I interviewed you about a year ago, when you were done writing Memoirs of a Monkey. Now you’re promoting your novel, A Thirty Something Girl. Tell me about how the year’s treated you.
This past year has been filled with lots of changes!! “Memoirs of a Monkey” was slated to be my original debut. However, after much thought, I ultimately decided that paranormal romance was not the genre I was most interested in writing (at least for now, anyway). So, I abandoned my first book to pen “A Thirty-Something Girl.”
Aside from writing, I have gone through many personal transformations. I blog about some of my journey on my site Lisa’s Liberation.
What do you see in your future as a writer, indie or otherwise?
I always see myself as a writer. I have no expectation that I will ever be famous or sitting atop the NYT Best Seller List, but, as long as I am continuously afforded the opportunity to share my work, and my words with the world, I’ll consider myself a success. For now, I will remain an indie – there is far more flexibility in your product and marketing, and that works for me. However, I have contemplated querying some of my future pieces.
Choosing favorites among the things you’ve read is kind of like choosing your favorite child. In Sophie’s Choice —but less intense— fashion, let’s say you had to pick something you’ve written, something among all your manuscripts, short stories, poems, blog posts, anything at all. What would it be and why?
I would have to say a short story I wrote entitled “My Vintage Rose.” It was the first story of any great length (5K words) that kick started my writing again. And writing, in turn, prompted me to make a lot of changes in my life. So for this very reason, it will always be one of my most cherished pieces.
Is there a well-known writer that you compare yourself to?
Several people have told me they think of Nicholas Sparks when reading my work, but I personally believe I pale in comparison to any well-known writer.
Tell us more about A Thirty Something Girl. What was the inspiration for it?
My own life was the inspiration. Several years ago, I found myself in a dark place. I had hit below rock bottom. It was in this darkness that I learned so much about life, about love, about friendships, and, above all, about myself.
How long did it take you to write? How many drafts and rewrites did it undergo?
The first draft took me about a month and a half to a complete. It underwent one rewrite and two editing phases, taking me a total of six months from initial draft to publication.
Some writers struggle to start their manuscripts, others to finish them. Some people hate putting their characters through harm, or have trouble with sex scenes, or dialogue, etc. What did you struggle most with while writing A Thirty Something Girl?
I have to say this was the first manuscript that I didn’t have any of the problems you listed above. Perhaps because so much of it was loosely based on personal experiences, or perhaps because, for some reason, the story just wanted to be told.
Sometimes, while I’m writing a book or a short story, I find myself inadvertently (or shamelessly) trying to imitate the voice or style of a book I’m reading. Some authors just seem to infect my writing voice, no matter how hard I try to keep it my own (Jennifer Egan is a master at writing so well that you can’t help but want to imitate). What books, if any, seemed to work their way into your writing of A Thirty Something Girl?
I’d have to say, I don’t think (operative word here, think) any of the books I was reading (or have read in the past) influenced my voice. I generally have a fairly distinct voice with my writing (or so I’ve been told). I try my best to keep my writing style true to my own style and not what I’ve read, but whether I’m successful at that or not… who knows! Ha.
Negative criticism is always rough to handle, but it’s been my experience that the tiniest bit of support from readers vastly overshadows all the naysayers out there (or all the people who simply didn’t enjoy your book). What’s the loveliest message/comment you’ve received from a reader?
Oh! I totally agree! I have received such amazing support it is hard to pinpoint the loveliest, but there was one woman who wrote to me after reading my work and ordered not one, not two, but TEN copies to give out to all the young females in her family. She stated that it was her hope that Hope’s story would inspire them to remember what is important in life. Her kind words will always remain with me.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers/my readers/the Internet/the Universe?
I am currently in the midst of the first draft of my second novel, entitled TOGETHER WE ARE ONE. It is a story about a young woman, Elizabeth, who lost her eyesight, was shunned from her family, and forced to find her way in life… alone. All the while, Andrew, who is deaf, is also paving his own way through life. Elizabeth and Andrew meet and instantly share a deeper, more special connection than either one of them could have ever imagined. Together they learn to trust, to live, to hope, to dream, and above all, to love again. Together… they are one.
I am also working on penning my first non-fiction piece entitled LISA’S LIBERATION: AFFECTING CHANGE. It is the first book of a series that goes over some of the many ways I have affected change in my own life, found courage, and ultimately learned how to live.
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A Washington, DC native, L.M. Stull spends her days chained to a desk at a law firm in southern Virginia. When she’s not feverishly taking orders from attorneys, she writes. Her stories tell of the human spirit – sometimes sad, sometimes not – most can relate to them on some level or another.
A Thirty-Something Girl is her debut novel.
There are several ways you can go about stalking her on the web if your little heart so desires: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and her Website. She also runs the Fellow Writer’s Group on Facebook.
L.M. also blogs about her own personal journey in life on her blog, Lisa’s Liberation, where she’ll be reviewing my collection of short stories, The Calvin Sky.
