Lani Lynn Vale was amazing and agreed to do an interview for me.
About the Author:
Lani Lynn Vale is a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Romantic Suspense and has a love for all things romance. Lani is married to the love of her life that she met in high school. She fell in love with him because he was wearing baseball pants. Ten years later they have three perfectly crazy children and a cat named Demon who likes to wake her up at ungodly times in the night. They live in the greatest state in the world, Texas. You can find Lani in front of her computer writing away in her fictional characters world…that is until her husband and kids demand sustenance in the form of food and drink.
Questions:
Warning: This interview will have minor spoilers.
Random Questions:
- If you could tell your 18-year-old self one thing, what would it be?
Don’t give up. When you think it’s rough, and you don’t think it’ll ever get better…keep going. There’s an end in sight. My husband and I were married young. We moved away, but by the time we’d gotten pregnant with our second child, we realized that we needed our family around. We didn’t want our kids to grow up without them, so we moved home. My husband got another job, with a small pay cut, and we had our second child. Fast forward four months, my husband loses his job. I wasn’t working. My husband’s income was gone, and we were stuck.
If it wasn’t for my mom, we wouldn’t have made it.
I started writing almost on a fluke. My mom suggested I do it, and I did. I published my first book. Then my second. Then my third, and so on. By the 5th book in my Freebirds series, things started looking up.
By that point my husband had finished school. He got a job as a paramedic. We were finally making it. But for two years…it didn’t seem like we were going to.
The scary thing? I’d do it all over again to be where I am today. I love what I do.
- What is your favorite restaurant?
This one is so hard! Have you seen that status floating around Facebook that describes why a woman can never choose what they want? Because it’s true. I want rolls from Roadhouse. Sweet tea from McCalisters. Chicken nuggets from Chick-Fil-A. Dessert from Humperdinks.
I could go on. 🙂
But if I had to pick one, I’d say Texas Roadhouse.
- Where is your favorite or dream vacation spot?
I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii. Maybe next year. 🙂
- What do you eat and drink while writing?
Nothing much anymore. I used to chew on ice, but apparently that’s bad. LOL
- Where were you born?
Texas! 🙂
This or That:
- Fireman or Policeman? Policeman.
- Vodka or Rum? Ummm, I’ve never tried either. So Dr. Pepper! 🙂
- Summer or Winter? WINTER!
- Toilet paper: Over or Under? Over. Under is a fight word in my house.
- Baseball or Football? Baseball
- Heels or Flats? Flats
- Plan everything or Go with the flow? Plan. Unless it comes to writing, then it’s go with the flow.
Specific Book Questions:
Where do I begin? I have read 32 of your books. The only ones I haven’t read are the Dragon books and the Freebird series (Which I plan to go back and read.)
- Lights To My Siren was the first book of yours I read and I was hooked. I loved Sebastian and Baylee and they have been one of my favorite couples through-out all the books. My husband is a firefighter and a 911 dispatcher and these books just connected to me. Why have you made most of your characters public servants? (Firemen, Policemen, Paramedics, Doctors)
I’m a dreamer. Sure, there are other professions that are fantastic, but these are the ones that really spark an interest in me. Firefighters and Policemen especially have such interesting jobs. They always have stories to tell. Where else will you hear about a man holding a gun on a paramedic because he thought they were trying to steal his teeth?
- I love how you write strong females into your books, like Rue. Some authors have more timid females and the males gets to be the heroes all the time. Do you think it is important to show these females as strong and independent?
I write my heroines like I would like to think I would act in certain situations. So you won’t have those TSTL—Too stupid to live—heroines in my books. I like to think about actions/reactions. And yes, I think sometimes the girl has to save herself, because she’s going to be honest in saying that sometimes the man isn’t around, or can’t save you.
- Everyone loves an alpha male, I know I do. In your books, the men are strong and tough but deep down they are loving and really care about those around them. Is it hard to write these men as tough and strong while still being able to show their softer side without them losing their edge? How do you find that balance in your characters?
This is hard. Almost every single one of my heroes is based on my husband. He’s a total badass, and a total softy when it comes to me and our kids. Then again, I like to write my heroes doing what my husband should be doing, and not what he does…like taking out the trash, and helping more with the kids. 🙂
- Your book covers are smoking hot! How do you find the models for your covers?
Golden/Furiousfotog. Sometimes people tag me in the photos. Other times I sit there and scroll through his gallery. A lot of the time, though, Golden just posts the photo and I know. That photo will totally work for this character.
- You have like a million books. Maybe not a million, but you have a lot . How do you keep all of your characters straight and remember the little details about each one?
I DON’T! Seriously, this is the hardest thing ever. Sometimes I’ll write, and then my mom will get back to me and say “Gabe is not married to Ember!” (Freebirds!) Then I’ll have to go back and fix it later.
- Let’s talk Ghost for a minute. Did you know when you killed Ghost (I won’t say his name) that he was going to make the comeback that he did? Did you ever think that his story would be as big as it has become?
Yes and no. I knew after I saw everyone’s reaction that I wouldn’t be able to not write his book. I didn’t realize how much he was loved. After realizing that, it took me a long time to plan out how it was all going to go down. He was definitely one of the hardest books ever to write.
- Were you worried that Ghost was not going to live up to the expectations that everyone had for it? (I loved it!)
Oh, yeah! I was so scared that everyone was going to be let down.
- How do you keep coming up with ideas for new books? Are any of these characters based off people in your life?
I’m a people watcher. Everything that happens around me makes it into a book.
- At the beginning of each chapter in your books, you have a funny saying or quote. Where do you come up with all of these? ( I think one of my favorite is “We don’t lick people” – Lies adults tell kids)
Memes I see around the internet. People send them to me, and sometimes I find a funny t-shirt that is just too funny not to share.
- You have two new series coming out, There’s No Crying in Baseball and Hail Raisers. What can readers expect in these series?
More of the same. They may not be bikers, but they are total bad boys with a soft spot for their women.
- With the number of books you have out, someone out there is bound to not connect with a story you have written. Do you read the reviews for you books? How do you feel when you read a negative review?
I used to. I don’t anymore. It hurts to read some of them, and I learned long ago that it’s just easier not to fixate on them.
Random Ending Questions:
- Is it hard to write duel POV?
No, I find it a whole lot easier. That way I can tell the hero’s POV without having to explain it from the heroine’s.
- Who are your one-click authors?
Illona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Patricia Briggs
- Do you write full-time or part-time?
Full time. I write 2000 words a day. Sometimes that’s 2 hours. Sometimes that’s thirty minutes. The rest of the day is spent editing, making covers, teasers, ETC. I do it all myself, and it takes up a whole lot of time!!
- If you had to write yourself as a villain I one of your books, what type of villain would you be?
You know how Dead Pool is? He’s totally my kind of people. I’d love to be like him. 🙂
I just want to give a big Thank You to Lani for taking time out of her busy schedule to do this interview for me!
Lani Lynn Vale’s Books:
Freebirds Series:
Heroes of the Dixie Wardens MC Series:
Code 11-KPD Swat Series:
Uncertain Saints MC Series:
Kilgore Fire Series:
I Like Big Dragons Series:
I Like Big Dragons and I Cannot Lie
Dixie Warden Rejects MC Series:
Upcoming Books:
For the Love of the Beard (Dixie Warden Rejects Series) – August 25th, 2017
Pitch Please (There’s No Crying in Baseball Series) – September 8th, 2017
Hail No (Hail Raisers Series) – September 27th, 2017
Go to Hail (Hail Raisers Series) –October 27th, 2017
Social Media Links:
Books with Kathy 
interesting interview – she is new to me
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Interesting interview with some great questions. Thanks for the insight.
Gemma @ http://www.gemmasbooknook.blogspot.com
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Great interview! I liked the questions you asked!
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I enjoyed reading the interview! Loved the questions you asked!
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Wow, good interview. And those covers- yeah totally hubba hubba. I’ve never heard of this author so I need to check her out. Thanks.
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