Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far, I have written eleven books. I have enjoyed listening to stories as long as I can remember, and I have enjoyed reading and writing stories for as long as I’ve known how to read. I have a bachelor’s from Southern Utah University. I am a teacher during the school year, (Aug to May) and on the weekends and in the summer I write.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Puppies and Portals. It is a middle grade time travel about some friends who find themselves transported back in time where they meet a Native American who helped the Underground Railroad in the early 1800s. I was inspired to write the story because there are very few accounts of Native Americans helping people who were escaping slavery. This is likely because being oral cultures, they didn’t have the chance to write their experiences down, or tell people who could. (Harriet Tubman, while illiterate, knew many people who could read and write, and therefore wrote her story down for her.) I wanted to imagine what it may have been like for one of the Native Americans active on the Underground Railroad, and so wrote a story down with him in it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have enjoyed the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harper Lee, Rachel Nunes, J. Scott Savage, Julie Wright, Mikey Brooks, and James Dashner. Reading their works helps to make ideas click in my head in regards to what I would like to write in my own stories.
What are you working on now?
I am slowly creating an outline for the sequel to the book I just finished. While both books will be able to stand alone (there are other books in the series as well) they do have characters in common.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Mybookcave.com is one of my favorite sites.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Be consistent in your writing. When establishing the rules of your world, make sure to keep your own rules. One thing that causes readers to find themselves unable to suspend their disbelief is when authors have characters acting in ways they would not otherwise act except that the author is making the characters act that way for the author’s convenience. Or, if an author breaks his/her own rules, especially if it is obviously being done so because of sloppy writing or a lack of imagination.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do not become too arrogant and think yourself above making mistakes. At the same time, do not beat yourself up with self doubt. A little self doubt is okay to keep you on your toes and improving, but too much is crippling.
What are you reading now?
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Author Websites and Profiles
Loralee Evans Website
Loralee Evans Amazon Profile
Loralee Evans Author Profile on Smashwords
Loralee Evans’s Social Media Links
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