Interview with Laurie Alice Eakes & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordAward-winning author Laurie Alice Eakes wanted to be a writer since knowing what one was. Her first book won the National Readers Choice Award in 2007, and her third book was a Carol Award finalist in 2010. Between December of 2008 and January of 2010, she sold thirteen books to Barbour Publishing, Avalon Books, and Baker/Revell, making her total sales fifteen. Recently, she added two novella sales to that collection, as well as having her first book with Baker/Revell, Lady in the Mist, picked up by Crossings Book Club, and six of her books chosen for large print editions by Thorndike Press. She has been a public speaker for as long as she can remember; thus, only suffers enough stage fright to keep her sharp. In 2002, while in graduate school for writing fiction, she began to teach fiction in person and online. She lives in Texas with her husband, two dogs, and probably too many cats.

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Savanna:  Welcome to the blog, Laurie Alice. I’m so happy to have you here today. Congratulations on your recent release, The Mountain Midwife. Such a beautiful cover!

Interview with Laurie Alice Eakes & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordWhat part of this story did you enjoy researching the most?

Laurie Alice:  Reading all the memoirs of midwives utterly engrossed me. Some of the stories were sad, and most were joyous and sometimes exciting, tales of birth, of new life.

Savanna:  When did you first get the initial idea for The Mountain Midwife and how long did it take you to write it?

Laurie Alice:  The initial idea came to me two years ago. I wrote a chapter and did some brainstorming with friends, then my mother fell very ill and passed away and I had contractual obligations for other books, so did not get around to writing this until a year ago. I think altogether I took about two months to write this, since I had to move in the middle of the writing and refresh myself on the research.

Savanna:  I’m sorry to hear about your mother. Sounds like it has been quite a journey for you. How many books are you typically working on at once? (From first story spark to publication and beyond)

Interview with Laurie Alice Eakes & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordLaurie Alice:  At least two. I often research one while writing another. Doing this gives me a mental break and helps clear my head. Right now, I am writing one while brainstorming another one and editing another. That gets a little confusing, especially when I am skipping time periods and locations.

Savanna:  Oh I bet! I don’t know how you keep it straight! 🙂

Do you remember the first time meeting one of your favorite authors? Who was it and can you tell us a bit about it?

Laurie Alice:  Yes, I do remember. In the early stages of deciding to take my writing seriously, I attended a Romance Writers of America conference in Chicago, as I was living in Iowa at the time. I hardly knew anyone and was just kind of wandering around hoping to meet someone I knew or have someone talk to me, when I heard two women discussing one of my favorite genres–the Regency. One of the authors had a British accent, so I subtly inserted myself into the conversation. The authors introduced themselves, and one was Jo Beverley. I nearly swooned. She was so nice and gracious. About three years ago, I met Lisa Wingate for the first time and felt just as giddy. Yes, though I have joined the ranks of the published authors, I can so be a silly gushing fan girl.

Interview with Laurie Alice Eakes & GIVEAWAY | The Engrafted WordSavanna:  How fun is that! I read on your website that you also mentor and teach other writers. What’s your favorite part about this line of work?

Laurie Alice:  Seeing the success of my students gives me such a thrill. A couple of authors I have mentored have done well, and I am so happy, feeling my contribution helped just a little.

Savanna:  That is really cool. We’re so glad you could join us today, Laurie Alice, on your BIRTHDAY of all days! 🙂 Hope you’re having a GREAT day!

Is there anything else you’d like to add? Any upcoming projects you can share with us?

Laurie Alice:  I love to hear from my fans. Please feel free to contact me by email through my web site http://www.lauriealiceeakes.com
By Twitter: twitter.com/@LaurieAEakes
Or Facebook http://facebook.com/authorLaurieAliceEakes
I answer every contact personally because I love to hear from my readers.

GIVEAWAY!!

Laurie Alice has graciously offered to give away a copy of The Mountain Midwife to one lucky winner. Enter below and the book could be yours! ;)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering! Unless winner lives in the contiguous 48 United States, she can only give away an electronic copy. Within the lower 48, the winner gets a choice between paper and electronic versions. Contest ends December 29, 2015.  The winner will be notified by email. Happy Reading, everybody!