Indie Author Interview!!

It's time to meet a fantastic indie author!! This week, I want to introduce everyone to Lovely Whitmore, a very accomplished author of several books, including the 1 Dollar Get Rich Quick or at Least Try Book, Journals of a Wannabe Basketball Player, and the It's All Coming Back to Me Now series. Lovely has a beautiful name and personality to match! She graciously gave us some insight into her world, so read on to find out more about an awesome writer!

DSP: For starters, tell us a bit about you, we like to get to know our authors as a person!

Lovely: Hi I'm Lovely Whitmore. I'm a Georgia native, born in Macon, Ga, raised in Atlanta, Ga, from age 4 to 17. I went to Booker T. Washington Magnet High School. I also went to Turner Job Corps, Central Texas College, and Western Governors University. I currently reside in Louisiana. I am a mother of three who loves sports, reading, chatting, and meeting new people. I am a radio show host, and I am also an actress. I love basketball! My favorite point guard is Rajon Rondo. I have his poster on my bedroom wall! I love singing, even though my singing ability lacks talent, LOL, but I love it nevertheless. My favorite song is "All I ask of You" by Rafael Sadiq. Favorite author is V.C. Andrews-I love those books! I love listening to music from the 80's and 90's.

DSP: Nice to meet you! So tell us, where did you find the inspiration for your most recent book?

Lovely: Aw, well when I wrote It's All Coming Back To Me Now, I never intended for it to be a series. I was approached by many of my readers who had fallen in love with the characters and wanted more. They encouraged me to write more on the couple, so I came up with the plot for sequel. After writing and publishing The Secret, I am now thinking of a plotline for the third book in the series. :) 

DSP: So, do you have any kind of ritual for writing? Such as, you have to write with music on, or you can only write when you’re completely alone, etc?

Lovely: No, I just write as it comes to me. It can be in the middle of the night, I get an idea, grab my laptop and start pecking away. 

DSP: Who is your favorite character in your book, and why? How about the character you had the most trouble with?

Lovely: My favorite character in the It's All Coming Back To Me Now Series would have to be Shanice, the main character's twin sister. She's this mysterious woman that's definitely up to no good. It was fun writing her into the story.

The character that I had the most trouble with - ehm, hmm - I don't think I really had any trouble with any of the  characters in this one. 

DSP: Now, when you sit down to write a book, a paragraph, or whatever you‘re working on at the moment, do you just sit down in front of the computer, or do you need an outline of some sort? Is there any other prep you need in order to organize your thoughts either before you write or in the process of writing?

Lovely: I usually do a character sketch for all of the characters, even the ones who may only appear a few times in the story. I outline a few things about them like their age, height, weight, hair color, length, where they are from, what they drive, things of that nature.

DSP: Do you foresee any more books to continue this story? If so, do you think we can get a taste of what’s to come?

Lovely: Yes , I haven't started brainstorming on it yet, but there is definitely going to be a next chapter. 

DSP: Other than this most recent story, do you have any ideas for different books that might be published in the future? Care to give us a teaser?

Lovely: Yes yes yes. The Journals of a Wannabe Basketball Player is a series, I will be working on book 2 really soon. Also 1378 Oak Street is a series as well so there are plenty more to come in those two. The Dear Dad short letter trilogy is not complete yet there's a third book that will be published soon as well. 

DSP: Who is your greatest inspiration to write? What person makes you believe in yourself, and how?

Lovely: Now this is a tricky one, I would have to say one of my daughters, she is eleven years old and is very encouraging. 

DSP: Do you have any aspirations to be similar or comparable to another author? Why?

Lovely: No. My style is different in each book that I publish. I don't wanna be the next _______, I wanna be the first me. :) 

DSP: Okay, one last question, and this one is different for every author, not to mention completely off the wall!  If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one other person and 5 items, who and what would you want to have with you?

Lovely: Hmm, I would have to say Fred Flintstone, he is like, my favorite character, and we can have any items because he knows how to live off the land. LOL!

This is one very motivated and successful author! Her theory of "I don't wanna be the next _____, I wanna be the first me" is an amazing goal, and something that as indie authors, we should all strive for! Thank you, Lovely, for your words of wisdom and inspiration, and for letting us have a peek inside your world! You can check out some of her accomplishments on Amazon.com. While you're there, why not pick up a copy of her book and support another indie author? 

Happy reading!!

-Ash