Reading by Deb: INTERVIEW with LK SHAW

I would like to first thank LK Shaw for taking the time for this interview!

BIO:

LK Shaw is the bestselling author of sexy, sinful suspense.

She resides in South Carolina with her high maintenance beagle mix dog, Miss P, who should probably just have her own Instagram account.

An avid reader since childhood, she became hooked on historical romance novels in high school. She now reads, and loves, all romance sub-genres, with erotic romance and romantic suspense being her favorite.

LK enjoys traveling and chocolate. Her books feature hot alpha heroes and the strong women they love.

When and how did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I didn’t start writing until 2015 when friends peer pressured me into trying to do National Novel Writing Month in Nov. It just snowballed from there.

Did you have any influencing writers growing up?

Writers? No. But I was an avid reader. I used to read 1-4 books a day. I just love books.

Are any of your characters based on people in real life?

Not as a whole. But I do take bits and pieces of people and put them in some of my characters.

Where do you draw your book inspirations from?

From my characters. They all have something from their life that needs to be told.

Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?

I don’t outline. My characters lead the story the entire way from before I even start writing until the book is finished.

When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?

Not usually. I tend to focus more on my characters personality and emotions than what they look like while I’m writing them.

I describe them from the eyes of their love interest, but that’s more for the reader. I don’t rely on that other than to make sure I remember from book to book if they have brown eyes or blue.

Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?

I’m an avid reader myself. So, definitely reading for pleasure.

Who are your favorite current authors to read?

I’m obsessed with Sci-fi romance.

I love Honey Phillips, V.K. Ludwig, Ella Maven, Zoey Draven, Hope Hart, Callie Rhodes, Tana Stone, Ella Blake, and so many more.

What are your favorite books by others?

Some of my top favorite books are Sweet Lullaby by Lorraine Heath, Knight by Julia Sykes, Chapter 8: Grace Street by Ella Dominguez, Covet Not series by Arden Aoide

Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?

My Love Undercover series is set in Chicago, which is one of my favorite places to visit.

Do you write in single or multiple POV?

I write in alternating dual POV from both my hero and heroine

What do you find to be your best research tool?

It depends on what I’m researching.

I use Google Maps a lot for location research. I also try to find people who actually live in the real cities I use, like Chicago and Brooklyn.

I have a lot of characters who speak other languages, including Spanish, Russian, and Polish. I ask friends if they speak fluently in those languages or know someone who does. Then I always make sure that any foreign dialogue I use goes through a native speaker and not some AI translator.

Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?

My pen name are my initials and real last name, so it’s not super secret :-)

I haven’t published anything, but I have another pen name for a different romance genre series I’m working on.

What genre do you write and why is this your preference?

I write romantic suspense, even if they don’t fit the mold of military, former military, or security firms.

There is always a villain that you may or may not know the identity of.

All my books have danger, usually involving the heroine, and an overprotective hero who will do anything and everything to protect her.

Tell me something about yourself outside of writing. Jobs, accomplishments, family, quirky trait...what led to you being you?

I’m a licensed physical therapist assistant and, before the pandemic, used to travel to different states to work in various nursing homes for 3-month long contracts.

I used to run marathons and be an avid cyclist.

What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

Always ask questions and try to learn everything you can about craft, marketing, and publishing.

How do you deal and process negative book reviews?

I always tell myself that I don’t love every book I read, so I can’t expect everyone to love every book I write, either. I might whine for a day, but otherwise, negative reviews don’t really bother me.

What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

You mean, besides the writing?

What do you need in your writer’s space to keep you focused?

I don’t focus well, honestly. I probably have adult ADHD, because I tend to bounce around between things. My brain is always “on”, but never only thinking about one thing. It’s hundreds of things that are trying to catch my attention. I tend to get done a little bit on lots of things in a single day, but not usually everything done of one big thing.

What is your naughty indulgence as you are writing?

A giant glass of iced coffee.

If you could spend a day with another popular author, whom would you choose? And why?

Skye Warren. I would love to pick her brain about everything having to do with this author business.

What is your schedule like when you are writing? Do you have a favorite writing snack or drink?

I have no schedule LOL. It’s nothing but chaos. I sit at my desk once I’m up for the day. Any time between 11am and noon, usually. I’m here until I decide it’s time to shut everything down, which is usually any time between 11pm and 1am.

I write a little here and there. Then I do admin stuff like marketing, checking ads, creating graphics, checking email, sales, Facebook. All the things I can do that don’t include writing. Until I’ve done all the things. Then I write some more. Then I do all the things again. I’m an evening writing so most of my words get written after 7pm.

Do you listen to music when you write – what kind of music is your favorite?