Semi Short chic: Blitz: Daisies In the Driveway by Lauraine Henderson

Lauraine Henderson began writing as a child, poems and journaling, until babies, building houses, and bookkeeping jobs usurped her world. Now, well established in Oregon and with the children grown, she devotes her time to writing her favorite genre, clean romance.

Years of life experience translate into plots, calamities, and happily-ever-afters as she writes her inspirational and romantic stories about fictional people who seem so real, you’ll want to know what happens after the book ends!

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Allison Lockwood and Gavin Hunt have been offered the chance to take over the Lazy Daisy Inn and Campground so their respective grandparents, the current owners, can retire and marry. It seems all too easy for Ally and Gavin to prove themselves during the six-month probationary period until they’re fighting disasters at the campground and failing at over-optimistic baking expectations.

As Ally and Gavin slowly explore their growing attraction, they help each other fight fires, endure raging storms, and share a few passionate kisses. But there’s more than fires to fight when Ally’s grandfather disapproves of their budding romance and Ally is convinced Gavin has a girlfriend in the wings…a girlfriend expecting his baby!

Ride along as the two unlikely innkeepers figure out how they fit in their new life and learn the lesson taught by the Daisies in the Driveway.

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Q&A With the Author:

1. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I’m not writing, I’m doing schoolwork. For the last two years, I’ve been taking two online classes each semester and I’m loving it. I also make time every evening to read. There’s a saying that to be a better writer, you need to read a lot. I know that’s true and I especially love it when one of my favorite authors comes out with a new book or series.

2. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I think my most interesting writing quirk is this: when I’m writing a scene, I will often close my eyes and type, while I envision the scene playing out in my mind, like a movie. I can see the setting, while I write the description. I hear the characters’ dialog and feel as though I’m transcribing it rather than inventing it. I love it when scenes like that come together.

3. Do you have any suggestions to help budding authors become better writers?

Suggestions for budding authors:

• Write a lot; read a lot.

• You can’t edit what you haven’t written. Keep writing and go back later to edit.

• Understand that the revision process is the hard part; be ready and willing to make changes.

• Leave your ego at the door when you ask someone for a critique. Be willing to take the advice of others.

• Don’t delete pieces and parts in your revision process; put those snippets in an “outtakes” file. It makes it easier to let the words go.

4. Where do you get information and ideas for your books?

Most of the time my story ideas come to me as inspiration. My characters introduce themselves to me and ask me to tell their story. Sometimes, they even tell me their names. The details of their story I frequently take from my own personal experiences or experiences of people in my family.

5. What do you think makes a good story?

Since I write about romance, what makes a good story for me is the discovery process of two people as they fall in love. A good story includes good character development with believable situations and genuine emotions. I don’t need an extreme heartache or insurmountable obstacles to be miraculously overcome. I like a good story with reasonable problems, quirky sidekicks, and confident characters. I especially love it when humor is included and people can laugh at themselves.

6. Tell us about your favorite summer vacation? Or what do you like to do in the summer?

My favorite summer vacation was in the winter of 2000. Our family flew from Salt Lake City to Orlando and spent six wonderful days at Disneyworld. Halfway through our trip, Tomoko, our friend from Japan, joined us. We spent one day in each ‘kingdom’ and after Tomoko arrived, we returned to our favorite rides and shows with her. Our children were old enough to ride on all the rides and young enough to still enjoy being with their parents. Disneyworld’s ability to put people from all walks of life on the same playing field, as it were, gave us the opportunity to mix with numerous cultures and find commonality in Disney-fun. I still listen to the music from the Millennial celebration and remember the good times we had there that winter.