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Monday, February 18, 2019

Featured Author: L. Simpson


Welcome Today's Featured Author  
L. Simpson!!!
 
 


Beyond Today

The price of forgiveness
When Hannah meets Howard, the elusive best man in her friend's wedding, Hannah is instantly drawn to the damaged alpha because they share a connection that makes her heart race and her head spin. But his past, his family and how he slaked his sexual needs keep him prisoner, and challenges her faith in people. With time, Hannah sees the real him, but when he does the one thing she can’t accept, her own demons whisper: Run away from the only man who has ever made her heart full.




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Love Sabre
Seven Aussie authors decided the most purple prose phrase they could think of was, “Sheathe your love sabre.”
So, naturally, they agreed to each write a story that included the phrase. From those auspicious beginnings, the Love Sabre anthology was born. From spicy hot to sweet, each Love Sabrist has penned a wonderful, yet very different story guaranteed to make you smile, laugh, gasp, or cry. All of them will make you go, “awww





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About L. Simpson:

As a girl growing up, I was lost in the world of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. This started my love of romance although my first published story was at age 11, and about the bushfires that ravaged the Dandenong Ranges where I grew up.
During high school, volleyball dominated my life; (there had to be something positive about being 6’1” at thirteen!) Representing Australia from a young age I travelled though Asia before taking up a scholarship at the University of Iowa. Living in America and being a full time athlete in a college town was an eye-opening experience and lots of fun (from what I can remember). #gohawkeyes
Returning from the States, my career took a different turn as I started working at the Red Cross and completed my Masters of Law in Human Rights. As one of the few non-lawyers in the class, my essays were far more floral than the rest, something that caused the discerning professors to shake their heads.
Through working and studying, I realised that being a lawyer wasn’t for me and that there are other ways to win hearts and minds. While I've spent the last 14 years as an advocate against poverty and homelessness, the desire to change the world through storytelling has only got stronger.
I now live in Porepunkah in the Alpine Valley of North East Victoria, Australia with my husband, two children, two dogs and seven chooks. When I'm not doing the whole mum thing, working at a welfare agency, renovating our farmhouse or trying to do laundry bleary-eyed at midnight, I am writing. With two series on the go, and a mind full of ideas, I've got a bit going on.

 



Interview With L. Simpson:
 
1.         Can you tell us a little about your book?
Beyond Today is a small town romance set in the Australian Alpine Valley. Hannah is a sassy, funny and fiercely independent woman who moved to the country after a break up that saw her almost financially ruined and her confidence in the toilet. She has pulled herself together and surrounded herself with friends who are as crazy as she is, and life is as good as it gets. Then she literally runs into Howard, a groomsman at a wedding in which she is a bridesmaid and everything changes. Her attraction is instant and she has to find a way to contain her desire to make sure she doesn’t fall too hard too fast.
Howard is a quiet, damaged alpha who has a traumatic past that he buries deep. Being a city slicker with an uptight family and a construction empire to run, his mind is not on meeting the love of his life, until he does. Then he is blown away by her generosity of spirit and capacity for love. HE is used to being judged but she challenges his self loathing, giving him hope of a brighter, happier future.
The relationship between them grows rapidly because of the intense desire, but they are constantly facing hurdles that threaten to pull them apart, including how he copes with his abusive past and her fear of being betrayed and humiliated. In the end, they have to decide if thier desire for happiness is worth wading through the emotional turmoil to get there.
  If you like sexy, funny love stories with a good dose of angst and strong characters – then you’ll love Beyond Today. 

2.         What inspires you to write?
I love love!  I have voices and stories in my head and I’m driven to get them out and onto a page. I like a challenge, especially wrangling characters with quirks, trauma and strong views and helping them fall in love.
I also think that in the media, online, in computer games and in music videos, love stories that showcase respect, partnership and honesty are more important than ever. 

3.         Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?
I long for structure…. but it’s a bit hard with an almost three year old princess-dictator and 10 week old baby boy who is growing at a rapid rate.  I usually write during sleep times and at night when everyone is in bed (including my husband). I am quite partial to writing sprints, and I can knock out around 1,200 words in thirty minutes if I’ve done good preparation.

4.         How do you come up with your characters names?
This is a challenge – trying to pick names that suit their age, their personality and make them stand out from the crowd is hard for me. I usually start with names that suit the character. For example, straight forward names for straight forward people. Then I search popular names for the year of their birth and consider their ethnicity. Then I start writing but I’ve been known to change their name if it just doesn’t sound right.

5.         Do you work with an outline, or just write?
I’m a plotter now because it helps me stay on track and finish books faster. I write character profiles, then I create Pinterest boards for them. After that I do an outline and a scene list, then a Spotify playlist (this is vital for me) and after all that I start to write.

6.         If you could spend 24 hours as a fictional character, who would you chose?
I am a fan of JR Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. Those brothers fascinate me, and if I spent time with them, the view wouldn’t be so bad either. So maybe I would become Fritz and hang with them in the mansion 

7.         If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I’d like not to need sleep – those extra hours each day would be pretty handy.
 
8.         What  writing projects are you currently working on?
I’ve completed the final draft of the follow up for Beyond Today – and my Beta Readers have given positive feedback which is great.  I am now working on book three, falling in love with two new characters.  My leading lady Kate is shaping up to be a doozy!
 
I am also working on a short story for my writing group the “Love Sabres”. Each year we write a collection of short stories with a key phrase. This phrase based on purple prose people often associate with romance stories. Last year was sheathe your love sabre ;-) and this year… well you will have to just wait and see!

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