She’s a multi-published award winning author with a new book, BLUE VISION, out November 15th. Add on to these accomplishments the hugely successful blog WRITING IN THE MODERN AGE, and her newly launched graphic design company AMBROSIA INNOVATIONS, and you have Marie Lavender.

 

 

1.    

Welcome back to the blog, Marie. You’ve won some awards since we last met. Tell us about the “Broken Heart” and the “I Love You.”

 

Those were two poetry awards, from contests which were in poetry groups on Facebook. I often peruse the awesome poetry in those discussion groups and when I saw the two contests, I thought, “Hell, why not enter my own?” This is the poem I entered for the ‘Broken Heart’ contest. And here is the one for the ‘I Love You’ contest. Believe it or not, the recognition I got from both was ‘Empress of the Universe’, quite apropos for my science fiction romance book coming soon, don’t you think?

Ed.-It’s practically fated.

 

2.

Your blog, Writing in the Modern Age, has also drawn recognition, winning the Very Inspiring Blogger Award for 2015. Tell us why blogging is important.

 

I think blogging is important these days, not only to give authors a way to connect with potential readers and loyal followers, but because people need a break from the world. For a brief time, they can plug into a blog and see what’s going on in the blogger’s head, or find out what they missed. They can learn facts and try new things. Some blogs are more like journal entries, while others carry a specific theme.

With Writing in the Modern Age, I wanted the blog to be a safe haven for writers of all stages to come for advice on writing and the publishing journey. I invite writers to submit their articles about writing tips or for authors to talk about how they came this far. But, it has exploded into so much more. It has become a place for readers to visit, to discover new favorite authors in the form of author and character interviews, new release features, cover reveals and book features, reposted book reviews, poetry spotlights and the new Author’s Bookshelf feature. From time to time, we run huge book giveaways. I also have two other blogs, Marie Lavender’s Books! and the I Love Romance Blog. We have many guest authors on those blogs too.

So while I blog, I hope to reach people, to make them think and discover new worlds in the process.

3.

BLUE VISION focuses on an interplanetary romance. Is this the future of dating?

 

Wow, that would complicate things, wouldn’t it? Well, I hope not. Dating is already hard enough. But I believe in two people finding each other despite the obstacles, so that’s really how Blue Vision came about. I had a scene in my head of a woman stumbling across a strange man in a deep Montana winter, and I realized there was a big story to tell. Blue Vision comes out on November 15th.

4.

And you head up Ambrosia Innovations, a graphic design company. When was it founded and what services do you offer?

 

Ambrosia actually launched in June, so it’s a fairly new company. We do all kinds of design: book covers (premade and custom work), graphic book teasers or promos for authors, banners and logos, as well as book trailers or marketing videos.

5.

Are you a self-taught author?

 

I am a hybrid. Yes, I took Creative Writing in high school and that was my major in college, but for a lot of it I just sort of drew from the greats. You can officially train yourself in fiction writing, but at some point you still have to break down and read those books, especially in the genres you’d like to focus on. Since I am a multi-genre author, I stumbled into a lot of those categories, or was simply inspired by my favorite authors to the point where I decided I wanted to do it too. For the most part, I tend to write different types of romance fiction, but I have been known to write mystery, literary fiction, poetry – as you know – and last year I even published a children’s fantasy. I cross genres quite often as well. Somewhere in my works in progress, you’ll also find dystopian, time travel and even comedy stories. Essentially, I’m all over the place and I am comfortable with not boxing myself into one genre.

6.

Do we live in a romantic age, or an age by any other name?

 

I’d like to think that true romance is out there, that gentlemen do exist and women still want to be swept off their feet. It’s true the world is constantly evolving, but I think – at least in our most fervent dreams – there will remain a need for romantic stories. They keep us dreaming, hoping for better days in chaotic times, and knowing that everyone deserves a soul mate.

7.

Have I forgotten anything?

 

Readers can find out more about me and my work on my website at https://marielavender.com/  I also have a monthly newsletter for updates at http://bit.ly/1g3wO13  Please feel free to subscribe to any of my three blogs, and follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. I look forward to meeting and chatting with you! 🙂