February 20, 2015

Author Interview with Louise Lyndon + Giveaway


Help me welcome Louise Lyndon to Write with Fey. She’s telling us about her book, Of Love and Vengeance, and offering a free eBook copy. Check out the giveaway below!

Please tell us about your current release, Louise.

My newest release, Of Love and Vengeance, is about a few things really. Firstly, it’s about prejudices, mainly about how we can tar an entire group by either misconceptions or by the behavior of a few. Both the hero and heroine are guilty of doing this, so we get to see how they deal with this. It’s also about acceptance, not just of each other, but of yourself as well. Laila, the heroine has a birthmark that covers one side of her face, and she really struggles with loving herself because of it. So we also see how she learns to love herself.

BLURB:

Forced to marry Lord Aymon to ensure her young nephews survival, English Lady Laila vows undying hatred for the Norman she holds responsible for the deaths of so many innocents. Discovering Aymon has committed an act of treason gives her the chance to seek vengeance he deserves.  But can Laila let Aymon die at the hands of the king once she learns the truth?

A hardened Norman warrior, Lord Aymon has lived through atrocities no man ever should. With the invasion of England over, all he wants is a quiet life and a wife who will give him heirs and obey his every command. Instead, he finds himself wed to feisty and outspoken Laila. But when she learns the truth of his treasonous act, can Aymon count on her to keep his secret?

Title: Of Love and Vengeance
Author: Louise Lyndon
Genre: Historical Romance (medieval)
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Release Date: 19 December 2014

BUY LINKS:


1. How did you pick the title for your book?

Actually, the book was originally titled, The Promise. My editor asked me to change it because there was already another book with that title. I’m hopeless at titles so I messed around a bit on one of those title generator sites. Some of the results were hilarious. Eventually, after combining a few title results I came up with, Of Love and Vengeance.

2. I think it's a great title! Why did you choose the setting for, Of Love and Vengeance?

I love medieval settings because I like being able to have sword fights in my stories! Also, as all stories need conflict, the medieval time period offers an endless supply of it, especially around the Norman invasion of England, which is when Of Love and Vengeance takes place.

3. I love medieval settings too! How did you come up with the names for your hero and heroine?

You know, this is going to sound completely weird, but the names more or less just ‘appear’ when I start writing the story. A scene will pop into my head, and the characters will already have their names. So, I just go with those names. I tried to change the names once but the characters were having none of that!

4. Which actors would play your hero and heroine in a movie?

Good question! I’m one of those writers who finds having an actual photo of the hero/heroine extremely helpful. For my hero, Aymon, he is based on Chris Hemsworth. I mean, what more is there to say about that guy? He’s handsome, has a brilliant build, and did I mention he’s handsome as well? So, for sure, CH would play Aymon.

For Laila, my heroine, I’ve based her on Kristen Stewart, to a certain extent. I always knew she’d have a birthmark down the side of one face, so it having a photo of KS near my laptop just helped me a little when I needed to describe physical features. So, KS would play Laila.

5. If you have a pen name, can you explain how you came up with it?

I do have a pen name. Louise is my middle name. Lyndon is my father’s first name. He died when I was four years old so I thought it would make a nice tribute to him.

6. Using your father's name for your pen name is special. How old were you when you read your first romance book? What was it?

I think it was a Mills & Boon book. I can’t remember the title, but I do remember going to Target and buying loads of titles.

7. Is there a teacher (or teachers) you would like to personally thank for his/her influence?

Mr Nilbet! From grade one to grade four I went to a school that had only fourteen students – in the entire school! We obviously only had one teacher to teach all the grades and Mr Nilbet was our teacher. He was brilliant. He would play with us kids at break times, during summer he’d have water fights with us – and on our birthday he would make us a cake! He was also very encouraging. He was just an all-round great teacher. To this day, and we’re talking about 30 something years later, he’s still in contact with his former students! I still call him Mr Nilbet!

8. What’s on your bucket list?

I have a few things on my bucket list. The main ones being;

1. To see the Aurora Borealis
2. Spend a night at the Icehotel in JukkasjÀrvi
3. To eat my body weight in chocolate. But to be fair, that is probably more wishful thinking than an actual bucket list to do item.

9. That's a lot of chocolate! What lessons did you learn early on in your writing career?

I learned two very valuable lessons that I still, to this day, adhere to. Firstly, write the story of your heart. By that I mean, don’t try to second guess what readers may or may not want, or what may or may not be currently selling, because I think once you only start thinking about those things then it influences your writing – not necessarily in a positive way.

Secondly, treat your setting as you would a character. By this I mean, really know it and use it to set your scene. For example, a forest during the day is very different to a forest at night. Think about the differences and weave them into your story.

10. Do you listen to music while you write?

No. I’m one of these writers who finds music very distracting while I write. I tried listening to classical music once while I wrote and even that type of music distracted me. 


AUTHOR BIO:
Louise grew up in Australia before moving to England, where for sixteen years she soaked up the vibrancy of London and the medieval history of England. She has since returned to Australia. In 2013 Louise won first prize in the Crested Butte Sandy Writing Contest – Historical Romance Category –for her story, The Promise, which has since been retitled as, Of Love & Vengeance. When not writing, she can be found crawling under barbed wire and hoisting herself over twelve foot walls!

AUTHOR LINKS:
Goodreads / Pinterest = llyndon3513

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for answering my questions, Louise, and for offering an eBook copy to my readers! :)


Please leave Louise a comment and enter the giveaway!


68 comments:

  1. Wow, I think I would love to have eating my weight in chocolate too on my bucket list :) I like Louise's pen name and how she is honoring her dad by this. Sounds like an interesting book! Good luck with it Louise!

    betty

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    1. I know a lot of people (chocoholics) who would add that too!

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    2. Thanks for stopping by Betty (I type as I pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth! )

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  2. A great pen name indeed. Wow, that is some teacher and some tiny arse school lol

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    1. Sure is! Thanks for commenting, Pat.

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    2. Thanks Pat. Unfortunately the school has long since closed. These days the government would never allow such a tiny school in the state I live which is a shame.

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  3. That is the greatest story about the teacher and your pen name. Congratulations.

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  4. You must love chocolate. My editor helps me with my titles as well. I don't know why, but I find them hard. Love the premise of the story. Best of luck!

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    1. Thanks TBM. Funny, I have no problem writing at least 90,000 words but coming up with a title floors me!

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  5. I have not read much of historical romance frankly speaking but it is an interesting genre,something put of my comfort zone,and i will want to try it one day.Louise,all the very best for ur book.From my perspective,i am so happy to hear the fact that stories should be written from the voice of your with the inclusion of your readers' interest in them as well.Great title,by the way!!

    Cheers,
    Jassie

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    1. Oh, but you should try to read things outside of your comfort zone. You never know what'll happen. :)

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    2. Thanks Jessie. And I second what Chrys says. Up until a few months ago I had never read a paranormal romance. Now, I've read quite a few.

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    3. Yes indeed...i totally agree with both of you.I am surely going to give it a shot for that opens more ventures for me as a writer.Then a question arises..What about the target audience??Won'tWon't it affect the readership??

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  6. so glad I'm not the only one who can't listen to music while I write--it's just so distracting for me but I'm jealous of writers who can, since it would prob make it more interesting lol. great interview! :)

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    1. Thanks, Beth. I admire those writers who can. Yet, oddly enough I can't sleep if it's quiet.

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  7. Congratulations on your release! It's a nice change of pace to see a Medieval historical romance. So much of the subgenre seems to be set in Regency England, which can get kind of boring.

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    1. I do wish there were more Medieval historical romances.

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    2. Thanks Carrie-Anne! I too would love to see more medievalromances. It's such a great period. But then I am biased!

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  8. Good luck Louise sounds like an excellent book.

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  9. I'm pretty sure I've eaten more than triple my weight in chocolate over my lifetime but maybe she means in one sit down? hee hee

    I love that names just come to her because that's pretty much how it happens for me and I have also tried to change them sometimes and they do fight back about the whole thing. :)

    Great interview and the book sounds fabulous!

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    1. For some reason, I keep thinking of it as in one sitting but I don't think that would be possible. lol

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    2. Thanks, Kimberly. And I almost ashamed to admit I mean in one sitting! *blush*

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  10. Congratulations on your book, Louise, and good luck on seeing the Aurora Borealis in Australia. I've lived in the country where you see them and have never seen a spectacular display.

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    1. It would be great if you could post pictures of the Aurora Borealis on your blog. :)

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    2. Thanks for stopping by. Oh, I want to see it in either Canada or Scandinavia. I'll get to see it. One day.

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  11. Congratulations, Louise! It's interesting--when I was aspiring to write romance, there were SO many authors with pen names. I don't see that in children's fiction at all.

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    1. You never know, Stephanie. Many people could use initials when they publish Children's Fiction...E.B. White. ;)

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    2. Hey Stephanie! Thanks for stopping by. Interesting about the pen names.

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  12. Hey Chrys, thank you so much for having me as your guest. It's so great to be here!

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  13. Everyone seems to want Chris Hemsworth. I wonder why….Duh.. good luck with the book. Better title than your first choice, btw ;-)

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  14. Ooh, I do love a good historical! Best of luck Louise!

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  15. Love the premise, title,and cover of your book and I love the fact that your heroine isn't a perfect beauty! Congrats on the release!

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    1. Thanks, Lilly. I try to write characters who are not considered 'beautiful' but are indeed beautiful in every sense of the word. I think we all can relate to characters like that.

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  16. One of the first books I ever fell in love with was, "Ivanhoe." Louise's story sounds good to me.

    Great interview - loved the questions and answers!

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  17. Excellent interview! Best of luck with sales :)

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  18. Wonderful interview, Louise! Congrats on your release and enjoy the chocolate. ;)

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  19. Congrats Louise!
    The title has that old-fashioned and almost epic ring to it... a good match for a story set in medieval times...
    Great interview!

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. The next book is tentively titled, Of Love & Betrayal.

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  20. Loved the interview. It's nice to find out how a book came about. I can sometimes listen to music while I'm on the computer but other times it can be a distraction.

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  21. Great interview, Louise. It's funny how different people are with their inspiration. I love listening to Epic Score music when I'm writing and having pictures of actual people is a hinderance, not a help.
    Oh and I've definitely eaten my weight in chocolate.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Marlow. I find listening to music prior to writing is helpful. Certain songs can evoke images in my head. Run by Snow Patrol is a perfect example. listening to it I can imagine my hero running through a forest, sword raised, fighting the baddies, trying to rescue the heroine. Give it a listen to know what I mean... http://youtu.be/AOBs8dU4Pb8

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  22. Wonderful interview, Louise! Much continued success with you great books :-)

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  23. Great interview! I'm fascinated by medieval times and the period around the Norman Conquest is an interesting time. It sounds like you have some high octane hobbies!

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  24. I love the medieval time period. Interesting interview. I'd love to see the Aurora Borealis.

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  25. Sounds like a great book, Louise! Intriguing storyline, interesting setting.. and I love chocolate too, just not the calories ;-) Best wishes!

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    1. Thanks, Diedre. Perhaps one day they'll invent calory free chocolate!

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  26. You don't need Chris Hemsworth to play the role. I'm right here :)

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    1. Lol! I'll be sure to contact you in the unlikely event they want to make Of Love And Vengeance into a film/series!

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  27. Nice interview. I always find it interesting how characters we create, can influence the direction of the story. That's happened to me too. I start writing a chapter with a specific destination in mind and somehow the characters direct it in a different direction. Thanks for sharing your answers Louise.

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    1. Too true, Jeffrey. But I sometimes forget my characters are in control and when I try to force them to do something they don't want to they are very quick to remind just who the boss is.

      I like that fellow writers get that. Ever tried explaining that to a non writer? They look at you as if you've gone nuts! Thankfully I don't mention when my characters talk to me!

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