MamaWriters are thrilled to have debut historical romance author Carrie Lofty with us today, chatting about being an author and a mom! 

Carrie Lofty’s work has been praised as “inventive” (Dear Author), “shattering” (Nights & Weekends), and “intelligent” (Smart Bitches). Her debut, WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS (Zebra: 2008), is the hot, adventurous tale of Will Scarlet and his dangerous lady love. 

Help us welcome Carrie!

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Some things are just for me.

Sure, I pack three lunches every night after dishes, but I do it dancing disco to Roisin Murphy   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dBi_aYXjuE  on my iPod. And of course I wrestle the never-ending laundry into twice weekly submission, but I’m usually mumbling dialogue, pitches and plot ideas while sorting colors from whites–because like music, reading, dance, dear friends, and striking cheeky poses in the fogged-up bathroom mirror, writing romance is just for me.

I put aside my excuses and wrote my first romance in the summer of 2006 when my husband moved to Virginia for a three-month internship. I held down the fort in Wisconsin with our daughters, then aged two and three. As you might imagine, I needed an outlet for myself, a safe place, a place of imagination where I could revel in rubbing brain cells together. They still function!

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Of course, it didn’t hurt that I had a goal: I desperately wanted to go to Nationals. Isn’t that nuts? Not “finish a manuscript” or “get published,” although those were certainly on my long term to-do list, but I wanted a legit excuse to get out of the house. As with most cajoling and coercing techniques, Mommy used what works!

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Technically, I write for a publisher now, not just for myself, but it remains the best sort of escape. I sit with my doubts and my tendency to procrastinate–darn you, reruns of Doctor Who and So You Think You Can Dance clips on YouTube!–and I make up the most satisfying romantic adventures I can imagine. It’s still just for me, but I love that readers are in on the game. Sharing is good!

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But I do get questions regarding the sexual content in my books, and on occasion, about romance in general. Heroines waiting to be rescued and happily willing to hand over their virtue–don’t they send the wrong message? Do I really want my daughters to grow up knowing Mommy writes those kind of books?


Pardon my French, but hell yeah.

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One day in the ever-nearing future, my girls will be teenagers (oh, dear). They’ll have romantic notions–at least I hope they will–and they’ll have all manner of ideas and misconceptions about womanhood, femininity, and sexuality. What makes a strong woman? What place does respect and affection have in fostering a healthy sex life? And how does any mother balance the needs of the self against the needs of her family? I hope my books will provide entertaining answers to these questions. They’ll get a mainline peek into my brain, into what I cherish about being a woman and what I value in men–particularly patient, clever, devoted men like their daddy.

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That is, if they aren’t completely squicked out!

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Oh, well. Even if my girls never read a word of my books, I’ll be happy to share the story of my success and serve as an example of how hard work, joy and luck can pay off. I’ll also share how important this process is to maturing into a good, sane mom. Carve out a place for yourself. Protect that place and nurture it.

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Huh. Seems even the things that are just for me wind up being for my kids as well.

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Except for the disco dancing. That really is all mine.

Best,
Carrie


wasw-cover-300dpi-600px-tallwww.carrielofty.com http://www.carrielofty.com/

WHAT A SCOUNDREL WANTS ~ Zebra Debut, Available Now

The hot, exciting tale of Will Scarlet and his dangerous lady love!