Spotlight Saturday: Author Interview with A.D. Lawrence

Please help me welcome the amazing A.D. Lawrence to the blog! She’s an all-around amazing gal who writes nail-biting suspense, is a cat momma to Kassie Elizabeth, and has a wicked sense of humor. I’m proud to call her friend and know you’ll enjoy reading this interview with her!

Welcome to the blog, Amy! I’m so happy you could do this interview. Let’s kick things off by chatting books. What’s the last book that had a significant emotional impact on you? It might be a story that made you cry or one that had you delirious with laughter. Why do think it had that impact?

Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson emotionally wrecked me. The book’s characters beautifully chose to do right in the midst of one of the most wicked times in history. The impact of their actions blessed so many lives for years afterward. It was a powerful reminder that obedience to God forms a ripple effect. Not only will my life be impacted by staying on God’s path, but my choices might touch people I’ll never get the chance to meet. And yes, I bawled like a baby through the whole thing.

The best books do affect us like that, on a profoundly emotional level. I read The Bright Unknown by Elizabeth Byler Younts several months ago and was absolutely crushed by it (in such a good way). I think, as writers, we all aspire to write something like that that touches people deeply and inspires them in a positive way. And a lot of times we pour who we are as a person into the characters we create. Which character in your books is most like you?

Although each of my characters has a little piece of me somewhere in their personalities, I’d say Blair Morton, my main character in my trilogy, has more similarities than the rest. She’s a stress eater—like me. For some reason, she inherited a good share of my snark. And she has trouble trusting people due to her avid viewing of Dateline. We’re pretty much two peas in a pod.

Ha, that’s too funny. I love characters who inject a little snark into the story, especially when paired with suspense. Such a great combo! I can’t wait to read your upcoming trilogy, which will begin releasing in spring of 2021. The story sounds absolutely fascinating (and side note: it features Linda Hazzard, the woman in our cover image, who was nicknamed the “Starvation Doctor” after a number of patients at her Wilderness Heights clinic died). Speaking of writing, we all have projects that are a real bear! Which book of yours was the toughest to write? Why?

I’m currently writing a historical romantic suspense, and it’s been the hardest to write so far. Not only am I the least romantic person you’ll ever meet (Thank you critique group for forcing me to tap into the feeling side of my brain!), but my stories are typically contemporary, so the change in era has thrown me. I’ve spent so much time asking Siri, ‘what kind of toilets did they have in 1911?’ and other random questions, that the NSA must think me clinically insane. And they’re probably right . . .

I love hearing about how authors get from point A to Z with a novel– from the kernel of an idea to fully finished manuscript. But not all of those ideas see the light of day. What unfinished writing projects do you have gathering dust in a drawer? Do you think you’ll ever try to publish them, or were they just part of the learning process?

My earliest books were posted to Wattpad under a different name. It was a great platform to learn and practice on, but those books are pretty embarrassing, to be honest. The plots were decent-ish, but they looked like they were written by a toddler. I knew nothing about point-of-view and head hopping when I started, and boy, those first attempts are painful to look at now. Unless my well-spring of ideas runs dry and I have to brush off old material, those books will remain firmly a part of my past.

We all have projects that are just part of the learning process. Maybe one day, they’ll get brushed off and see the light of day. Who knows? One last question about creativity before we wrap up… Do you have any quirky writing habits?

Not sure if this can be considered a quirk confined to writing, but it does manifest itself as I write. I’ve got this strange dislike for even numbers. Like my skin literally crawls when I have to type and/or see one. My thermostat is always set at an odd number, as is the volume on the TV. Crazy, I know . .  .  Anyway, in the thriller trilogy I’m writing, I’ve got the running date and time at the beginning of each chapter. 99% of my times will end with an odd number, because of my indescribable aversion to even numbers. I’ve forced myself to use a couple of even numbered times, but I refuse to end the number with a four or a six. Something about those two in particular . . . they’re just so smug that I will not reward their arrogant behavior by using them.

I wasn’t a math fan in school, so I agree with you about those smug even numbers (I might include odd ones in the mix, as well, and stick to letters as much as possible!). Amy, if readers want to find you online or find out more about your writing, where should they look?

My website is www.adlawrencefiction.com, my email is adlawrencefiction@gmail.com, and I’m active on both Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks so much for joining us today, Amy. It was great to have you on the blog, and I know the readers are going to be counting down the days until they can pre-order your first novel!

Keep reading!

Shaen