enjoyable ones were the more casual approaches. As a natural introvert, I have a little trouble with public settings, but I’m getting better at knowing what to expect now.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell readers?

The first book in The Misfits Series, Chasing Ginger, which is a steamy romantic comedy, is available now in ebook and paperback on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, and iTunes. They can also find the second edition of Magick and Moonlight, a lighthearted contemporary romantic fantasy, as well as the other books. I’ve had out since 2013. My Victorian maritime romance series is coming back soon, and the second editions of the Heiresses trilogy will be released under a new publisher, Foundations Books.

AUTHOR BIO

Multi-genre author of Victorian maritime romance/family saga, Heiresses in Love, and 18 other books. Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and two cats. She has been writing for a little over twenty-five years. She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. Since 2010, Marie has published 21 books in the genres of historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, romantic comedy, dramatic fiction, fantasy, science fiction, mystery/thriller, literary fiction, and poetry. An avid blogger on the side, she writes adult fiction, as well as occasional stories for children, and has recently started some young adult fiction. She also contributed to several anthologies. Though Marie has standalone titles on the market, her current published series are The Eternal Hearts Series, The Magick Series, The Code of Endhivar Series, The Misfits Series and The Blood at First Sight Series, but she has many others planned. Discover more about her and her work at the following links.

Official Website: http://marielavender.com/

Blogs: http://iloveromanceblog.wordpress.com/

http://marielavender.blogspot.com/

http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/

Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58

https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender

https://twitter.com/marielavender1

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/marie-lavender/27/187/10a

https://www.instagram.com/marielavender1/

Amazon author page: http://bit.ly/MarieLavender

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6938764.Marie_Lavender

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