It's "What's New Wednesday" and Whispers in Purple is delighted to bring you author LoRee Perry who has graciously consented to answer some interview questions.
Welcome , LoRee.
Thanks so much for agreeing to this interview.
First, let’s talk about your
writing. What
sparks your creative juices when feeling drained?
Coffee
and chocolate. Seriously, there are a variety of things that work. Prayer, soft
music, watching the bird feeders, a short walk outside. Sometimes my brain is
more drained than my body and even blanks. At those times, I’ll sit down and
start typing “I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write; how do I
know what happens next?” In other word, gibberish. Before long, just because my
fingers are moving, I’m into the characters and they’re speaking/acting through
my fingertips. Coffee and chocolate do work.
I’ll
have to try that free-writing trick. And I do agree about the coffee.
How
do you go about finding names for your characters?
I consult
a go-to list of names. Then I make sure I haven’t used any of them in the past.
Next, I check online and search for the meaning of the names as well as
characteristics. If they’re listed in a book on my shelf, I’ll have a biblical
meaning and a Bible verse to go with the character names.
Interesting.
Now, let’s talk about you. When reading, what is your favorite genre?
Romantic
suspense. There were old jokes about how the couple can fall in love so fast
while running for their lives. All a reader has to do is put themselves in that
position. If there are sparks, why not follow up on them if lives are
threatened? After all, they may not see tomorrow. I have a long list of
favorite authors in this genre, but I’ll just list a few that pop into my mind.
H.L. Wegley, Sharee Stover, Tanya Stowe, Christy Barritt.
I
just finished reading an H.L. Wegley book. Captivating.
If
you could travel to any time or place, where/when would it be? Why?
I
lost my desire to go to Israel or Europe quite a while ago. Virtual tours are a
blessing. There are many places I haven’t visited in the USA, and I have a
bucket list. The only one I’ve marked off is Niagara Falls. I drool over
pictures of the Grand Canyon. I prefer arid over humidity, so Florida is out
(I’ve been there several times anyway). I would like to visit New Mexico during
a spring or fall, especially see the hot air balloons. I dream of spending time
in the Black Hills of South Dakota during Nebraska’s hot months of July and
August. As for the when, I’ll read time travel novels.
About
Your Book
Title:
Repurposed
Author:
LoRee Peery
Publisher:
Grace and Victory Press
Release
Date: April 9, 2020
Genre:
Contemporary Christian romance
Stand-Alone:
Target
Audience: women of any age, especially those with body-image issues
Talia
Ashby is a perfectionistic data analyst who,
on occasion, sees her “fat” self when she looks in the mirror. As a svelte
former obese girl, she reunites with her secret teen crush, now a pastor in the church she attends.
Cooper
Valiant is dazzled upon meeting a high school friend he doesn’t immediately recognize due to her drastic weight loss. Since his
sister had an eating disorder, he’d often felt empathy toward Talia as
classmates teased and bullied her. In his pastorate position, he asks her to
help girls in the youth group come to grips with
body-image.
While
working with the girls, Talia's recollections of youthful hurts stir up past
insecurities. She must reassess her spiritual
journey, and what bothers her in the present.
Added
to the mix are her reawakened emotions toward the man who once came to her
rescue. Will their joint journey include a
personal relationship?
Do
you have a favorite character in your novel? If so, who, and why?
Talia
Ashby is the heroine of Repurposed. Except
for her great weight loss, I can identify with most of her insecurity and
weight-based issues (as most women probably do). I am presently overweight, and
according to BMI charts, even obese. Many days it doesn’t matter that I’m a
great-grandmother. It bothers me if I don’t feel good in my clothes. Some may
ask, “Why should you even care at your age?” I just do.
What
take-away value do you want readers to gain from your novel?
What
we see in the mirror is extremely personal and can be damaging if dwelled on
too long. It’s common for teenagers to wish they had curly hair if theirs is
straight, straight if they were born with curly hair. Sometimes noses and ears
are seen as too big. Whatever. It’s human to find the faults. But that’s not
healthy.
I
grew up during a time when pressure to be thin was everywhere. Since I’m not
very tall, have a short waist, and a broad ribcage along with wide shoulders,
I’ve always felt too big. (Even when I was thin, and that’s a shame.)
Unfortunately, I voiced my negative body image in front of my daughters. The
enemy used that to impact them both, but their stories are not mine to tell.
It
took a long time to recognize, based on Psalm 139, how I am fearfully and
wonderfully made. God knows every cell and atom of my body. If I criticize my
outward appearance, I’m slamming God because I am the way He made me. If I diet
and think about ways to take off pounds, I’m not focusing on the Lord. He loves
me as I am, and I am one of His creations. HE DOES NOT MAKE JUNK.
About LoRee
Nebraska country girl LoRee Peery writes fiction that hopefully
appeals to adult readers who enjoy stories written from a Christian
perspective, focusing on the romance. These include novels and novellas for
women and men in the Contemporary, Romance, Historical, Time Travel, and
Mystery/Suspense categories. She writes of redeeming grace with a sense of place.
Her Frivolities Series and the book based on her father’s unsolved
homicide, Touches of Time, are available on Amazon. She is who she is by
the grace of God: Christian, country girl, wife, mother, grandmother and
great-, sister, friend, and author. Connect with LoRee through these
links:
Giveaway:
LoRee
is offering a gift print copy of Repurposed to one of this post’s
readers. Entering is easy: Just leave your name AND contact information (so we
can let you know if you’re the winner), in the comments section below. Giveaway
runs for one week from today, ending on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at Midnight,
Central Time.
