Just Erotic Romance Reviews

In this issue we were lucky enough to get an interview with Lora Leigh author of the August Series, the Wolf and Feline Breed series, and the Legacies series. In six months Lora has eight books out, with a steady schedule of at least one, and up to two books per month as well as the Encounters that go through her newsletter. We wondered how she did it, and how she felt about releasing Shattered Legacy a non-HEA romantica that prequels the Legacy Series, and the growth of Sensuous Escapes so we contacted her to find out.

Good Morning Ms. Leigh. I just wanted to start off by telling you how much I enjoyed Shattered Legacy. It is an incredibly moving book but it is quite different from the norm with the non-HEA (Happily Ever After) ending.

Good morning Gabby. Thank you. Yes, Shattered Legacy was definitely outside the norm of what I usually right.

Could you tell us how you felt before the release of Shattered Legacy?

Fear. And in a small part, that few is still present. Shattered Legacy has been my baby for 25 years. It was hard to let it go.

What were your feelings about Devlin and Chantel and how the readers would accept them from Shattered Legacy to your upcoming release of Shadowed Legacy?

I love Devlin. He's very strong, enduring. I wanted to show his honor, and his complete acceptance of Chantel. His love for her, which endured through centuries despite his lack of memories. The heart always remembers, no matter if the mind forgets, and I wanted to portray that in Shadowed. Did I succeed? I don't know, as of today, it’s not been released yet, but as with every other book, I'm terrified that the emotion, the soul of the story won't come through. And all I can do is wait. I think developing patience would have been a good idea before this point...LOL

We all love the August Brothers, Cade and Brock When will be able to read Sam and Heathers book titled Heathers Gift?

I'm getting there....LOL. That's my new mantra. Actually, I've started Heather's Gift and it's coming along fairly well. Those readers expecting Sam's story to follow the same lines as either Cades or Brocks, will be in for a surprise. Sam's story goes where the other two only threatened to go, I hope. Sam has waited six months for his story, and he's impatient. He has no intentions of waiting any longer. And Heather's just standing back with a smirk, watching him rage and fight. She knows what’s coming, just as she knows that eventually, Sam will have no choice but to accept the gift she's extended him. They're a great pair, and I hope everyone enjoys it.

You have a newsletter called Sensuous Escapes found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SensuousEscapes/ . I saw that you had over 21,500 members . I must admit I thoroughly enjoy your encounters published in your newsletter. Can you tell us what makes your newsletter so popular?

To be honest, I have no idea. I haven't heard from many of the readers in regards to why they enjoy SE. I'm glad it has, and I appreciate every member on that list. My husband works tirelessly, up to eight and ten hours a day on my promotions, and on getting my name out to any place where it will be noticed. I put the Encounters in there, to give the readers an idea of what they will be buying, and what is upcoming, and a glimpse into my writing style. I like to think that two efforts combined are what keeps it growing, and keeps it popular.

You are one of the most prolific erotica writers today. You publish at least one book a month and sometimes two how do you accomplish this as well as your newsletter Sensuous Escapes?

Well, me and my two clones work hard.... Oops, wrong story......LOL Sorry. Actually, it's not easy. Tempting The Beast and Menage A Magick had already been written, so required only a bit of work to get it ready to go out to EC. Menage had more work done to it, much more story and content added, but still, the basic story was already there. Getting out one book a month is hard, considering some of the complicated plots that end up tangling in the stories. Jacob was the hardest until Shadowed Legacy. Shadowed Legacy is a complete rewrite, front to end, when it should have been a revision only. Which is what threw me behind, and took so long for it to complete. I'm hoping the next books will go easier. Though I do write fast. I get up in the morning and come straight to the computer. I'm usually here until after midnight. I put in up to 18 hours a day writing, doing email, and keeping several different things together. So it’s not always easy. But it is rewarding. I'm looking to break my record on length of time to write a book. It took me two weeks to write Tempting The Beast. I want to see if I can do Heather in ten days of non-stop writing. I have two on it so far, and starting the 24th, will be putting in long, consecutive hours to see if I can beat that record, and still have the story I envision.

Your forum on the www.loraleigh.com website is quite active and popular with readers. The posts are quite humorous and we hear that there are some readers who like to torture (strictly for fun) certain members. I believe Scott Carpenter was the latest victim. What do you think of this and have you heard anything from poor Scott?

I believe poor Scott has taken his rubber chicken and ran.....LOL. Last I heard, he and the Dark Lord were cowering in fear from the Ladies of that forum...LOL Actually, he had a blast. I think he's considering revenge. The Forum keeps me laughing, and it’s often terribly hard to pull myself away from the fun they have there. I check it daily, but lately I just haven't had time to participate much. I do intend to send the readers a little surprise though, just for being there for me. They're a great group, and wonderfully supportive.

Our last question is simple. What would you like to say to your readers?

Thank you. The readers have made the last six months an adventure unlike anything I could have imagined. Their joy in my books, and the emails I've received have kept me going, when I swore I couldn’t go another day. They energize me when I'm tired, and keep me searching to find ways to come up with characters and storylines that I hope will entertain them, touch them, and keep them enjoying my books. So I would like to thank them all. And I would like to thank you Gabby, for giving me the opportunity to do it.

Back to Interviews 2003