Authors from Everywhere! : The talented Meg Lacey Joins us today

Welcome Author

Meg Lacey

to the Blog today!

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Do you work another job when you are not writing?

I worked full time for more than fifteen years while I was writing. I was a producer/writer working in all facets of the media and promotion/marketing industry. I’d started two companies during that time. The second one closed in 2009. I worked as a freelance marketing and pr director for a few more years and now write full time.

What is your favorite thing to do when you aren’t writing?

I don’t have one favorite thing. I like to read, take hikes, exercise, watch films, reconnect with people, go places I haven’t been, or revisit a place that’s familiar.

What is your favorite color? Why?

Red. I love the energy of the color.

What is your favorite season? Why?

Fall. It’ the color of the leaves that thrill me. I also love scuffling through the dry leaves. I purposefully leave the leaves in my yard just so I can walk through them. I also love the crisp smell of the air, like a fresh apple.

If you could live anyplace on earth, where would it be? Why?

I don’t have a city, state or country in mind, I’d like to live where the days are 60-75degrees and the nights are cool. I love the changing seasons so not a full-time hot climate. I also don’t want every day to be sunny, because then you don’t appreciate them as fully. There are times when you need a rainy day and a great thunderstorm, and other times when you need the quiet of falling snow.

If you could have any car, what would it be?

A bright red Cooper Mini convertible with racing stripes.

Tell us about your writing:

How long have your been writing? Was it a dream, a goal or is it just a hobby?

I’ve been writing since the fourth grade. I started writing seriously in book length fiction in 1990. I sent to Harlequin in London and they asked me to revise it. I did and they rejected it, but I’d gotten the bug. I wrote four more books and published the fifth one with Silhouette, “Is There A Husband In The House?!” as Lynn Miller. I was launched as a ‘Woman to Watch.’ I started writing as Meg Lacey when I moved to Harlequin with my third book.

Not everyone who writes wants to be or should be, a professional writer, many people just love to write. I had a goal of being published, and I kept working toward it. That meant I had to believe in myself, even in the face of rejections. I tried to learn from them, see if there was a common pattern to the comments and if there was…learn what to do to correct the problem. It helped that I’ve never had a form rejection letter. Even in the beginning, all of my rejections came personally from editors with comments about why the work was rejected. I told myself they were ‘encouraging rejections.’ Most of all, I didn’t give up. I floundered, but I found supportive people who helped me keep my spirits up. Most of all I just kept writing. It’s been said that persistence is the key to success.

How many hours a day do you devote to writing? Do you have a set routine or do you write when the mood strikes?

I try very hard to stick to a schedule and write everyday. It doesn’t always work depending on what’s happening in my life. However, when the book is running hot and the idea is really flowing I start writing and stop when I get done. I believe in the 3D method. Determination-want it badly. Discipline-get it done in a timely fashion. Dump-dump your butt in a chair and stay there until you’ve finished what you need to accomplish for the day.

Is there some place special you like to be when you write?

No, I work all over the place. I work at my desk in my home office. I work sitting on the sofa or in a chair, and often sitting up against pillows on my bed. I also work at the library, in coffeeshops, while on vacation (even though I’m trying not to do that—LOL) . When I’ve been too long in one position, I change. I mentally write as I walk or hike. I’ll often get an answer to a question, or a solution to a scene as I move. I see my work as a filmstrip in my head. That’s from my acting training and work as a producer/director, and that can happen anywhere. As long as I have an idea, situations and characters that interest me, I can write.

Do you listen to music or do you need a quiet place to write?

The only type of music I could ever listen to when I write is instrumental. Otherwise I spend too much time listening to the lyrics or listening for the ‘story.’ I often write with noise around me, such as tv, or in public settings. I can just as easily work in quiet. In other words, I’m not picky.

Tell us about your book:

What is the name of it and is it part of a series or a stand alone novel?

I have two new book series that I’d like to share. “The Shadow and The Hawk” is a genre blurring paranormal romance/fantasy/adventure/humorous book. It’s the first book in “The Tales of The Sparrow” series.

The second book, is a romance/romantic comedy, “Million Dollar Mistake”, from Samhain Publishing. It is the first book in the “Million Dollar Men” series.

Where did the idea come from?

I started writing romance initially because I like happy endings and also because it was a field that welcomed a lot of new authors, with or without an agent. I actually read a lot of thrillers, mystery and adventure, history and non-fiction, but not tons of romance. However, I still find that I gravitate toward stories of relationships and that is generally in the romance realm. I also love fantasy, the idea of what if something happening that I can’t really see or hear or feel in everyday life… this has led me to write my first paranormal romance and romance series. I find I love rituals and imagination and the ability to write a story that has those elements, plus mystery and adventure elements along with a sassy woman and hot strong personality man…. Bingo, this got me to “The Sparrow and The Hawk.”

I had a lot of fun writing it. My work is always filled with humor; a good sense of humor is a must for me to enjoy the work and life. I also think I have a good sense of the ridiculous and enjoy exploiting it when it fits the plot. I think the “Tales of the Sparrow” series will be a lot of fun for readers.

How long did it take to write?

I first wrote the proposal for “The Sparrow and The Hawk” about three years ago. It got good response but no sale from a lot of large fantasy publishing houses. In 2011 I decided to go back to work on it and send it to a smaller publisher, Imajinn Books. The editor, Linda Kichline, loved the idea, helped me refine it and I started writing it seriously in November, 2011 and finished it in March 2012. I was also working on another project at the same time.

What is it about?

Jillie Harte, code name the Sparrow, a documentary film maker is an agent for the NAS (Normal, Abnormal, Strange) Agency. Her assignment—find The Carmaletta Choker before it falls into the wrong hands and destroys the world. Franklin Doherty, and associates are suspected of having the choker; and they are definitely the wrong hands! To get close to Franklin, Jillie is producing a film on “Decoration, Fashion and Accessories Throughout History,” featuring his antique collection. Her assignment is complicated by Griff Ryland, her new, hot cameraman, who is also looking for the necklace. Griff is an enigma. Is he friend or foe? And why is she so distracted by his "pure sex on a stick" appeal?

Like the Sparrow, Griff, aka the Hawk, needs to retrieve the choker. It disappeared from his dimension years before, and his job is to bring it back. Since he can shapeshift into a hawk or a mountain lion at a moment’s notice, Griff feels certain of success. But he doesn’t bargain for a sassy, sexy redhead—and for his overwhelming urge to settle their differences in bed.

Now Griff and Jillie must not only overcome the deadly dark forces who want the choker, but they must also face their developing relationship.

And they thought saving the world from evil and chaos was hard!!!!

Your other work:

Do you have any upcoming projects in the works or other books that have been published?

I have recently released Million Dollar Mistake, Book One in the Million Dollar Men series from Samhain Books. (Taking care of business may cost him his heart.)

In August I have a new book, Something’s Cooking, being released from Entangled Publishing. And also in the summer or early fall, the next book in the Tales of The Sparrow, “The Sparrow and the Vixen’s Three” will release from Imajinn Books.

Where can readers connect with you?

Website: www.meglacey.com

Email: meg@meglacey.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/meglaceybooks

Where can we buy your books?

Amazon: