Meet Laurie LC Lewis

Laurie LC Lewis was born and raised in rural Maryland, surrounded by history-rich Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore. She admits to having been a dreamer as a child, always imagining places more fascinating and mysterious than the small town in Carroll County, Maryland where she grew up.  Her musings became stories filled with exciting characters, drama and  . . . accents. She grew up fascinated with accents which she’d study until she could duplicate them.  She and met her husband in a most unusual way—over a CB radio where she was disguising her identity by pretending to be an English Exchange Student. She and Tom married in 1976 and quickly added four children to their family. Laurie returned to writing, beginning a series of short stories, when necessity plucked her from her comfy nest, inserting her back into the working world as a Science Lab-Assistant where she quickly discovered how much she loved researching a topic and following the trail of a question. She began building a portfolio of short stories, novels and plays during a seven-year stint as a science-education facilitator in the Carroll County Public School System.

As her children left home she turned her attentions to writing full time and employed her research skills to flesh out her work with the vivid locales and colorful people she and her husband Tom continue to meet on their frequent travels. She now combines all her loves: history, people, family and interesting locations to produce family and historical dramas for her readers.

Her first novel, a tale of love and forgiveness entitled Unspoken, was published by Covenant in 2003. By then Laurie had already begun pursuing another project. After falling in love with Old Towne Williamsburg, Virginia and its culture, she longed to attempt a different genre and write a historical novel. Specifically set in the late 1840’s, Laurie hoped to avoid early church history, a topic Elder Lund had covered so eloquently, and one which Laurie felt inadequate to tackle. But after much soul searching, a nudge from her editor, and the extraordinary experience of teaching D&C as an Early Morning Seminary teacher, she reconsidered. Backing the book up a generation, she picked up the spectacular history in her own backyard—the War of 1812 and the Star Spangled Banner story—to illustrate the tumultuous America that would become the cradle of the Restoration and the world in which Joseph Smith was raised. After three years of research and rewrites, the result is the historical fiction series called Free Men and Dreamers. Volume one, released in February of 2007 under her initials, LC Lewis, is entitled DARK SKY AT DAWN, and Twilight’s Last Gleaming was released in May of 2008. Six books are planned for the series.

Laurie’s nest is empty now, except for elders who reside with her and Tom. Each of her own four children are chasing their own dreams in diverse places, like four research assistants quadrupling her view of the world. She and Tom have an arm-long list of places to visit and Laurie’s head is filled with stories she is looking forward to writing.

Laurie was kind enough to answer a few questions for us about herself and her career.

Do you use a pen name?

I write under two names. I use Laurie Lewis for my contemporary novels and LC Lewis for my historical work.

Where do you live?

I live in a small town in Maryland, about forty-five minutes from either Washington or Baltimore.

 

What's the oddest job you've ever had?

  I was the first girl to ever work at the Provo Radio Shack! That was way back in 1975.

'Fess up...what's on your desk?

13.There's a container of General Tsao's chicken, the New Testament CD's (getting ready for this year's Seminary course), a calendar, a phone, my wallet (because I purchased something online), three photos, and one of those rotating organizers from Staples with lots of research data stuffed into it.

What motivated you to start a writing career?

I was writing stories and poems to inspire my missionary son Tom, and he encouraged me to submit my work. I took the challenge because I secretly felt a little insecure over having abandoned a scholarship when I left BYU to get married. The lack of that diploma haunted me for years. I tried a few times to return to the classroom, but each time something got in the way. Since I had always pushed my children to do their very best, I often wondered what they thought about their mom. My writing became my testimony that we can find ways to use our talents, and that we can each make our dreams come true.

What would make you feel you'd really made it in the writing world?

I would feel I had “made it” if I ever saw someone carrying my book onto a plane to read.

How did you choose your current publisher?

I submitted to Covenant because I appreciated the type of books they were publishing.

What advice do you have for new writers?

35. My best advice to new writers is to understand that most LDS writers make very little profit after marketing. So write for the joy of it, or because you have something to say or to share.

What advice can you offer writers on doing book signings?

Signings can be scary, but take the initiative to approach potential readers with a smile and a copy of your book, and make a personal connection. Also, dress professionally. I have noticed a great correlation between what I wear and how I, and therefore my title, get received.

What advice do you have for people writing LDS books? How far are you willing to push the gospel standards in your work?

I approach my writing with the same attitude I employ in choosing my clothes or selecting my words. My “style” isn’t dependent on whether I’ll be in the company of LDS or non-LDS people. I feel a responsibility to be true to the standards I profess in every situation. I work with the youth and I would never want to imply that we can choose to step in and out of those standards.

How does the gospel influence your career?

I elected to write for a primarily LDS audience, but I try to write books that an LDS person could comfortably hand to a non-member friend or relative. My greatest ambition is that a non-member reader would find a great story encapsulated around solid gospel principles that would entice them to ask questions or to examine those principles more closely. This is my missionary opportunity.

Thank you, Laurie! For more information, visit her official web site.