Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Lanaia Lee

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm happy to be hosting author Lanaia Lee. Settle in and enjoy the interview!

Hi, Lanaia, and thanks for joining me today. Can you tell us a little about your background?

Not much to give for my background in writing. I have only been writing for five years. Divine intervention, I would say. My poetry has won numerous awards and I'm hoping so will my numerous books I will end up writing. I had a stroke at 35, confining me to a wheelchair, so me being a Taurus, my husband calls me Sitting Bull.

Ha - love the nickname! So when did you first begin writing? Was there an event or moment in your life that triggered your desire to write?

Five years ago my husband dared me to write a poem. After writing it being curious, I posted it in several on line poetry forums, and the feed back was so positive, I continued to write. Poetry at first, then short stories and finally novals.

Tell us about your latest writing project or published title.

Right now I am working on a five volume fantasy series called Of Atlantis, book one realeased on May 17th, right now it can be purchased at http://www.rovalpublishing.net/, book two called Skulls of Salvation, to be released by the end of summer by A' G' Press, http://www.agpress.8m.net/, the press will publish my last 4 books. I also have a book of poetry available through A. G. Press, called Within Lanaia's Garden of Darkness, now available every where. Soon Of Atlantis book one will also be available everywhere.

That's great news! Now, how do you go about developing your characters?

My characters from Of Atlantis have been in my imagination since childhood. I was an only child, so some of my characters, I played with as a child. An only child seems to develop quite the imagination. My series is based on a lot of my own personal beliefs, so no problem in developing my characters.

OK, what advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

Any new author, make sure [to be careful] in dealing with anyone, especially from the Internet. There are people out there that will seduce you, by telling you, just what you want to hear, just to take advantage of you. So my advice is to be very careful and be absolutely sure of who you are dealing with.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I love mysteries and historical romances. My absolute favorite author of all time is Edgar Allan Poe, this man was a literary genius. Having died when he was only forty, I wish he had lived longer, so there would have been more of his work.

Ah, I'm a Poe fan too! What do you find most difficult about writing? What do you find most exciting or rewarding?

Sometimes in writing poetry, after writing over a thousand poems, sometime I get a bout of writer's block, but after a while of thinking, I always come up with a poem. After I write, I will read it aloud to my husband, and my most rewarding thing, is seeing the look on my husband's face. This tells me if he truly enjoyed my work. The most exciting thing is when friends read my work and comment. Remember those closest to you are your biggest critics.

Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Lanaia!

Allie, I would really like to thank you for taking the time to interview me and talk with me...and readers, remember to buy Of Atlantis!