Author LOREE PEERY

I’m so excited to have Nebraska author, LOREE PEERY with us today! I was first introduced to LoRee in 2014 through a book club where I read and reviewed her book Found in the Woods. Imagine my surprise when I met her at a Romance Writers Retreat a couple of years later. Today, I’m delighted to call her my friend and can assure you, she’s as lovely in person as she is in her stories.

Christian romance author LoRee Peery writes to feel alive, as a way of contributing, and to pass forward the hope of rescue from sin. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place. LoRee clings to I John 5:4 and prays her family sees that faith. She has authored the Frivolities Series and other e-books. Her desire for readers, the same as for her characters, is to discover where they fit in this life journey to best work out the Lord’s life plan. She is who she is by the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend, and author. She’s been a reader since before kindergarten.

Connect with LoRee through these links: www.loreepeery.com

Pelican http://tinyurl.com/kwz9enk

https://twitter.com/LoreePeery

https://www.facebook.com/LoReePeery

SHAREE:

LoRee, please tell us a little bit about yourself.

LOREE:

Does anyone else squirm at that question? I’d rather talk about writing. A lifelong Nebraska country girl, I’ve lived in “town” only ten years. I attended a one-room school and value that experience. I’ve always loved to read and been creative with color, be it sewing, clothing, gifts, or decorating my home. The outdoors “calls” to me year-round. I consider myself blessed to live through seasonal cycles. Family time is treasured, especially playing cards or board games. I’ve played Scrabble with most of my grandchildren, and taught them well because many have beaten me at the game. I love to laugh, and so appreciate a quick wit in others.

SHAREE:

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

LOREE:

It’s my husband’s fault. We were traveling on I-80 and I slapped a magazine on my lap. “I could write better than this.” (I’ve since been humbled.) He said, “Why don’t you?” A couple years later, I entered a contest where my son also had a poem. We each won in our individual categories. The writing bug has been a driving force ever since.

SHAREE:

LOL. I blame my husband for challenging me to write also. And oh wow, can I relate to the humbling that comes thereafter.

Tell us about your writing journey (highlights, epiphanies, etc.).

LOREE:

Now, that’s a question to think on…my first novel took ten years to write and will remain in a tote. My reading over the years has included many genres, and I didn’t know what I wanted to write. I’ve always been drawn to mystery and romance, so years ago I attended a mystery conference in Omaha where I met Mary Higgins Clark. She looked at my name tag and said, “That’s the name of an author.” We met a year later and she remembered me. Unforgettable.

I didn’t write for eighteen months while I searched for an agent. I was discouraged and knew little about e-publishing until I attended a writers’ event and pitched to an editor with White Rose Publishing. My first published story, Moselle’s Insurance, went through a few editors, as it was revised three times. My current editor asked for a detailed rewrite. I was crushed, overwhelmed, and ready to give up. The same group of writers from Prairieland Romance Writers, who were with me when I pitched, encouraged me to do what I was asked because that was the best kind of letter an editor could write. I think I cut 20,000 words, did all she asked because she knows what she’s doing, and was offered a contract within a few days. I signed it on my birthday.

The thrill of receiving a contract and seeing the book cover for the first time remains fresh. I am blessed to spend time doing something I believe the Lord wants me to do, and Pelican Book Group is like a family to me.

SHAREE:

WOW! What a fantastic birthday present! Would you tell us about your current book release Christmas Trinkets?

LOREE:

Christmas is a holiday for reflection. Memories from Christmases past, good or sometimes sad, stay with us through the years. We think about our origins. Kameron and Hayley have troublesome childhood scars, but they meet at the most meaningful time of year. The blurb presents an accurate picture of the story.

SHAREE:

Sounds so good! Where did you get your inspiration for Christmas Trinkets?

LOREE:

I treasure old family things, maybe because as the oldest of seven, I have few mementoes from my childhood. I’m always curious about items passed down in families. Last year while I watched Hallmark movies, I made a note to incorporate a piece of antique jewelry in my next Christmas novella. When I started brainstorming I had a mind picture of what I believe is a pocket watch fob that one of my husband’s relatives left behind. I never found it. But I did run across an unnamed object that turned out to be a 1940s glove clip. Kameron and Hayley’s matching jewelry came from my imagination.

SHAREE:

Fun! Do you have a favorite character in Christmas Trinkets?

LOREE:

Each time I begin a new project I think of the heroine first and how she is going to change/grow through the course of the story. But Kameron grew on me and I have to admit I like him better than Hayley.

SHAREE:

What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?

LOREE:

Despite our place in the world, including the families we’re in, not one of us was born by mistake. God knew us before the beginning of time, and He covers everything that touches our lives. Nothing happens by chance.

SHAREE

AMEN! Do you have any fun writing rituals like wearing a certain sweater, music, etc?

LOREE:

I always brainstorm with pen and paper, often at the kitchen table where I can spread out. I edit and revise on paper rather than screen, away from my study. I love sitting outside. If it’s too cold, I sit near windows where I can see the birds and wildlife.

SHAREE:

I love being in nature too. Would you share with us what you are working on now?

LOREE:

I’m making what I thought was a final pass through “Courting,” only to realize I didn’t wrap up something in my hero’s backstory that is part of his motivation. Here’s the working blurb:

Widowed and divorced Kylie Gordon believes the online dating service, “Country Courting,” is her last chance at finding lifetime love. She checks out profiles and reconnects with an old friend, then accepts his invitation to stay on his ranch in South Dakota so they can become reacquainted in person.

In the past, Taggart Bauman has had no control in keeping those he loved safe. He’s watched out for his friend’s widow since the tragedy of losing the love of her life. In Cyrano de Bergerac fashion, Taggart agrees to write emails from another old friend to Kylie.

Motivated by his love for her, Taggart escorts Kylie from Nebraska to the ranch. He professes his love, but her happiness is number one.

Kylie soon views him in a whole new light, as in a potential lover rather than friend. With her future at stake, will she make her third wrong choice?

SHAREE:

That sounds wonderful! When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

LOREE:

Read. Take walks. Meals (that someone else prepares) with family. Meet friends or daughters for coffee. Attend Bible study. Hang out with other writers. Time with grandchildren. I hope to sew more than I have in recent years, especially piece/quilt work, and I have a bucket list of places to travel.

SHAREE:

LOREE, thank you so much for being here today! And friends, LoRee has also brought a gift to kick off the Christmas season. One commenter will receive a PDF version of her book, Christmas Trinkets. So please leave a comment to be entered!

ASIN: B0774ZCB33 Publisher: White Rose Publishing; 1 edition (December 1, 2017)