A Day in the Life of.. Carrie Lofty

 

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A Day in the Life of.....

This is where us bloggers & fans get a glimpse inside the days of our favorite authors!

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I was born in California’s agricultural Central Valley, and my brother arrived two years later. I turned seven the summer our parents moved us from the outskirts of Los Angeles to a tiny community in northern Indiana, where my best friends morphed from Latinas to Amish girls.

My first research obsession? The Lincoln assassination. At age ten I raided my dad's Civil War books for more information. Aliens quickly followed--I still base my ideal of feminine strength on Ellen Ripley--but the most influential emerged with the debut of "The Young Riders," a '90s TV show about the Pony Express. I became the foremost authority on pony express history at my high school. Not much of a boast, but research, fan fiction, and historical romances kept me out of trouble.

I majored in history and English, and spent my junior year in England, where I met my husband. I earned my MA in history with a thesis on Old West outlaws and the impact of legend on society.

After getting serious about becoming published in romantic fiction, I started my career with Zebra Debut in 2008. I was also one of the authors who helped launch Harlequin's Carina Press.

In 2010 I signed with Pocket to write the Christies family saga of Victorian romances. The second in the series, Starlight, set in Scotland, was awarded 4½ Stars Top Pick from RT Book Reviews and is an RT Reviewers' Choice Award nominee for Best British Isles-Set Historical Romance of 2012.

I've since expanded my career to new genres! Co-writing through Berkley under the name Ellen Connor, the "Dark Age Dawning" trilogy of hot-and-dirty apocalyptic romances were all awarded4½ Stars Top Picks. The first in the series, Nightfall, won the RT Reviewers' Choice award for best futuristic paranormal romance of 2011, and was been nominated for a RITA in the Best Paranormal Romance category.

I also co-write contemporary romantic erotica for Samhain under the name Katie Porter. The "Vegas Top Guns" series will continue through 2013, after a great start. The first three were all awarded a 4½ Stars Top Pick from RT Book Reviews, as was our Christmas-themed Came Upon A Midnight Clear. Katie Porter has already garnered two RT Reviewers' Choice Award nominations for Best Erotic Romance E-book of 2012.

A Day in the Life of…Carrie Lofty

My day starts with a whimper, never a bang, despite how insistently my alarm clock rings. That whimper is usually from me, although my husband can be counted on for a few mumbled complaints. Our elementary school daughters, however, are freaks of nature who get up with their first alarm and are already eating breakfast by the time I drag butt out of bed.

After my husband leaves with the girls for school and work, I’m left to my own devices. This is generally a sound plan, but I’ll admit to having taken a few conference calls while still in my pajamas. I pride myself (not) on being a domestic goddess, so on occasion laundry, dishes and the like provide the perfect means of procrastination. Work isn’t going so well when I’d rather take out the garbage. On those days, I generally kick myself out of the house and rent space at a Starbucks.

Most days, I like when I hit my grove right around 9am. I’ve showered, fed the cats, eaten breakfast, and sit down ready to write. A typical day consists of about 10-12 written pages, or 40-50 edited pages. I try to save emails and promotional stuff for the evenings, when my brain doesn’t need to be 100% focused on the creative process. Here’s my desk, which looks like a Where’s Waldo pulled straight from my brain:

Notice how I didn’t mention anything about social networking? That’s because Twitter is a happy devil sent to suck up valuable work time. If I want valuable work time sucked up, I’ll surf YouTube for videos of Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing to college students.

I coordinate many of my days’ writing activities with Lorelie Brown. She and I co-write under the name Katie Porter for Samhain. This coordination includes drafting, answering editorial emails, updating our website, and promotions. For example, yesterday we launched a Christmas erotic romance titled Came Upon a Midnight Clear. That meant yesterday was full of the odds’n’ends that a release entails. Less writing. More linky-links around the internet. I keep track of everything on this, my White Board of Doom:

Three times a week, I kick off early and work out at 2:30 before picking up the girls. If I’m lucky in how my intentions have paired with my actual productivity, I’ll finish my domestic and writing day around 9pm. Then comes the brain candy, with Say Yes to the Dress being favorite guilty pleasure. Bring me pretty dresses and people crying from happiness! Although now, ’tis the season for movies! On Monday I started my annual run through my must-see favorites, beginning with Die Hard. Nothing says Christmas like young Bruce Wills, rampant violence and profanity, and vexing 80s commentary on women in the workplace!

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I’ve had a blast in 2012! Available now from Pocket Books are three Christie Family romances. FLAWLESS kicked it off with a tale of an estranged couple’s search for love. The 99¢ tie-in novella, “A LITTLE MORE SCANDAL,” follows two socially aspiring lovers as they take on London. And the Scottish-set second novel, STARLIGHT, was an RT Book Reviews 4½ Star Top Pick and a Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee for Best British Isles-Set Historical Romance of 2012. “Richly nuanced characters and a superbly realized Victorian setting come together brilliantly.” ~ The Chicago Tribune

As for Katie Porter, CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR and the first three of our “Vegas Top Guns” series of contemporary erotic romances all garnered 4½ Star Top Picks, with two Reviewers’ Choice nominations for Best Erotic Romance E-Book. “This racy, raunchy, hella good read…will move Fifty Shades of Gray to the children’s section of the bookstore.”

Where to find me:

www.carrielofty.com
Twitter: @carrielofty
Facebook.com: Author Carrie Lofty

For the giveaway, just answer: which holiday movie is your favorite and why?

Thanks again for letting me stop by and share a glimpse of my fun, so-cool, blessed life as a real live author-ly person. Happy holidays, everyone!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky commenter will win their choice of either 1)  Flawless 2) Starlight or
3) His Very Own Girl

Both Flawless & Starlight are available in either print or e-book. 
HVOG is available in e-book only.

Open Internationally (for e-book copies) Open Canada/US for print.

Must be 18 or older!

Giveaway ends December 3rd, 2012

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