Tamara K. Lawyer

Introduction:

I am an ordinary girl with extraordinary stories. That’s how I would describe myself. 

When I am not writing, I am likely out shopping, dining, loving on my American Foxhound Molly- my first dog that has her own hashtag #mollylawyerrocks- or planning new adventures with my hubby. My husband and I love to travel, but due to the nature of our jobs, we don’t have much leave time to do so. If we could, though, we would travel the world. Adventure is in our spirit and hence fuels the stories that come from my heart.

My stories are known for their steam and passion. I enjoy writing stories with alpha males drawn to that one female they can’t live without. My heroines are usually curvy girls because everyone deserves an HEA and all females deserve a loving, protective hero in their lives. If you haven’t had the chance to read one yet, pick one up today and enjoy the thrill ride.

What is your schedule like when writing?

Haha. I laugh because I don’t have a schedule. I work a full-time job, so writing is basically done after hours or when I feel like it. I only write when I am in the mood because I can’t create a good story if I don’t really want to write the words. I try to get in at least a day of writing per week, but it’s really tough, especially when you have so many responsibilities on top of your writing career.

Where do your ideas for your books come from?

Actually, I don’t know. Haha. They come off the top of my head most of the time.

I’m always thinking. Sadly, one thing that is hard for me to do is to turn off my brain, which makes going to sleep at night difficult for me to do. Sometimes, ideas come from what I’ve heard, just witnessed, or experienced. Some of my travels are reflected in my writing- especially if I grew fond of the place I visited. I like to write about what I know and add realism to my stories with genuine characters.

What are your favorite genres to read?

I enjoy some paranormal romance but, honestly, my favorite genre to read is Sci-Fi alien monster romance. I know. It’s kind of crazy. You would think my first choice would be paranormal romance, but some of my favorite authors write Sci-Fi alien romance. I find some of the paranormal romance out there to be too extensive with their inner worlds and characters and I like my stories simple, sweet, and sexy. Besides Sci-Fi alien romance, I also like a good mystery, but it depends on the author. One of my all-time favorite authors is Dean Koontz, and I used to love reading his books when I had the time.

What might your next book be about?

My WIP is done, and I am in the process of editing it. The story is about an angel named Josiah, that decides your fate for the afterlife. In the long line out of the tunnel, Josiah meets Damaris. Yet, she is not supposed to appear before him. Yet. This confuses him, but what stumps him is the fact that Damaris does not want to leave. Josiah is taken with her spunk and fiery manner, and he decides he must get to know her somehow, yet his job is of utmost importance, and he cannot abandon his duties. He must come up with a plan to both satisfy his job duties and his need to determine who Damaris is and why he can’t stop thinking about her.

What does your family think of your writing?

My mom supported me, but my dad never supported my writing. He literally told me to my face that I wouldn’t make any money. He questioned why I wanted to write paranormal romance and tried to persuade me to write another genre instead. Any other genre because he said I wasn’t going to do well. I left that conversation hurt and in tears, but it never dissuaded me from my goal. I’ve always been the type of person to do what I want to do, if I thought it was right, regardless of what others thought about me.

My husband fully supports me and even attends conferences with me as my P.A. We enjoy each other’s company and we like spending time together, so it just works. I am very happy that I can share my passion with my best friend.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

Pantser, all the way. Haha. I tried plotting, once. My characters weren’t having any of that. They decided to stray from my plot line and go their separate ways. Usually, the characters dictate to me what is coming next. I’ve learned to listen to them and just write. 

Several times, I started out writing a scene, thinking I knew exactly what would happen, and a character decided to say something or do something different than I imagined and the outline went in an opposite, but fun, direction. I find it entertaining to see where the characters take you.

Do you have any suggestions to help a new writer?

Writing is not all about writing. When I started out, I thought I would just write manuscripts and have them published by a traditional publisher (if one accepted my work) and then write another book. I knew nothing about the ninety-five percent of other duties I would have to do as an author to get my work noticed.

Know that, as an author, the majority of your time, energy, and effort will be spent on marketing and advertising. Take the time to get to know these types of businesses that offer these services. Learn which ones are beneficial and which ones are not. This will help you along your way. Be patient because knowing everything at once is not going to happen. Knowledge comes with time and it comes in stages. 

Do you hear from your readers much? If yes, what kinds of things do they say?

My readers make me laugh. I say that in a good way because I just adore my readers.

Mostly, they tell me how much they enjoy my books, and my creative characters, or they tell me that my books produce emotions within them. I love it when a reader tells me she got lost in the scenes of a book and she was able to see everything that happened, as it happened. That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 

When I write books, I view each scene in my mind. I act out the scenes, sometimes, so I can get the wording right and I try to infuse emotion and realism because I want my readers to have an engaging experience with my characters.

It's amazing to hear from my readers and I love it when they do reach out to me.

What is your favorite part of being a writer?

The creativity behind the storytelling. One of my genres is paranormal romance. I love this genre because you can add anything you want to it, as long as it’s within reason and follows its own set of rules, which you impose. There is so much freedom and enjoyment in creating powers and abilities no one else has and seeing how they play into a story. I just love that!

Did you always want to be a writer?

No. Actually, I considered writing a hobby and never really thought much of pursuing this type of career. My boss, at the time, had written a book and asked me why I didn’t try to write one, too. I scoffed at the idea. But one day, when all the passion had drained out of me from years of endless drudgery at my dead-end job, I found myself screaming in the kitchen, needing something else in my life. I couldn’t see thirty more years of the same routine that was sucking the life out of me. Ever since, story ideas started coming to me, in spurts at first and then in waves. I started jotting them down, and I never looked back.