Happy Monday!
I’m chatting today with author Lisa Lee so grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and join us!
Interview
Toni: Thank you so much for joining me today! Let’s start off with a little about yourself. What is your writing process like?
Lisa: My writing process is too slow! It took me 6 years to write the first book. I held out a fervent hope that I would finish the next book in a year until the year passed with only about half of the book written. Still, I commit to writing at least one day a week for a couple of hours. I either go to a café or I put my headphones on at home and write. I will get to the finish line eventually!
Toni: That’s the spirit. When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?
Lisa: I knew I wanted to be a writer when I returned from a trip to South Africa in 2015. The trip made me question what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I knew then that I wanted to finish a story I had been working on off and on. Until 2015, I had dabbled in writing. In high school, I wrote emotionally overwrought poetry. I wrote a few unsatisfactory short stories after high school. But in 2012, I decided one day out of the week, I was going to write the best paragraph I could and build upon the same story each week with no expectation beyond that point. It took me three years to admit that I wanted to take my weekend writing further and make it into a book.
Toni: Do you like coffee or tea? Chocolate or candy? Beaches or mountains?
Lisa: I drink both coffee and tea every day so its hard to pick one. Coffee has caffeine, which is a definite win when I’m tired. But I love herbal tea scents as they add a little something special to even dreary days. The next two choices are easy, chocolate and beaches.
Toni: What’s next in your writing?
Lisa: Finishing book two of the series. The story is set in the future but I’m trying not to take so long that the “future” becomes current by the time the series is complete!
Toni: Awesome! Could you tell us a little about your story?
Lisa: Becoming Princess Eden centers on the main character Eden, and the man she is destined to marry, Gideon. The two come from widely divergent backgrounds. She lives in a futuristic America that is a theocracy. He is the second-in-line to the throne prince of Sea Horse Island, a place initially settled by refugees with no home country. In the story, Eden is kidnapped and taken to a school where she must learn to be a bride for an unknown man. The reverse is also true, Eden is unknown to Gideon, who is already involved with another character Angel. The story alternates between their two respective views and focuses on how they become aware of each other. It is the first story of a three-part series.
Toni: That sounds so good! What life verse would your main character choose and why?
Lisa: The main character is Eden, who lives in a futuristic, theocratic America. She lives a sheltered life until a single knock on the door brings changes that force her through much trial and tribulation. I picked the following verse as one she would choose as she is constantly trying to find her new normal.
Philippians 4; 6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. “
Toni: One of my favorite verses! Thank you so much for hanging with me. Now readers, it’s your turn. Do you have any questions for Lisa?
About the Author
Lisa Lee is a writer, attorney, wife, and mother of two kids. She resides in Chicago, Illinois. She can often be found writing during her kids’ sports practices. Lisa is a member of Clean Indie Reads (C.I.R.). Other than her family, her main loves are reading, eating chocolate, writing, eating chocolate, hanging out with friends, and eating . . . well, you get the picture! Thanks to a slow night and Netflix, Lisa now also really likes Korean Dramas. Visit her webpage at www.LisaLeeWrites.com.
About the Book
AD 2135, Saved America: Eden, a girl ripped from her post-revolutionary American life, can see no good outcome for her predicament. Gideon, a second-in-line prince who’s fallen from grace, may be her only option. How will these two lost souls find each other?
With a single knock on the door, Eden’s sheltered world is turned upside down. She’s kidnapped and taken to a dubious school in a secret location where she must learn to be a proper wife. But is it a school or a prison? She can’t leave for years—not until the man who’s purchased her as his bride comes to claim her—and she finds herself in a fight for an unknown prize, competing against an unseen foe.
Prince Gideon, whose parents have secretly arranged their match, lives on the other side of the world and isn’t even aware of Eden’s existence. The prince is occupied with the beautiful Angel, who’s a lot less angelic than he thinks. When Gideon’s relationship with Angel gets him thrown out of the palace, he is ashamed and without hope. Eden may be the only way to fix his mistakes.
Can Eden survive the enemies at her new school? Can Gideon redeem himself? Will Gideon ever meet the one chosen for him?
Diversity Between the Pages 