Interview with an Author featuring L.W. Lowe

The Literary Vixen presents…

Joining us today is L.W. Lowe! Her book, Deal With Cupid (When Muses Misbehave Book 1) released on June 1st 2021.

What inspired you to start writing?

I wish I could say there was this one sparkling moment of inspiration. It actually was a slow and rebellious journey. There was seven year old me who directed my friends to re-enact the story of Beauty and the Beast in our backyard. I’d change the ending or re-assign the roles of Beauty or Beast to different kids. Then eleven year old me who got an old mint-colored typewriter from my parents, who didn’t realize what they started or how much paper and white out I would end up costing them. (Boy, doesn’t that date me!) For years, I had the compulsion to write. I would do it just to get the stories out of my head because everyone knows about the starving author. I never took it seriously until many years later; I was married and pregnant with my first child. My mom sent me a box of stuff where I found an old vocabulary assignment from my high school senior year. My English teacher had written in the corner that she enjoyed how I turned each vocabulary word into a story, and I should seriously consider being an author. It wasn’t so much a light bulb moment as getting hit upside the head with a sledgehammer.

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

My first drafts start with outlines. When I get to the second draft, those outlines get rearranged, replaced, or thrown out by the end. The story always changes on me the closer I get to the end. I blame the characters!

How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?

I have to take a moment and step away to decide if an emotional scene is worth keeping to advance the story or for my catharsis.

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

In my early writing years, I wrote several long ‘books’ for fanfiction, but officially I have self-pubbed two books. So far Deal with Cupid is the favorite, but that could change to Book Three in the series because the outline introduces a Greek goddess that I feel doesn’t get enough attention. (Yes, I have the sequels outlined, all the way to Book Ten.)

How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?

Lots! So much bounces around in my head from the music playlists to the characters’ voices and their environments. I envision their happy places whether it’s their bedroom, office, garden spot, or coffee shop. I develop whole pages about these characters and their world order before I set up a plot, drop them in the middle of it, then document what happens.

Do you hear from your readers much? What do they say?

It’s still early, so not much. Some like the crazy, nerdy quirkiness in massive quantities. Some not so much. It’s cool. Better for the readers to figure out how they feel about the series before investing too much of their time and energy.

What book is currently on your bedside table?

I have a kindle tablet full of ebooks and five feet away a shelf full of books. So on my tablet, I am currently reading Bride of the Crimson Queen by Keri Moore. But the latest print book that I’m reading is The Author Estate Handbook by M. L. Ronn.

Describe yourself in three words.

Quiet. Loyal. Daydreamer.

If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?

So I’m weird in that I wouldn’t want any A-list actors. I want to see fresh faces, definitely actresses with Hellenic/Greek backgrounds, talent for comedic timing, and a genuine appreciation for all the arts, not just music.

What advice would you give to other authors?

That’s a very uncomfortable question for me because I’m still looking for advice. I guess the best I got is… Beta readers and editors are awesome, but remember the author has the last word.

What is the one thing you want people to know about you and your books?

The series When Muses Misbehave has an ensemble cast, aka multiple point of view and I tend to write long chapters. Can’t help it. That’s how my brain works. While there are romantic pairings being set up in Book One, Deal with Cupid reads more like a Galentine urban fantasy featuring more on the sisters of inspiration and how they survive and support each other, despite their differences.

Thank you L.W. Lowe for chatting with me! I will include her information down below. Check out her book, Deal With Cupid today!

~Synopsis~

Sisters. Inspirations. Legends. Meet… The Muses.In between juggling their own dramas and romances, the nine sisters are paid to motivate souls and reignite passions. But never before have they faced a job like this. Hedone, The Goddess of Pleasure, hires the sisters to save the marriage of her parents, Eros and Psyche. Yet one misstep could provoke the wrath of Aphrodite. Join the Muses as they figure out how to clean up Cupid’s mess without causing one of their own!The first book has a cliffhanger ending and the entire series is intended for readers age 18+.

LW Lowe is the author of the mythic fantasy series When Muses Misbehave.

As a kid, she consumed all kinds of sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal entertainment from books to movies. Then she was gifted a dog-eared copy of The Return of Rafe Mackade, and romance had a new superfan. She currently lives in central Ohio with her husband, wrangling five kids, a cowardly guard dog, and two cats, one named Fluffy Evil and the other Vicious Little Panther. She wishes Eureka’s Global Dynamics was real, thinks Red Dwarf deserves all the fancy-schmancy awards provided they’re presented at a wine bar, and prefers her coffee with hot chocolate bombs.