Author Interview--Lori Pollard-Johnson

Hello folks,

Welcome to another author interview. This week we have Lori Pollard-Johnson. As always—take it away, interviewee.

-What book and/or experience made you want to be a writer?

My need to write stems from my need to be heard. I learn through metaphor, and find myself understood when I liken my thought to appropriate metaphor in another's life. I use it in my teaching as well as in my personal life; it's a natural carryover to use it in creating stories.

-What genre(s) do you write?

I write children's, YA and adult cozy mysteries in fiction, but I also have a slew of short fiction and nonfiction in print (over 100 pieces). I don't think of myself as a "type" of writer; I'm just a writer. I write about things that are of interest to me. In my nonfiction, I've written about everything from karate to vegetarian cuisine, parenting to travel.

-Current projects?

Currently, I'm working on a cozy adult mystery, tentatively entitled "Corpse in the Craftsman Cutie." It's about two newly divorced women who are attempting to flip a house in a dead market while juggling kids and exes. On the first day of renovations, however, they discover a corpse in the closet of the flip that threatens to derail their plans, as well as their financial stability. Of course, there's a cute cop involved, and at the heart of the story is a true friendship between the women. I love the characters, their spirit and how they go about solving their problems.

-What’s your favorite book/genre to read?

Wow...my favorite piece of writing. That's a toughie. I really love the book "The Ladies of Missalonghi" by Colleen McCullough (of Thorn Birds fame). It has a surprise ending I hadn't predicted. I re-read that book about once a year. I start every day with a poem, however. Some of my favorites are "Beauty" by Tony Hoagland, "Hazel Tells Laverne" by Katharyn Machan, and "God Says Yes to Me" by Kaylin Haught. Love, love, love poetry!

Want more from Lori? Says she….

People can find me and two of my books on Facebook. All four of my books (Toxic Torte--adult cozy mystery; The Lie--YA; The Truth Test--mid-grade children's; and Recipe for a Rebel--mid-grade children's) can be found on Amazon. Toxic Torte and The Lie are available as ebooks (on several venues/platforms) as well as in paperback, and The Truth Test and Recipe for a Rebel are available in paperback and hard cover. The children's books are also on accelerated reader and there are teacher resource books for novel studies.

Links:
Toxic Torte
The Lie
The Truth Test
Recipe for a Rebel

The two children's books are also available direct from Perfection Learning Corporation.