Having published two well-received nonfiction books, Laurie has a new fiction book is set to launch shortly.
- Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth
- The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace
- Indelible: A Sean McPherson Novel, Book One (launching April 6, 2021)
Do you have a writing routine? Where and when do you write?
I write Tuesday through Friday, usually between 10am and 3pm. I’m fortunate to have a small writing studio with five large windows. It’s perfect for stirring creativity.
Do you have any patterns or rituals associated with your writing time?
I’m one of those people who enjoys a place for everything and everything in its place. I write with nothing on my desk except for my laptop and a tealight.
When I sit down to write, I touch a flame to a tea light—my “contract” to stay at it until the flame goes out of its own accord.
What do you do when you hit a wall with your writing?
It’s rare that I hit a writing wall. I attribute that to all of the walking that I do. Typically I log six miles each day. I live close to the Boise River Greenbelt, which is gorgeous year-round, rain or shine.
The eternal question: Are you a “pantser”, a “plotter”, or something else entirely?
With as “Dot my I’s, cross my T’s” as I am, most would guess that I’m a plotter. Strangely, I’m not. I’m a panster. I love not knowing in advance what’s going to happen. I don’t find out until my characters tell me.
What’s the last book you read that made you go “wow!”?
Eliza Waite: A Novel by Ashley E. Sweeney made me go, “Wow!”
What book or author do you often find yourself recommending and why?
My favorite authors (alive and dead), which I shout from the mountaintops to anyone who’ll listen, include David Baldacci, Robert Bryndza, Maeve Binchy, Liv Constantine, Robert Dugoni, Dorothea Benton Frank, Olivia Goldsmith, Keith Houghton, Louise Penny, and Hank Phillippi Ryan.
What’s on your To Be Read pile?
I read well over fifty books each year. If you check my Goodreads account, you’ll see that it’s closer to seventy-five. My TBR pile is extensive, so I’ll just list the next five on tap:
- Spider Lake by Jeff Nania
- The Lost Power by Avanti Centrae
- Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise
- The Cipher (Nina Guerrera Book 1) by Isabella Maldonado
- The Shadow Box by Luanne Rice.
What advice do you have for readers?
I don’t have any advice for readers, but I do have a request. When you finish reading a book that you enjoy, please post a short review on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub. It can be as short as, “I enjoyed this book because _____.” Reviews make a tremendous difference visibility-wise to authors’ books being seen.
What author, past or present, would you wish to have a long conversation with?
Hands down, it would be Maeve Binchy, one of the best storytellers that ever lived.
What’s the first book you can remember reading on your own?
Swiss Family Robinson
What books and/or authors have most influenced you as an author?
Remember all of the authors I listed up above [in the recommended books or authors question]? Each and every one of them.
What do you most enjoy about being a writer?
I enjoy connecting with readers, whether it’s a book review, an email via my author website, or a book club visit (now done via Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime).
What do you least enjoy about being a writer?
There’s no way I can possibly live long enough to write all of the stories I have simmering on the back burner of my mind.
What would you tell a new writer?
Show up—treat writing like a job.
What might people be surprised to know about you?
I walked across Scotland, a 211-mile journey from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. At the mid-point, I climbed Ben Nevis, the highest point in the British Isles.
Thanks to author Laurie Buchanan for participating in our Idaho Author Interview series. If you’re interested, contact the IWU website editor.