Name Lorraine Moran

Age 65

Where are you from

Originally from Camden New Jersey.

 

A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc.

Married 46 years to my high school sweetheart.  I have a wonderful son and grandson.  Currently teach at Camden County College in Blackwood N.J.  Love animals, exercise and the first cup of hot coffee in the morning.

 

 

Fiona: Tell us your latest news?

Now eligible for Medicare.

 

 


Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?

Began creating stories to entertain my friends at the age of 5.  Wrote stories in high school and my manuscripts were so popular I had to keep a log to keep track of them.

 

 
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I think I was born to write the same as a person knows they were meant to compose music, be an astronaut or a doctor.

 

 
Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?

I love the classic horror books and movies and I wondered what it would be like if I gave a new spin on the concept.  That is when I wrote “Flavors of Death,” flipping the idea that Mary Shelley is the monster.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?

I have been told I have a style much like Koontz and King.

 

 
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?

I have a rare syndrome in that I taste words.  In my book Mary Shelley is not only a modern day crime consultant, but has this condition.

 

 
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

All is not what it appears.

 

 


Fiona: How much of the book is realistic ?

I did research for a year into period clothing, delved into the lives of Mary and Percy Shelley, Byron, Johanne Dipple aka Conrad Frankenstein and Mary’s stepsister Clair.  I built upon historic events until I had to go back to my notes during editing to recall what was fiction and fact.

 

 


Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I suppose some of the Mary character is me.  Bits of other people I have met or observed helped to make the other characters alive.

 

 
Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most? a mentor?

Obviously Mary Shelley’s work, Poe, King and Koontz.

 

 
Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Shadow People by James Swain

 

 
Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

James Swain and Paul Wilson are my current favorites.

 

 
Fiona: What are your current projects?

I am lecturing and signing books at the Stafford Library at 303 Union Ave Stratford NJ on Sat. Feb. 27 at 2:00 and The Burlington Library on 5 Pioneer Blvd. on March 6 at 2:00.  Working at creating more venues to sell my books as well as considering turning some of them into screenplays.  If there are any interested film producers I will be happy to have them contact me.

 

 
Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.

None.  I owe everything to my husband and son for supporting and encouraging me.

 

 
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

It is a way of life for me.

 

 
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I am in the process of editing so who knows I may find a chapter doesn’t work and hit delete.

 

 
Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

As a kid I drew pictures on a blackboard.  It was a banner day when I got a box of colored chalk.  I would draw and create stories (I couldn’t yet read or write).

 

 

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’m editing, Satan’s Sting.  The book is about a magician who makes a deal with the devil then wants to back out of the contract.  He devises a con game to fool the devil, but in the end he loses to Satan’s Sting.

 

 
Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Putting to paper the movie that is playing in my mind.  I believe in show don’t tell so I strive to have my stories move quickly like an amusement ride on light speed.

 

 
Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?

Dean Koontz because he expresses the thoughts and ideas without bogging down the story with ponderous wording and descriptions. He doesn’t splatter gore or write sexual scenes for shock value.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

No.  I write about familiar Jersey locations.

 

 
Fiona: Who designed the covers?

My husband and I designed Flavors of Death.  The others I used an online template.

 

 
Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Eye strain and back pain from sitting at the computer.

 

 
Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I am always trying to learn how to be a better writer.  In Flavors of Death I discovered fact was just as strange as fiction.  For example, Percy’s death was originally thought an accident, but some speculated murder.  His heart was taken before cremation.  There was a real Dr. Frankenstein.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?

Write about things you like.  The finished product should be something you would be proud to give to your family and close friends.  Love your characters, if not you cheat them of depth of personality and you rob the person reading your book.

 

 
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Thank you for your loyalty.  It is both a thrill and humbling when you write or tell me you couldn’t put the book down.  I plan to give you more heart pounding leave the lights on thrills.

 

 

Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?

I am lucky I can remember what I had for last night’s dinner.  I suppose it was my first grade reader David and Ann.

 

 

Fiona: What makes you laugh/cry?

My husband’s and sons humor makes me laugh.  Shows: Big Bang, the old Honey Mooners, and Odd Couple, Laurel and Hardey, Marx Brothers, Abbot and Costello.

I cry when a dog dies in a movie.    I cried when little Cage died in Pet Cemetery.

 

 

Fiona: Is there one person pass or present you would meet and why?

Koontz because of his love of dogs as well as his writing discipline.

 

 

Fiona: What do you want written on your head stone and why?

“I told you I was sick.”  I believe in finding humor in everything.  In the darkest hours of grief my husband and I have found something to make us laugh.

 

 

Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies?

I love to take walks, exercise, and attend Monster Mania conventions.  When possible I volunteer to walk dogs at the shelter.  Someday I plan to go back to candle making and oil painting.

 

 

Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?

I love a movie or T.V. show that fools me at the end.  Criminal Minds,  Game of Thrones, Walking Dead.  I like watching the African Queen, Odd Couple, The Raven, the old Twilight Zones and One Step Beyond.

 

 

Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music

The Monkees played my favorite music.  I like blue and green.  Chinese and Italian food.  Ice Cream, cherry pie, Milky Way candy bars.

 

 

Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?

I don’t think there is anything else unless you can step out of realty.  Then I would say a real magician that could conjure up a loving home for all shelter animals and children.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?

http://www.writer63.com

fitgoals2003@yahoo.com

twitter at # lmoran1

Amazon Authors Page http://www.amazon.com/L.J.-Moran/e/B00J5PBNYS/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1454100484&sr=1-2-ent