I’m a writer who loves writing stories of love mixed with adventure and suspense. I love writing about scarred heroines who get a second chance with love and heroes who do all they can to run away from love but fall hard anyway.
That’s what my historical romance titled, Longing For Love is about. It is set in the 1920s, and it’s about a wealthy debutante Charlotte Coleman, who learns she’s pregnant and is sent away until after the baby is born. She is forced by her mother to give her baby away. At the same time that Charlotte re-enters society her father loses his money from a investment gone bad.
Charlotte’s childhood friend Eli Harper. Eli has been hurt before and wants nothing to do with love. Instead he has focused on building his wealth through his shipbuilding company. At the last minute, Eli comes to Charlotte’s rescue and marries her in a marriage of convenience to help her escape a forced marriage to a man she doesn’t love.
I am now starting to write the sequel to Longing for Love, which is a contemporary romance - in the Mulberry Island Romance series - which is about Eli and Charlotte’s grand-daughter Abby Harper. I’ve titled Book 1 in this contemporary series: Return to Love.
I’m also writing a series of fairytale retellings under a pen name - which is secret for now(maybe at some point I’ll reveal all ;).
I also love to write nonfiction books to help writers to write, self-publish and market their books.
I write nonfiction books under my full name, Lorna F. Kopp.
Book #1 Write and Publish Your First Book, is to give first-time writers the nuts and bolts of how to write, format, self-publish and market their books to their readers.
I wrote this book because it’s something I wish I had available to me when I first started writing. I found it tough in the beginning and struggled to learn everything I needed to know about writing and self-publishing.
That’s why I hope this book will help writers who are excited to get their books into the world.
People listening can get Write and Publish Your First Book for free on my website for writers here: www.createastoryyoulove.com/the-storytellers- roadmap/
I’ve just finished writing Book #2 in this series for writers called: Finish Your Book.
In this book I share some of my biggest struggles in freeing my own creativity and my ability to write with freedom.
I share on the topics of shame, rejection and fear of judgement can hold your creativity captive.
And I share from my personal journals of how fear had caused me to hide in this insecurity and fear.
It wasn’t until I began to develop self-compassion and forgive myself from mistakes and failures, that I experienced a new freedom in my own writing.
This book has really been difficult to write, just because I’ve been really vulnerable and been really honest about what I’ve gone through in my writing journey.
At some point my goal is to create a online course to help writers write their stories with more freedom, but not exactly sure when that will be yet. So, creating nonfiction and fiction books are the areas of my concentration right now.
2: What is your biggest life lesson?
My biggest life lesson, would have to be to be a life-long learner. Keep pushing toward your goals and dreams, in spite of fears and insecurities.
Begin today to learn how to have self-compassion in spite of your flaws and mistakes. Because the truth is, we all have failures and make mistakes. It’s just part of being human.
As I looked back I realized where my fears began. It was in childhood, because I was always seeking to please and achieve so that I would be praised. This is what began the rollercoaster of Perfectionism.
Basically perfectionism is that hundred pound safety shield we carry around in hopes that it will protect us from further pain. At it’s most basic perfectionism is about trying to earn approval and acceptance of others.
Dr. Brene Brown in her book, The Gifts of Imperfection shares her thoughts on perfectionism: “Most perfectionists were raised being praised for achievement and performance(grades, manners, rule-following, people- pleasing, appearance, sports). Somewhere along the way, we adopt this dangerous and debilitating belief system: I am what I accomplish and how well I accomplish it. Please. Perform. Perfect. Healthy striving is self-focused — How can I improve? Perfectionism is other-focused —What will they think?”
As I read the above statement, what Dr. Brene Brown discovered from her research on perfectionism, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had another aha moment: From a young age, I had always tried to perform(in whatever task) to be good enough to win the approval(and acceptance and love) of those close to me.
I realized that this paralyzed me in my writing —in that thing I desired most to do well at — because I was too afraid to put anything out into the world that could be imperfect. I had a deep fear of failing, making mistakes and disappointing those I loved. I felt like my self-worth(my identity) was on the line every time I tried to write something. This basically put me in a state of constant paralysis - either hindering or stopping my writing completely.
So when I learned to choose to be more accepting of the authentic me, that’s when more freedom came in my writing.
I realized that when we practice self-kindness daily, it helps us to live our own truth and see greater possibilities in our own potential.
3: What is your biggest achievement?
My biggest achievement besides marrying my best friend and having our four wonderful children, is finally finding the creative to write and publish the stories I love.
It’s such a delicious feeling to be able to write and share your heart through stories with readers.
Some of my biggest moments of inspiration and encouragement as a child, were from reading fiction stories. It helped me begin to experience the world in a unique way that filled me with hope and I saw possibilities through the author’s imagination.
And I would like to encourage anyone listening who wants to begin writing fiction, please don’t let others talk you out of writing fiction if this is something you truly are passionate about doing.
I say that, because I experienced people among my family and friends, who told me that writing fiction wasn’t something that was worthwhile.
And I want to tell you that writing fiction, is totally worthwhile. Fiction inspires and gives hope to people. In fact, I’ve heard stories from author friends where the fiction they wrote, encouraged a cancer patient to go on one more day. There are many other stories like that. I’ve experienced inspiration and hope myself just when I needed it most from reading fiction.
Anyway, I would like to encourage listeners to be a lifelong learner. Listen to mentors and continually learn in your field of interest. You will gain the skills, wisdom and strategies you need to move forward in your passion and it will accelerate you quickly toward your goals.
4: How people can get in contact with you?
People can get in contact with me at either my fiction or nonfiction website or they can tweet or message me on Facebook @lornafaith.
Fiction: www.lornafaith.com
Non-Fiction: www.createastoryyoulove.com