Dear Readers, Lisa
Crane is a dear, dear friend of mine. She’s been a member of the critique group
that meets in my home for several years. My hairdresser daughter introduced her
to me and we really clicked. I love her style of writing. She writes romantic
comedy. And this book is marvelous. I think you’ll love it, too.
Welcome, Lisa. Why do you write the
kind of books you do?
So many reasons. I’m a romantic at heart. I had a wonderful
example in my parents, who were married nearly 57 years before they passed
away. Their love shone through every word, every action. I specifically write
Christian romance because I feel our society has lost the meaning of romance. I
like to say I’m taking romance back, one love story at a time. I also feel very
strongly about Christians being portrayed as human—flawed beings who face
temptations just like everyone else.
Besides when you came
to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?
That would be a tie between the days my husband (fiancé at
the time) and my two children were baptized into Christ. After that, the day I
married the love of my life.
How has being
published changed your life?
Well, for one thing, my teenage daughter likes telling
people, “My mom’s a writer.” Seriously, though, my writing has brought so many
people into my life that I’d never have connected with otherwise. I love making
new friends, even if we only connect via social media.
What are you reading
right now?
I just started
reading The Prayer Box by Lisa
Wingate. And by started, I mean I’ve had time to read the first few paragraphs.
You’ll love that
book. What is your current work in progress?
I’m working on a novella called Thank Heaven for Little Girls. The heroine, Charley Jane, is a
tomboy through and through. Raised by her widowed father and older brother, she
doesn’t really even know how to be a girl. After finally admitting she’s in
love with her boss, Jake, she allows her friends to give her advice on landing
the man of her dreams. It’s going to be a wild ride for poor Charley. And Jake?
Well, he’s not going to know what hit him.
What would be your
dream vacation?
This is actually a tough question for me, because I’m such a
homebody. I love my crazy, noisy, cluttered home with the dogs, the cat, the
kids, and my husband. And I’m a born and bred Texan, so I’m pretty partial to
staying in the Lone
Star State .
If I had to choose, I’d say a log cabin high on a wooded mountain. A big stone
fireplace, lots of big windows to see the stars and snow through, gallons of
hot chocolate … sounds like a setting for a good romance, doesn’t it?
Yes, it does. How do
you choose your settings for each book?
As I mentioned, I’ve lived in Texas my whole life. Specifically, I’ve
lived in the Dallas -Ft.
Worth area. I’ve traveled in all directions—south Texas ,
west Texas ,
east, and north. I write about the kinds of people and places I know. Oh, I may
create a fictional town, like Cupid’s Hollow in Love’s Aim, but that town was still in Texas . I draw from my own life for most of
my settings and characters.
If you could spend an
evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?
This is really hard to answer. After thinking about this for
a couple of days, the answer I finally settled on surprised me. I decided I’d
want to spend an evening with someone whose values seem to be directly opposite
from my own. I’d like to understand why they believe some of the things they
do, and if they truly do believe all of them. Specifically, the two people I
thought of were Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I’d like to know if our
values and beliefs are really that far apart, or has the media so twisted what
we all see until the truth is no longer clear.
Interesting. I’d like
to be a fly on the wall in that meeting. What are your hobbies, besides writing
and reading?
I love just about any type of craft. The problem lies in the
fact that I have great vision, but am sadly lacking in the skills department. I
know what I want my finished project to look like, but apparently there’s a
disconnect between my head and my hands. It’s kind of comical sometimes.
What is your most
difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?
Truly? I’d have to say finding the time. With a husband, a
son, a daughter in high school, and a full-time job, it can be difficult to
find the time. Fortunately, my family understands when I put my ear buds in and
sit down at my laptop.
What advice would you
give to a beginning author? Listen to more experienced authors.
This has been the one thing that has improved my writing
more than any other thing I’ve done. And understand they’re trying to make you
a better writer, not just trying to change your voice.
Tell us about the
featured book.
An Unlikely Match centers around Abilene Townsend, who runs a
successful matchmaking business. She loves helping other people find their
happily-ever-afters, and she’s good at it. Enter Grayson McMormick, a reporter
who’s been given a great story about a scam artist who runs a dating service.
The problem arises when Gray is given the wrong name of the business in
question. He sets out to investigate and hopefully bring the scheming cheat to
justice. The more time he spends with Abilene ,
however, the more difficult he finds it to believe she’s the woman who cheated
someone out of thousands of dollars. The more time he spends with her, the
harder he falls.
Please give us the
first page of the book for my readers.
Abilene Townsend wanted to pull her hair out in fistfuls.
She wanted to throw things and kick furniture. To lie on the floor and scream.
Instead, she rose, smoothed her skirt, and walked out to the reception area of
My Other Half, Inc., where three individuals waited.
She offered a polite, remorseful smile, wondering if she
appeared as stressed as she felt. “Good morning.”
The trio turned their eyes to her.
“I’d like to apologize up front for any inconvenience. My
assistant’s husband was unexpectedly reassigned, and I haven’t found a
replacement yet. I’ve been working with temps from an agency, and things are a
little rough around here.” She raised her hands in a penitent gesture. “As a
result, all three of you were scheduled for the same time. You’re certainly
free to wait, but my appointments can run as long as an hour sometimes,
especially since each of you are here for the first meeting. If you don’t want
to wait—and I understand if you don’t—I’ll be happy to reschedule you for another
time. And again, I am so sorry.”
“Which of us was scheduled first?” The slender woman’s
brittle voice echoed her perturbed expression.
“There’s really no way for me to know. I believe Mr.
McCormick was on the books first, but I’m not entirely certain.”
“I’m Gregg McCormick.” One of the two men in the waiting area
rose. A bit taller than Abilene ,
with a slim build, he wore an immaculate suit, shoes so shiny she could see her
reflection in the toes, and a perfectly knotted power tie. Each dark strand of
his expertly trimmed hair lay exactly in its spot. He smiled,
revealing—unsurprisingly—a set of perfectly even, white teeth.
And so it begins. Where does it go from here? Lisa, how
can readers find you on the Internet?
I can be reached by email at happyheart1993@yahoo.com. I’m on
Facebook as Lisa Miller Crane, and on Instagram and Twitter as @happyheart1993.
My books are on Amazon (Kindle) under Lisa Crane. I’m also on Goodreads as Lisa
J. Crane. I love, love, love to hear from readers.
Thank you, Lisa, for sharing this new book with us.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
An Unlikely Match
Comments Conversation Starter Questions: Do you like reading romantic comedy? Do you like books set in Texas?
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14 comments:
This sounds like it will be fun to read. I can't wait.
Linda in CA
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Good luck, Linda!
An interesting beginning.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Good luck, Mary! I hope everyone enjoys reading Gray and Abilene's story as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Lisa
YAY! A new author to me!
Yay! A new reader/friend for me, lol! Good luck on winning the ebook, Karen.
Lisa
I grew up loving romantic comedy movies and I enjoyed watching westerns with my Dad so I enjoy reading books with romantic comedy and Texas as a setting.
Connie from KY
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
I used to devour my Daddy's Louis L'Amour western books. The hero in my Delaney's Peace is named L'Amour (he has a twin named Louis).
Good luck on winning the book!
Lisa
I love romantic comedies! This sounds like a good read. I love finding new authors!
Beth in Montana
Beth, I hope you'll enjoy! I had fun writing Abilene and Gray's story! Good luck!
Lisa
I love a good romantic comedy. This sure sounds like a good one.
Brenda in VA
Somehow, no matter how the story starts, mine always end up with comedy. Couldn't possibly be because I'm a goofball, lol.
Good luck!
Lisa
Looking forward to reading this sounds great.
Lourdes Long Island, NY
Lourdes, I hope you love it!
Lisa
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