Interview with L. Carrol - Author

I've been talking with L. Carrol on twitter for awhile (all stemming from our mutual love of Meet the Robinsons) and I immediately wanted to buy her book. Eventually, I scraped up enough change to do so, and let me tell you, I loved every minute of it. This is one of those books that you want to read all day and late into the night. Every time I picked it up the world blacked out around me and I was in Lor Mandela.

Naturally, I am ecstatic to be part of her second book release 400 days.



To add to all this, I got to do a little interview. (I know you're all jealous) So without further ado here it is -

L. C. - Hi Jennie, I'm so excited to have you and "A Book, A Girl, A Journey" as part of the "Four Hundred Hours to Four Hundred Days" blog party!

Me: Hey, I'm just glad you let me! Let's get to nitty gritty, shall we?

Me: Where did the idea of Lor Mandela come from?

L. C. - My family jokes around with me and says that it comes from mental illness. Actually, here's how it all started: One night, I had a dream about a lovely young woman with long curly red hair and eyes like emeralds. She was engaged in an epic battle and was holding her own, but she was grossly outnumbered. As the battle was about to get ugly, she raised her sword skyward, shouted out something in a bizarre language, and in a brilliant flash, everyone around her disappeared. I'm not sure why the thought process that followed (upon my waking) took the twists and turns it did, but it went something like this: "Cool dream…cool concept…that would be a great scene in a movie…or maybe even a book…I wonder if I could write a book…I'm gonna write a book." Looking back, mental illness might not be too far off!
(By the way, this scene became chapter sixteen in "Lor Mandela - Destruction from Twins", and is still one of my favorite chapters!)

Me: If you had to pick one minor character from your book to write a novella on who would it be, and why?

L. C. - What an awesome question! I think it would have to be Lortu of the Shadows. He's this creepy, mysterious man who can disappear and reappear in shadow, has characteristics that make him almost more animal-like than human, and he rules a massive clan of nearly lawless Shadow Dwellers. Plus, you never quite know whether he's the good guy, or the bad guy.

Me: What motivates you to write?

L. C. - I've always enjoyed telling stories, so I don't need much motivation. But on occasion, I'll find that days will have gone by since the last time I wrote. When that happens, I just have to think about the poor characters that I've left hanging in limbo somewhere. This probably sounds so weird, but I can't bear the idea of their "lives" ending so abruptly. That's usually enough to get me going again.

Me: Do you have any book recommendations that you would like to share?

L. C. - Yes… The Lor Mandela Series… *giggle*. Actually, this is a hard one for me because I tend to have reading ADD; I don't really stick to one genre. In fact, you'll find me reading "Sense and Sensibility" one day, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" the next, and "The Goblet of Fire" the day after that. Of the books I've read recently though, I quite enjoyed "The Mists of Blackfen Bog" by indie author Court Ellyn, and "2012 The Final Revelation" by Lisa J. Flaus.

Me: Just for fun: What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

L. C. - Funny you should ask! My husband co-owns a restaurant where they make the BEST gourmet ice cream. In the summer, they do a Key Lime Cheesecake that is to die for, and in the fall, my fave is Carmelized Pear! If we're talking grocery store freezer case though, Cookies & Cream.

I may just have swing by that ice cream place, it sounds divine! A big thank you to L. Carrol for coming. Now everyone go buy this book. You heard me, GO! :)