Today, I’m pleased to welcome Laurie Boris, an award-winning author who’s been writing for over twenty-five years. Other than an indie writer of fiction, Laurie is also an editor and a freelance writer. I met her–where else?– at my awesome writers group, eNovel Authors at Work. Let’s find out all about her and her work, shall we?

Television producer Charlie Trager knows he’s lucky to have a successful career and good friends and family who support him. The man he loves, however, is not so lucky. Joshua Goldberg suffers the spite of an ex-wife gunning to keep him from their two children…and maybe Charlie. Determined not to let Joshua go, Charlie crafts a scheme that could remove the obstacles to their relationship…or destroy their love forever. (Note: May be read as a stand-alone story.)

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Television producer Charlie Trager spends his days working with beautiful women on a daytime talk show. But underneath his cool façade, there’s a hollow spot in his heart, waiting for the right man to ease his loneliness. Then he meets the show’s next guest, a handsome young politician with a bad case of nerves—and a secret that could turn both their lives upside down. (Short novella: 14,000 words)

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Liza’s mother-in-law once called her a godless hippie raised by wolves. Now, after five years of marriage to her elder son, five years of disapproval and spite, the family accidentally learns that Estelle has a fatal illness. And Estelle comes to her with an impossible request. A horrified Liza refuses but keeps the question from her husband and his brother. As the three children urge Estelle to consider treatment, their complicated weave of family secrets and lies begins to unravel. Can they hold their own lives together long enough to help Estelle with hers?

(Reader note: Although it’s Book Two in the Trager Family Secrets Series, Don’t Tell Anyone is a stand-alone story.)

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Ten years after a brief college romance, Emerson and Sarah have remained comfortable, long-distance friends. Yet secretly he longs for her and is quick to offer comfort and support when her hasty decisions end in varying degrees of disaster. When her drug-dealing boyfriend lands her in deep trouble, she calls Emerson again. But is this the rescue that pushes their friendship to the breaking point?

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Hello Laurie and welcome to my blog!

Thank you Fros, very pleased to be here.

What has inspired you to write Playing Charlie Cool?

Charlie Trager, the lead in my latest novel, Playing Charlie Cool, was a supporting character in an earlier book, Don’t Tell Anyone. Turned out he had his own story to tell me. I was inspired by his emotional journey of falling in love with a man who is stuck in a complicated situation. I’ve known so many people who have struggled with family not accepting them because of their sexual orientation, and I’ve long wanted to explore this in fiction, but only if I could do it in a respectful, empathetic way that wasn’t preachy or moralistic.

What other writing have you done? Anything else published?

I’ve been writing essays, short stories, and novels for what feels like forever and a half. My short work is scattered around the web; so far I’ve published five novels and one novella.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters, or do any of them have traits you wish you had?

I’ve probably subconsciously or otherwise lent a little bit of myself to many of my characters. There’s a lot of “practical Liza Trager” in me, although I wish I were as cool under pressure. I’d also love to have Charlie’s negotiation skills. He’s so good at wrangling difficult people and (most of the time) getting what he wants. Frankie (my stand-up comic from The Joke’s on Me) is a bit of my alter ego, though she says things I wouldn’t dare.

What are you working on at the moment? Tell us a little about your current project(s).

Oh, but then I’d have to kill you, and that’s so bad for my karma. Just kidding. I’m completing the first draft of a romantic suspense novel, tentatively titled Misdirection. But that title will probably change a hundred times before I publish. And that’s all I’ll say about it.

Fully respect that. Now, put away that gun! (chuckles) What genres do you read mostly, and what are you reading now?

Unless I make an effort to get outside my reading list, I will usually select a big, fat literary novel. But it’s good for me as a reader, writer, and editor to wander through other categories. If not, I wouldn’t have discovered some fabulous authors and genres that I now love. Right now I’m reading JD Mader’s collection of short stories, Please, no eyes, and When Clouds Touch by Ey Wade.

Do you have any advice for other indie authors?

Keep writing, keep reading, and learn as much as you can about the marketplace. It’s changing so quickly, and it can be difficult to keep up. So it really helps to stay in touch with your fellow authors and share information. Writing can be such an isolating venture, too, so it’s been great for me to have a community—in social media groups, as a contributing author at Indies Unlimited, and as part of E-Novelists at Work.

I agree. Networking with other indie authors is highly beneficial and the more success-oriented and sociable they are, the better. Describe your workstation. Are there any favorite objects you have there for inspiration?

I have a few toys scattered around: baseball memorabilia, plushy penguins, action figures. It’s a fun little space. My dictionary and Chicago Manual of Style are always within arm’s reach, and the plot of my next novel is scribbled all over a whiteboard that my husband gave me.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

Assuming it’s not something like the ability to stop war or keep people from hurting each other (although that would be great, too), I’d want to be invisible. Then I could eavesdrop anywhere I wanted and collect amazing bits to use in my dialogue.

Now, that would be handy! What are the things in your life that you’re most grateful for?

I’m grateful I’m still here, first and foremost. I’m grateful for open-minded parents who inspired an early love of reading, a spouse who believes in me, and for all the smart, funny, kind, savvy, insightful authors I’ve met along the way.

Who is your favorite poet? Quote a couple of lines from your favorite poem.

My secret poetry love is Billy Collins, because he showed me that poetry can be humorous and not take itself too seriously. Here are a few lines from “The Lanyard,” about a young boy at summer camp wanting to make a gift for his mother, imagining that the plastic lanyard he wove would somehow make them even for all she’d given him.

“Here are thousands of meals,” she said,

“and here is clothing and a good education.”

“And here is your lanyard,” I replied,

“which I made with a little help from a counselor.”

 Well, this was fantastic, Laurie! Thank you for being here with us today.

Thank you for this opportunity, Fros.

 

Laurie Boris is a freelance writer, editor, and former graphic designer. She has been writing fiction for over twenty-five years and is the award-winning author of five novels: The Joke’s on Me, Drawing Breath, Don’t Tell Anyone, Sliding Past Vertical, and Playing Charlie Cool. When not hanging out with the universe of imaginary people in her head, she enjoys baseball, cooking, reading, and helping aspiring novelists as a contributing writer and editor for IndiesUnlimited.com. She lives in New York’s lovely Hudson Valley.

Visit Laurie’s website

Visit her Amazon page

or connect with her on any of these pages:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LaurieBoris

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laurie.boris.author

eNovel Authors at Work: http://enovelauthorsatwork.com/laurie-boris/

tsu: https://www.tsu.co/LaurieBoris

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4824645.Laurie_Boris

Riffle:   https://read.rifflebooks.com/profiles/99619

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