INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET B. LAWRENCE
Author of “Michael; A Gift of Trust”
by
Jan Springer
Jan: Hi Margaret, glad you could join us for this interview. Please pull up a sofa and we’ll get started.
First, I’d like to ask you about your current release, “Michael; A Gift of Trust.” Michael is your heroine, tell us a little about her and your hero?
Margaret:
Michael Mainwaring is an attorney known for winning her cases. But, when someone begins stalking her, her life becomes a living nightmare.
J.B. Anderson, a detective on the Willow Glen PD, has to plead his case and convince Michael that she can trust him with her heart and her life--now and forever.
Jan: Can you give us a hint on what book(s) you are currently working on? Are there anymore Margaret B. Lawrence books coming in the near future?
Margaret: I wish I could say when. I am currently working (in what I laughingly call “my spare time”) on the third book in The Willow Glen Series: Brianna; A Badge Of Honor. Brianna Sheffield is the director of the Child Welfare agency in the fictional town of Willow Glen. One of her best friends, and co-workers, is Cari Maitland, the heroine from Caresse; A Loving Touch, Book I in the series. G. T. “Shag” Dexter is a police detective and J. B. Anderson’s partner. Brianna is drawn to Shag but fearful he will learn the secret she wants to keep buried. Someone is trying to kill one of them and they need to find out who and why before one of them dies.
Jan: Why did you decide to become a writer? How long ago did you start to write?
Margaret:
I grew up on a small farm. The rule was early to bed and early to rise. I have never required more than 5˝ to 6 hours of sleep and would lie in bed after lights-out, reading with a flashlight under the covers. Every night, after about an hour, my dad would come and take the flashlight away from me. With the light gone I was left with my imagination, and while trying to fall asleep, I would tell myself stories. I let my imagination go and plotted adventures for two characters, a boy and a girl. I have to admit--in my youth the girl was always the “hero” and saved the day. While I dreamed about “someday” becoming a published writer, I never actually believed it possible, thinking no one else would be interested in reading about the characters that lived in my imagination.
Then in the late 70s I started showing dogs, travelling with a friend to dog shows around the country. During these trips, while chatting, I would tell her of the stories in my imagination. She encouraged me to write. I finally did and haven’t looked back.
Jan: You have other books published, can you tell us a little about each of them? Where might we find them?
Margaret:
January 2002 release, Caresse; A Loving Touch, Book I in the Willow Glen Series is about Caresse “Cari” Collins and Lincoln “Linc” Maitland. Cari grew up in a home of on-going (daily) domestic violence. She spent her early years hiding from her father and protecting her younger sister. On the last day of highschool she and her sister came home to find their mother’s body sprawled on the living room floor with a lamp cord around her neck. Her father died in prison for the murder. She was determined to help children in these situations and became a social worker. Her entire career has been spent working for Child Welfare in Willow Glen, OK.
Lincoln “Linc” Maitland is the empathic twin brother of Lyssa Bradley. Every time Lyssa is beaten by her husband, Linc feels the pain. Linc believes he must get his sister and his niece out of the abusive situation. When he discovers Lyssa in a deep coma and believes her dead, he grabs his three-year-old niece, Aimee, and runs with her. He is determined Aimee will not go into the foster care system. When he discovers he is being followed he allows Cari to catch him and takes her with him to his cabin in eastern Oklahoma.
They learn he is wanted for murder and, believing Lyssa is the deceased, he can’t understand why anyone would think he’d kill his twin sister. When they learn the person who is dead is Blake, and Lyssa is in a deep coma in the hospital, Linc and Cari go back to Willow Glen so he can face the charges.
In April 2003, Wings released my historical novel; To Touch The Sky. Luke McLaughlin arrives in Oklahoma Territory to take part in the Land Run of April 22, 1889. He hopes to start over and again own land, but must battle to survive when someone from his past works to destroy him and his dream.
Sarah Grayson and her family also come for the land. She must fight against forces she can’t control to gain her dream of a home and family of her own.
Jan: What is your favorite quote or saying?
Margaret: I actually have several but will only quote three:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“Nothing happens unless first a dream.” Carl Sandburg
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.” Helen Keller
Jan: Where do you see yourself as a writer in … 2 years? 5 years?
Margaret: In two years I hope I will have finally completed Brianna; A Badge Of Honor. In five years I would like to have completed at least two other books in The Willow Glen Series. I want to write Lyssa Bradley’s story; Lyssa; A Heart On Hold. And it would be lovely to have completed at least one of the final two books in the series. There will still be Lyndi’s and Keeley’s stories to tell.
Jan: Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite books?
Margaret: Oh, goodness. I am a fan of several well known authors and I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite. As for books, oh dear. I have over 4,000 hard covers and about twice that many paperbacks (at last count). I find it difficult to give away any of my books. So, I guess they are all “favorites.” And, though I’ve enjoyed some more than others, I love them all.
Jan: Some writers love to listen to music and watch movies because that’s where they get their ideas from. Do you do this too?
Margaret: No, I don’t listen to music when I’m writing because I don’t want the distraction. I immerse myself in the story and can literally shut out the rest of the world. I don’t watch movies as the types of movies I enjoy are no longer being made. I loved some of the old musicals (The Sound Of Music) and the comedies such as those in which Doris Day and Rock Hudson starred.
Jan: Do you have a personal website where readers can go to get more information about you and your books? How can a reader get in contact with you?
Margaret: I don’t have a web site at the moment. I did have one but the person who built it for me has moved overseas and the web site is shut down. I’ve not gotten around to getting another one built. Anyone who wants to get in touch can write to me at P. O. Box 555; Newcastle, OK 73065-0555.
Jan: Do you have an opinion about the future of electronic publishing? What do you think about print-on-demand books? Do you think both will be around in the future?
Margaret:
I truly believe e-publishing is the way of the future but I don’t believe it will be the only way we “read” books in the future. Every time I am asked this question I think about all those star trek programs. If you’ve seen any of the Next Generation programs, did you notice Jean-Luc Picard reading on an e-reader?
Not to get on my soap box, but we must start thinking about our planet, our environment. We must stop filling our land-fills with paper, but more importantly we must stop killing the trees to make paper. Our grandchildren; our great-grandchildren, all of our future descendants need a safe environment in which to live.
I think Print On Demand is an excellent choice. For years now the mass market paperbacks have been printed, stored in warehouses and when not sold, the covers are stripped and the books are dumped in the landfills. POD books are printed when ordered. No storage costs; no books dumped in the landfills.
Yes, I do believe both electronic formats and POD will be around for many years. And one of the bonuses of electronic publishing is that the books are available for longer periods of time. Mass market genre fiction is usually available for approximately 30 days and can be found for a short time after that first month but unless one is a well known, multi-published author, the chance the book will be available a year or two after that first month of publication is just not going to happen. With e-published books they are “on the shelves” at the publishing house for up to two years and may be there longer.
Jan: Margaret, would you like to share some advice with writers who are just starting out?
Margaret: The most important advice I can give is to keep your butt in the chair. Learn your craft. Take classes. And write every day (I should heed my own advice here. <g>). In addition, submit your work. Don’t take the rejection letters personally. Submit your manuscript as polished as you can manage, and for heaven’s sake, follow the guidelines from the house to which you are submitting. Ask someone else (a critique partner) to read through it and look for typos and grammar errors before you send it in. If you receive a ‘revise and resubmit’ letter, do the revisions and try again. The editor wouldn’t have taken the time to write a revise and resubmit letter if she or he had not seen potential in your writing.
Jan: Before we go I’d like to ask you a couple more questions…
First, what is your favorite dessert? Second, if you had the chance, which famous movie star or singer would you share your dessert with? <grin>
Margaret: LOL, anything chocolate. One local restaurant serves a desert called Death By Chocolate. Seven different chocolates are in it. My mouth waters just thinking about it. With whom would I share it? Oh, my goodness. I’m a James Garner fan. Well, there’s also Sean Connery. Oh, wait…. what about Placido Domingo or Luciano Pavarotti or Julio Iglesias or… LOL
Jan: It’s been very nice talking to you, Margaret, and I know we will love your romantic suspense, "Michael; A Gift Of Trust"
Margaret: Thank you, Jan. I’ve enjoyed chatting with you.