Lori Foster

INTERVIEWED: November 2007


Hi Lori! Welcome to the Christmas Special!

Please tell us about your two current Christmas themed releases and what you hope readers will enjoy about them.

A: “A Very Merry Christmas” - Accused of stealing a donkey from the local nativity scene, pet psychic Marci is being watched by Ozzie, who can’t stop thinking about frisking her. I loved writing a pet psychic, and had a load of fun with Marci.

“I’m Your Santa” - Beth Monroe catches her fiancé cheating and turns to his best friend, Levi, to boost her ego. A one-hour tryst turns into a weekend of realization, and love. But that throws Beth, since she thought she was in love with someone else. She heads home for the holidays, to give herself some time to think, but Levi follows. He’s not about to let her get away now that he finally has her. Loads of fun!

One of the books is a reissue. When was it originally released and why has it gone to print again?

A: “A Very Merry Christmas” is a reissue from trade size to mass market, but with a new cover, so readers beware in case you’ve already read it! It was originally out Oct 06 as a trade release, and has now been reissued in mass market to please a wider audience who might prefer mass market over trade.

Who are your favourite characters in the books and why? Will readers recognize anyone?

A: My story in “A Very Merry Christmas” is about Marci Churchill and Sergeant Osbourne Decker, and the characters are related to the anthology, “Bad Boys of Summer,” as Marci and Bethany are sisters, and Ozzie and Lucius worked together at the police department.

My novella in “I’m Your Santa,” features Beth Monroe, daughter of Kent, who was a secondary hero in “Never Too Much.” In that book, Kent hooked up with the hero’s mother. I think overall readers like that secondary romance between Brooke and Kent as much as they did the lead romance.

Characters from “Too Much Temptation,” and “Never Too Much” all show up in this new novella in the holiday spirit, and readers can catch up with them to “see how they’re doing.”

This is my Christmas present to readers, because I’ve been asked so many times to revisit Ben and Noah and Kent.

Are the heroes bad boys or gentlemen? Is this due to a certain preference on your part?

A: They’re honorable, responsible, mature, sexual, sexy, take-charge Alphas. I’m not sure I could write a true “bad boy,” that is, a man who disregarded the feelings of others, or wallowed in past hurt to the point that he couldn’t get on with his life, or became too self-indulgent. I suppose it all comes down to your definition of gentleman and bad boy.

What about the heroines? Ladies or wild women – or something in-between?

A: Marci is an odd duck because she relates so closely to animals. She’s very misunderstood, but she has a big heart and is very vulnerable. Beth doesn’t know she’s a wild woman until she ends up in bed with Levi, and then it’s an eyeopener to realize just how sexual she can be, and to know everything she’s been missing out on. She had a near miss by almost marrying the wrong guy, but it takes some adjustment to accept how off the mark she’d been in understanding her own feelings.

Do you have any other Christmas releases? Any tips for where your out of print books can be found?

A: I have an urban fantasy/horror book that released in October under the name L. L. Foster. And “Too Much Temptation” is being repackaged and reissued in December 07. I’m sorry I can’t help much with my out of print books. I do have some used booksellers listed on my website who often carry my out of print books, but there’s nothing guaranteed. They’re on my website – www.lorifoster.com – under favorites, then links.

What do you like most about writing Christmas themed tales?

A: I LOVE the whole holiday spirit, the generosity of the heart, how the spirituality of the holiday can be so healing for so many. Christmas is a very misunderstood time of year. Everyone thinks that it depresses people so much, but in actuality, the suicide rate goes DOWN during the holiday season. People want to help others, and Christmas is a good time of year to focus on that need.

These two novellas are part of an anthology. Do they share any connection to the other stories in the anthology? Did you need to work with the other authors on any aspect of the book or were you all entirely independent?

A: We were all entirely independent. I’ve only done one anthology where we tied the stories together, and that was “Star Quality.” It’s tough to do. And I write so fast, and by the seat of my pants, that it’s doubly difficult for me.

How popular are your Christmas themed titles in comparison to your other books?

A: My single titles are by far my biggest sellers. But writing a novella is like a walk in the park, compared to a single title, which is like a jog uphill. It’s refreshing for me, and rejoices my creativity.

Do you have any plans to write more Christmas themes books in the future?

A: Absolutely! Like I said, I love the holiday.

Where can readers catch up with you (and your latest releases, Christmas themed or not) on the net?

A: I’m ALL over the net. Here are my links:

Lori Foster – www.lorifoster.com
L.L. Foster – www.llfoster.com
Lori’s Myspace – www.myspace.com/mostlymam
L.L.’s Myspace – www.myspace.com/llfoster
Ohio Authors – www.myspace.com/romanceauthors
Quill Authors – www.myspace.com/runningwithquills
Dark Muse Society - www.darkmusesociety.com (Virtual housing for L.L. Foster and other cool authors)
Running With Quills – www.runningwithquills.com

Many thanks for participating! Have a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!