It’s with great pleasure I introduce you to Becky Lower today!
Today I’m thrilled to have Becky Lower, author of Blame It On The Brontes, with me in the Blue Rose Writing Room.
So, Becky, do you use a pen name?
I use my own name. When I began writing, I tried out a pen name, but could never remember what it was. I started out writing historical romances and, when Soul Mate accepted my first contemporary, I gave some thought to resurrecting the pen name again. But I’ve spent so much time in the past year developing my “brand” that I didn’t want to start over. It’s much more simple to use my own name. Plus, it makes my family happy to see our name on my covers.
There is something special about seeing your real name on a book cover. Tell us, how long have you been writing?
I had some early successes, when I was twelve or so. But I never took it seriously until about five years ago. I set a time limit for myself to be published, and made it, with two months to spare.
Good for you! What’s the funniest thing anyone has ever said to you about your writing? Or the unkindest? Or the oddest?
Shortly after I began writing, I attended a 50thanniversary celebration for my aunt and uncle. A lady who I didn’t know asked me what I did for a living, and I told her I was a writer of romances. She asked if I was Janet Evanovich! I hated bursting her bubble, since she was so excited.
I’m chuckling here. Peoples’ reaction when they discover you are a romance writer are … interesting! What’s one place you absolutely want to visit before you die?
Australia. And Alaska. Then, I’ll go on to the B’s.
You’d be amazed how often others also say Australia. I have it on my list of places I must visit. What historical figure do you wish you could have met? I’m betting despite the title of your book, it isn’t a Bronte.
I would love to spend time with Thomas Jefferson. I admire his mind, and all his achievements.
He profoundly impacted America, that’s for sure. What are you most proud of about your writing?
I am most proud when someone says they can identify with either a character or a setting. For Blame It On The Brontes, I set it in a small town in coastal Maine. My sister lived on the Maine coast for a number of years and I used her last town as my setting. But I needed to call her a lot to make certain I got the details right.
I’ve read Blame It On The Brontes, and I absolutely identified with the setting and the sisters. I have two sisters and grew up in a small coastal town, though it was the west coast. Let’s change gears a bit. How do you respond to negative reviews?
I don’t like them, but I don’t let them get to me, either. The way I look at it is if all I ever got was 4 or 5 star reviews, none of them would be believabl
That’s so true. It’s all subjective isn’t it, a matter of personal taste? What’s one new thing you’d like to try?
I’d like to be a realtor, selling historic homes, since it’s a passion of mine. Taking a ramshackle house and turning it into the beauty it once was is so much fun
Wouldn’t that be a blast? I’ve always wanted to have a Queen Ann bed and breakfast. What is something you are determined to do?
It may be too late for me, since I now need a hip replacement, but I’ve always wanted to walk the entire Appalachian Trail. Maybe I’ll tackle it one state at a time.
Okay, now for the quickie questions: Answer in three words or less. Ready? Go!
Favorite Disney Character? Pinnochio
Favorite Fruit? Strawberries
Favorite Hero? Iron Man
Favorite Eye Color? Gray
Best Vacation Destination? The mountains. Any.
Food you can’t stand? Sushi
What annoys you? Opinionated people
Coffee, tea, or something else? Coffee, please.
Nightgown or Jammies? Nightgown
Prefer dogs or cats? Dogs
Here’s a bit of information about Becky
Becky Lower has traveled the country looking for great settings for her novels. She loves to write about two people finding each other and falling in love, amid the backdrop of a great setting, be it present day coastal Maine or on a covered wagon headed west in the 1850s. Contemporary and historical romances are her specialty.
Becky is a member of RWA, NEORWA and Savvy Authors. She has a degree in English and Journalism from Bowling Green State University, and lives in an eclectic college town in Ohio with her puppy-mill rescue dog, Mary. Visit her website at www.beckylowerauthor.com
Here’s a tease about Blame It On The Brontes.
Sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronson, each in their forties, are in Puffin Bay, ME for their mother’s funeral and to lay their claws into the fortune each expects to inherit. But their mother has other plans. Her substantial fortune won’t be divided until the trio return to their childhood home and live together for a year.
It’s a request that pits sister against sister but could unite them in a common goal to become handsomely rich, create a family jewelry business and win over the men of Puffin Bay. They have a year to figure it all out.
Enjoy an excerpt from Blame It On The Brontes.
Anne Bronson pressed her foot on the gas pedal, trying to ignore the little red light on the dashboard—the one highlighting the E on her gas gauge. She willed the rental moving truck to make it up the next hill, hunching over the steering wheel to help with the climb. The truck leaned into the steepest part of the incline, its headlights illuminating the crest just as the engine began coughing and sputtering in earnest. No good gas-guzzling piece of crap. Anne directed the truck to the side of the road. There should have been plenty of fuel to get to the house.
If she hadn’t already maxed out her credit card, she would have gladly paid professionals to move her from New York to Maine. But here she was, driving her own belongings north, and out of gas. Her stomach knotted even tighter. Is this the way a NASCAR driver feels when he runs out of gas on the final lap? Anne’s race was bigger. She had an inheritance at stake. Eighteen minutes till midnight. Damn.
Hauling her purse behind her, she climbed out of the truck. She kicked a tire and let out a half-hearted scream at the damage her instinctive motion caused her black leather Manolo Blahniks. Tapping her fingernails against her teeth, she peered up and down the dark road. No headlights. No life. No sound.
She fished into her purse for her cell phone and stared at it. No signal either here in Backwater Maine, of course. With a deep sigh, she wrestled with her old suitcase with its wonky wheel and strapped her oversized purse across her body as she began to climb the rest of the way up the incline. Two miles to the house. She had eighteen minutes to get there. In six-inch heels. Gazing skyward, she muttered, “Hey, Mom, you up there? If you are, I need a little help right about now.”
Headlights crested over the hill in front of her. Anne blew a kiss skyward. “Thanks, Mom. Always could count on you.”
Here’s how you can contact Becky Lower
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beckylowerauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BeckyLower1
Blog: http://beckylowerauthor.blogspot.com
Website: http://www.beckylowerauthor.com
Don’t forget the buy links!
http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/blame-it-on-the-brontes/
Sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronson, each in their forties, are in Puffin Bay, ME for their mother’s funeral and to lay their claws into the fortune each expects to inherit. But their mother has other plans. Her substantial fortune won’t be divided until the trio return to their childhood home and live together for a year.
