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| Laurie Lucking |
What
have you experienced on the road to publication? What have you learned? Have
you heard God’s voice along the way? Author Laurie Lucking shares her personal
journey. ~ Dawn
That
Pesky Little
Voice in My Head
I’ve always been a reader, but for most of my life, I was
convinced I wasn’t a writer. Stories flitted through my daydreams all the time,
but in school, creative writing never felt like a good fit. So I let my stories
live on in my head and pursued other interests.
After college, I went to law school and worked at a large
law firm for several years. But when my husband and I had our first son, I
decided to become a stay-at-home mom. I loved the time with my baby, but
restlessness plagued me.
One beautiful day that fall, I pushed his stroller down a
path, brainstorming about what I could take on as a creative outlet. The
thought “You could write a book” spoke clearly into my mind, but I immediately
dismissed it. I was bad at creative writing. But the thought wouldn’t go away,
and eventually I decided to give it a try, certain I’d quit within a week.
Instead, I fell in love. Without the parameters of an
assignment, I could take my time and write whatever I wanted. My head became so
filled with my story, I couldn’t type fast enough when I found opportunities to
sit at my computer. As months passed, the scenes formed into a complete
manuscript.
Then I got another mental nudge. What if you published it? I began to cautiously look into the
publication process, and soon I was hooked again, this time by the idea of my
own words turning into one of the adored books that lined my shelves. I edited
my story to the best of my ability, drafted a query letter, and began submitting
to agents.
That’s when the rejections started pouring in. I kept
trying, but eventually it became clear this manuscript was not destined for
publication. The failure hit me hard, bringing back all my initial doubts about
writing. Fortunately, a new story was floating around in my mind, begging to be
written. So I tried again.
This time, I was in a writing group, had a set of fabulous
critique partners, and had attended several conferences. My manuscript went
through multiple revisions as I learned more about the craft and implemented
feedback. In July, 2016, I met the editor of Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing at
a conference, and in early 2017, I squealed and sobbed when she offered me a
contract. My debut YA fantasy novel, Common,
released this past February.
I now have no doubt that the little voice in my head came
from God. Not necessarily because the world needs my books, but because I
needed to take this journey. Through it, I have learned so much about patience,
humility, perseverance, and surrendering my ambitions to God. I’ve grown in
ways I never could’ve imagined and found a new closeness with my Creator by
embarking on my own creative process. I
look forward with excitement (and a bit of trepidation!) to what He has in
store for me and my books next!
Only one person knows of the plot against the royal family
and cares enough to try to stop it—the servant girl they banished.
Leah
spends her days scrubbing floors, polishing silver, and meekly curtsying to
nobility. Nothing distinguishes her from the other commoners serving at the
palace, except her red hair.
And her
secret friendship with Rafe, the Crown Prince of Imperia.
But
Leah’s safe, ordinary world begins to splinter. Rafe’s parents announce his
betrothal to a foreign princess, and she unearths a plot to overthrow the royal
family. When she reports it without proof, her life shatters completely when
the queen banishes her for treason.
Harbored
by an unusual group of nuns, Leah must secure Rafe’s safety before it’s too
late. But her quest reveals a villain far more sinister than an ambitious
nobleman with his eye on the throne.
Can a
common maidservant summon the courage to fight for her dearest friend?
An avid reader practically since birth, Laurie Lucking discovered her passion
for writing after leaving her career as an attorney to become a stay-at-home
mom. When she gets a break from playing superheroes and driving windup cars,
she writes young adult fantasy with a strong thread of romance. Her debut
novel, Common, released in February
from Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, and her short story, “Threshold,” was
published in a Fellowship of Fantasy anthology titled Mythical Doorways. Laurie is the Secretary of her local ACFW
chapter and a co-founder of Lands
Uncharted, a blog for fans of clean young adult speculative fiction. A
Midwestern girl through and through, she currently lives in Minnesota with her
husband and two young sons. Find out more by visiting www.laurielucking.com.
Social
Media Links:
Website: www.laurielucking.com
Blog: www.landsuncharted.com
Readers’ Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1191276077665496/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurieLucking
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurielucking/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/luckinglaurie/
