Thursday 20 August 2015

Laney Smith.

Today I'd like to welcome Laney Smith, author of 'Lock Creek: One Year’s Time' to The Thursday Interview. Before we get started, a quick intro! 

On October 19, 1974, I was born in Little Rock, AR. My family moved to Texarkana, TX when I was young. In my teen years, my family moved to Colorado where I lived until I moved just south of Memphis, TN to Walls, MS. I've been in southern California for 7-8 (?) years now. 

I have 2 younger brothers and 2 amazing sons. I am a daughter, aunt, cousin, and friend. I do all kinds of things for entertainment, because there's so much to do!  I enjoy the beach, fishing, camping and just about anything outdoors. I enjoy music & movies, though these days, I don't get to watch them all that often. I enjoy watching some sports. I don't do that as often as I used to, either.  




OK - HERE WE GO !!
  

No.1  Would you break the law to save a loved one? .. why?
Is it guaranteed that I’m going to get caught? (I’m kidding!) To save a loved one, absolutely I would break the law! I can’t imagine what circumstances would call for that, but yes. I would because if I’m sitting in jail and my loved one is alive to come visit me, that’s a lot different than never being able to see that loved if they perished. I’d have no regrets. 

No.2  What is the difference between being alive and truly living?
Being alive means that your vital functions are working in some capacity – your heart is pumping, you’re breathing, you’re alive. But, living is more like a wild horse running through the rain, bucking and kicking his heels up - having fun. You go out and you find adventure or create your own experiences. You look for every opportunity to learn new things, explore new worlds, and try new things. You realize that it’s a big world and every second is borrowed time. So you make the most of it, smiling, laughing and, like that horse in the rain, you kick your heels up and have fun. That’s living!

No.3  What motivates you to write?
There are so many things. Obviously, the support of family and friends helps a lot. Their responses to my work has been motivating more times than I can count. But, I write because in my head, life is beautiful. I watch people move through their day and they do simple little things that they don’t even realize they do, and to me it’s something beautiful. I want to capture those things and share them with the world because it makes me happy. And, maybe not everyone notices those things. But, if I can write about them in a way that makes people respond to them, on an emotional level, then I’ve been able to share that beauty in a way they were willing to see. I want people to feel something when a character pops their head, or a head twitches to the side in awe…it’s every day life, it’s beautiful, and I want people to see it. I want to make them feel what I feel when I see those little things. 

No.4  Why do humans want children?
Pshht! That’s a question with an immeasurable number of answers. Personally, I think there comes a point where you feel like you’ve done all you could do, being unsupervised. So, you have children because there’s a subconscious nudge that tells you it’s time to sit down, settle down, and be quiet for a while. Without kids, if you sit down, settle down and behave yourself, you suddenly realize how empty and meaningless your life is. You work, but for what? You have friends – that have kids, I might add – but they get boring after a while. You just realize that you have no real purpose and there’s no point to anything you’re doing. All of my friends had kids. I had been in a relationship for six years, married for three of those six years, at that point. He and I had done all we could do. It just seemed like something was missing, like I was supposed to be doing something. Since my oldest son came into my life, I’ve not felt that again. His brother came three years later and between the two of them, I’ve never felt like I had no purpose. I’ve never felt like there was no point. 

No.5  What was the biggest challenge in creating your book "Lock Creek: One Year’s Time”?
I would have to say that writing sex scenes, knowing my parents would read it had me tensed up for a while. I kept trying to write it so I wouldn’t be embarrassed for them to read it. It took a lot away from those moments in the book. So, I realized I couldn’t have it both ways. I shrugged my shoulders and decided I’d write it like no one would ever see it. Then, I went back and tidied that up. I told myself that they could skip anything that made them uncomfortable and they wouldn’t miss any of the main points. But, if they read it through and had something to say, my defense was going to be, “Ya know, you could’ve skipped that. You’re the weirdo here! Not me! Who reads dirty stuff their kid writes?” Unfortunately, all the time I spent on my defense for unnecessary. My mom was really supportive and fell madly in love with Derrick Decker. My dad was excited for me and told me he was going to read it. He was proud and I believe he did read it. But, he doesn’t bring it up and neither do I. 

No.6  What is the most important thing you have learned in life so far?
Not to take yourself too seriously. You have to be able to take a joke, and in some cases, be the joke. You’re never going to make everyone happy. Someone will always have something to say. Bleh! If you’re using your borrowed time wisely, you’ll never know because you’ll be too busy blazing trails, living your life, having fun and being happy. 

No.7  How did you come up with the title "Lock Creek: One Year’s Time"?
The first book spans about a year into the story. I wanted all of the titles in this series to have something with the word “time” so I could have “The Time Capsule Series.” It seemed cute at the time. You never realize how much you can do with the word “time” until you start trying to title books with it. It never ends! <Sighs!> The series may never end. People want more Lock Creek all the time. But, this particular book is the first year of the story that becomes Anne and Derrick’s story. It’s the fluttery, fun, flirty newness of a relationship and it’s fun because the reader feels what the characters feel. So, they get to fall in love and feel their tummy tumble too. It’s the first year of a relationship, the fun… That’s Lock Creek: One Year’s Time.

No.8  How do you handle personal criticism?
No one likes hearing negative things. But, the fact is, there’s a little truth in it all. If it’s something I can work with, I’m receptive and will keep trying to pry more information/opinions out of that person. But, when it’s overbearing, catty and irrelevant to anything, I find a way to dismiss the person and move on with my day. If they don’t take the hint, I find different ways of tactfully delivering my message. But, usually by that second exchange, they’re figuring out that the conversation has gone as far as it needs to go. If you remember that television series, “Ally McBeal,” Calista Flockhart would visualize herself doing things and snapping back to reality, having not done any of them. That’s pretty much my world with everything! 

No.9  Why should people read your book?
People should read the whole entire series because I’ve been sent to entertain you all and I don’t want to miss anyone. Seriously, I think it’s a fun story that anyone can relate to. I have just as man men reading this series as women. And, the funny thing is, the men are a little more pushy about getting the next book out. I love that because I never saw that coming. I expected the girls to love Derrick Decker, because I love him. He’s a great guy! But, now, I’ve got guys that read this and Derrick is their “buddy.” He’s the guy the women love and the men want to hang out with. It’s fun and I thought it would be too “girly” for the male audience.  But, it turns out that everyone gets sucked into Lock Creek. My dream is to have this series become movies, or maybe a television show. I’m not sure how that would work out, yet. But, the more people that find their way to Lock Creek, the more I hear how it should be a movie. People want to see it. And, as you read, I take you there. I show you. And, I get pictures all the time of what people imagine Lock Creek looks like, or which actor they want to play Derrick Decker. It’s not enough to just read it. You want the visual reward of seeing your friends, this town, this cop and this café. You want more. So, I think people like reading it because there’s no vampire that comes and saves the day. It’s all realistic, believable and cute in the sense that we’re a cute existence. As I said before, I want people to feel what I feel when I witness someone duck their head in shyness, or smirk when they’ve said something clever. I want people to feel this story. I want people to relate. We’re not always perfect. We’re all flawed in some way. And, it’s perfectly ok. The things people consider to be “flaws,” I find a romance in. It’s just a different way of seeing the world around you. You experience that and you want more. That’s what I wanted to do. Obviously, I hope the books will always be better. But, it would be amazing to be able to see Lock Creek in visual form. So, I think everyone would enjoy this book – this series – because I’ve seen it already. I’m confident that once people read Lock Creek for the first time, they will understand why no one wants this series to end. I don’t want it to, but neither do the readers. I can imagine film producers would probably have a lot of fun with it, as well. So, everyone should read it because it’s that much fun!

No.10  Why is there something rather than nothing?
Because nothingness is infinite. You have to have something because without it, you have infinity. Infinity is immeasurable and uncontainable. Therefore to be aware of it’s existence, you have to have something so you have something to contain and hold on to. Because if it’s infinite, you never know of it’s content. Therefore, you must have something. Without something, there is simply, nothing. 



Thank you Laney :)
For taking the time to answer my questions 
& the best of luck with your new book! 

Check out 'Lock Creek: One Year’s Time' on


Lock Creek: One Year’s Time is the first book in the Time Capsule series. This book is anything but your typical love story. This romantic mystery will keep you guessing with unexpected twists and turns, making this lively story fun and engaging. With realistic characters, a charming setting and an intriguing story, you will find yourself longing to escape with your “friends” in Lock Creek. This first book will introduce you to these characters and allow you to have a bond unlike any other. You will be excited, mystified and entertained as this story plays out in vivid color! And, remember, this is only the beginning! Welcome to Lock Creek!



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