Author Spotlight with L. E. Harvey


K.S.  Hello and welcome. I am very excited to have you here today. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

LEH: Hi!  Thanks so much for having me here!  It’s really exciting to be here! 
A little about me, eh?  Well, I’ve been writing since childhood.  Sadly, most of my work is boring scientific research and historical-non-fiction.  I have been writing fiction since 2006 and I absolutely love it!  It’s been a great new path for me.

Aside from writing, I also model.  I have many 4 cats that I rescued during my veterinary career.  I love to sing and dance, and also tinker around on antique vehicles. 
K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

LEH: There are too many of those!  LOL.  Let’s just say that if I’m behind schedule, you can pretty much bet that my one cat, Teddy Roosevelt, got to my computer wires somehow and I’m waiting for new cables to arrive! 
K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

LEH: Since childhood, I had always wanted to be a writer.  When I was in elementary school, I had an English teacher write an article about her class for an educational magazine.  About me she wrote, “Lauren knew that she was indeed a writer.”  That was a very profound statement for a young child to hear.  I’ve been more than lucky that so many people have had tremendous faith in my writing capabilities.

K.S.  What genre do you write?

LEH: I call it contemporary fiction.  Most of my work is GLBT-themed, but I do also have my suspense novel, Unbreakable Hostage.  So, I think contemporary fiction is a good blanket term for my various works.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

LEH: I think breaking stereotypes and creating awareness and tolerance through my writing is my biggest inspiration.  We live in a world of hurt, anger and prejudice.  If my books can help, even just a little, then I can feel as though I’ve done some good work while doing what I love.

K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

LEH: My family loves it.  I am extremely fortunate to have an extremely supportive family.  They are happy to see me happy and to see me actually have accomplished something with my writing when the literary world is so competitive and difficult for so many.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book?

LEH: That’s a really good question.  For Unbreakable Hostage, it was the fact that I was actually able to put together a suspense novel since it was something so foreign to me.

For Imperfect (due for release in July) and its sequel, Impeccable (which I am currently writing), it’s just how much our books can affect us emotionally.  These are very deep and touching books.  I have found that in writing these two books, I have become amore spiritual person, if you will, and that was completely unintentional.

K.S.  What inspired you to write your novel?

LEH: I have only my publisher to thank for pushing me to write Unbreakable Hostage.  She saw potential in me that I didn’t even see.

As for Imperfect and Impeccable, they’re both very personal.  I began writing Imperfect at a dark time in my life and as I have gone through both books, I have found that they have changed my life and my perspective.

K.S.  Can you tell us a little about your novel?



LEH: My first book, Loving Her, is a series of intertwined short stories about a group of friends and lovers who face everything from the daily monotony of life to some of life’s worst tragedies.

Unbreakable Hostage is the story of a Ph. D. student named Lareina Oliveira.  One of her classmates becomes infatuated with her and eventually kidnaps her.  She is held hostage and tortured for over two weeks.  She uses her wit, determination, and knowledge of algebra to help her roommate, family, and the LAPD try to find her.  Her captor is so evil, though, that their biggest obstacle is saving her in time.  Though it sounds like a modern day damsel-in-distress story, there’s a twist in the end of this story where our heroine has to save more people than just herself.

Imperfect and Impeccable are the life story of a woman named Carol Mathers.  Carol was born a sickly child, and like so many of us, faced many obstacles throughout her life.  She had to face tragedies such as the death of her father at a young age, and as her life progresses, it becomes more and more imperfect.  She, and her partner of twelve years, Alexandria, fight prejudice, racism, sexism and more.  As an adult, she learns that a blood transfusion she received as a child in the early 1980s has caused both her and Alexandria to acquire AIDS, making their lives even more imperfect.  Trying to live with a disease such as AIDS and continue to maintain a normal life becomes increasingly difficult.  An unexpected hostage situation causes Carol to lose everything and to see that she can never hide from her past.  The real question is: can she make peace with it instead?

K.S.  Where can we find your novels?

LEH: My books are on Smashwords, Omnilit, Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and a few other websites.  They are available in e-book, Kindle and print formats.  Copies can even be purchased directly through my amazon a-store or my publsiher’s website, www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com

K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit?

LEH: Oh yeah.  I’m constantly on the computer!  You can find me at
www.leharvey.com
http://www.facebook.com/leharvey77
https://twitter.com/leharvey77
and
http://harveyle.blogspot.com/
just to name a few. 

K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

LEH: Persistence is the key.  I say this constantly.  If you are serious about this work, then you will persist.  You will work diligently until your book shines.  You will won’t let the rejection letters get you down.  We all get them, it’s just the nature of the beast.  So, just hang in there and don’t give up! 


This Author is a part of an ongoing Blog tour, please check this link for the Authors schedule and future stops.


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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great interview. L.E., I found your answers inspiring. If you want something bad enough, you just need to work to get there.

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.