Question: Please introduce yourself and your new book.
Answer: Hi there! I am Lorie Kleiner Eckert and I am a gal with lots of feathers in my cap:
- I have four books in print, three with Pelican Publishing Company and one with RoseWK Publishing
- I wrote an award-winning column for three years and syndicated it two dozen regional newspapers across the U.S.
- I worked as a motivational speaker for ten years addressing 260 audiences in 11 states
- I currently write two blogs, one for my website, LorieKleinerEckert.com, and one for one for Worthy.com
My methodology in all these endeavors has been to tell my life stories and let people glean life lessons from them. My newest book, Love, Loss, and Moving On, likewise uses this format.
Question: How do you describe Love, Loss, and Moving On?
Answer: Lexapro, Paxil, and Zoloft are the drugs of choice for many trying to get past the loss of a loved one but not for me, I used my crush on Bill Nighy, the British actor guy, as my emotional picker-upper instead. In my memoir, Love, Loss, and Moving On, I make up romantic moments with the star, write him letters, search the internet for news of him, and watch his films as I strive to get over the death of my friend, Big Irv, by getting under Bill Nighy. This book is quirky because it is part memoir, part unauthorized biography, and part flight of fancy for this gal who loved and lost. Adding fuel to my simmering libido is the fact that Bill Nighy actually responded to one of my letters and sprinkled his missive with Xs! Woo hoo! Love at first write!
Question: As a mix of memoir, biography, and romantic fantasy your book is quite unique. Is there anything else that makes it different?
Answer: Yes indeed! I wrote the book with the busy, modern reader in mind. The paperback version of the book contains 326 pages broken down into 116 chapters ranging in length from one to ten pages. My chapters contain lots of lists and white space. Here’s why:
- Short chapters fit into a busy lifestyle. Readers can devour one chapter while waiting in line to order at Starbucks, and another while waiting for the barista to deliver.
- In a world where text messages have taken the place of emails and where abbreviations instead of full words make a TXT MSG shorter still, I think my book of short chapters will be very popular. KWIM?
- And while on the topic of current popular trends, for all intents and purposes, my Google search engine is a main character in the book. JSYK…
Question: Beyond your many writing credentials, what keeps you busy?
Answer: Currently I am building my platform via social media. I call myself a “purveyor of wise words and life lessons” and under that umbrella I post six days a week on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Unlike other writers, I also operate an Etsy shop. When I worked as a motivational speaker, I illustrated my talk with my original artwork – quilts with words and symbols pieced into the design. I now sell images of those quilts printed on giftware (note cards, t-shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, and instantly downloadable art prints). I actually wrote about making one of my quilts in my new book. The quilt says, I ACCEPT WHAT IS. Thus, readers who like Love, Loss, and Moving On will have a souvenir to buy when they finish reading the book and want more.
Question: As such a prolific artist, do you have any creativity tricks for other writers?
Answer: Yes I do. The key to success is to write daily, seven days a week. I write two hours a day, but one hour a day will do. If possible, write at the same time every day. Use some external clues to tell your brain it is time to write, like sit in a specific chair in a specific room with a specific cup of hot liquid in hand. You are trying to be like Pavlov’s dog. When all the cues are in place, your brain will know to write. Of course, there will be days that you sit there and write almost nothing, but you are still a success if you sit there for the allotted number of hours. And it doesn’t take too many days of non-flow to get back into full flow. And when you look over the junk you wrote in the non-flowing times, there’s usually a gem or two hiding there when your brain is working at full capacity and seeing clearly. Trust me! Better yet, trust yourself!
Question: Before this interview closes, tell us a quirky fact about yourself.
Answer: I have nine grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 13. My grandma name is Marmel and I call the kids the Marmelettes. There’s a whole lotta love going on within this gang and I am one happy granny!