Can you share a little about your recent book?
Called To Protect is the second book in the Blue Justice Series.
Here’s the back cover copy:
For the past year, Chloe St. John has been working as a K-9 cop with her German shepherd partner, Hank. After being dumped by her fiancé for another woman, Chloe has decided that Hank is just about the only male she likes. She’s over the whole romance thing and focuses her attention on doing her job. Because a serious case of human trafficking with connections to her missing cousin just landed in her lap.
When US Marshall Blake MacCallum’s daughter goes missing, he’s ordered to kill the judge he’s protecting and tell no one about his daughter’s disappearance or she will die. Blake races against the clock to rescue his daughter while Chloe and Hank are asked to be a part of the task force assembled to bring down the traffickers. Chloe finds herself attracted to the silent, suffering man, but thanks to her previous bad judgment, she wonders if she can trust him. And can Blake trust himself around this firecracker of a woman?
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
I started writing out of loneliness, but fortunately, it morphed into a full-time job. There are different themes/messages throughout the books. Mainly, I write to entertain—and to minister. If God chooses to use the words to touch someone’s life then I praise Him for that.
How long have you been writing?
Since 1999.
And how long did it take you to get your first major book contract?
8 years
How did that come about?
I submitted to Harlequin’s Inspirational trade size line not realizing they were closing it. I got an editorial letter asking me to cut 30,000 words from the 90,000-word manuscript and resubmit. I did it and they bought the manuscript for the Love Inspired Suspense line.
How long does it take you to write a book?
That varies. It depends on the length of the book and what’s going on in my life at the time. LOL. But usually, a Revell book takes me about 4 months to write and a Love Inspired takes about 6-8 weeks. I have written a Love Inspired book in three weeks before, but that was awful and I don’t recommend it. LOL. And I hope to never do it again.
What’s your writing work schedule like?
On a normal day, I write 8-10 hours a day with breaks and errands worked in there throughout the day. When I’m pushing deadlines, I can write up to 16 hours a day taking breaks, of course.
Do you have an interesting writing quirk? If so, what is it?
I don’t think so. I love to write in my car simply because there aren’t many distractions and it’s comfortable. Is that a quirk?
What has been your greatest joy(s) in your writing career?
Whenever someone emails me to tell me that a book touched their life in some special way. And, I have to say, when one of my mentees has gotten a book contract. That’s a really cool feeling.
What has been your darkest moment(s)?
In writing? Probably when life got really hard for about a year with various family issues/crises and I had to write and meet deadlines even when my creative meter—and energy level—was on empty.
Which of your books is your favorite?
Code of Valor. It’s the one right after Called To Protect. I simply love how my heroine turned out.
Who is your favorite author to read?
I have to pick just one??? That’s impossible. LOL.
In the CBA: Dee Henderson’s earlier works, Terri Blackstock, Carrie Stuart Parks, Colleen Coble, Ronie Kendig, Lynn Blackburn, DiAnn Mills. And Edie Melson got me hooked on her Steampunk series with her Maiden of Iron book.
In the ABA: Lee Child, James Patterson’s Michael Bennett series, and I love Meg Gardiner’s Unsub series. Sorry, I told you I couldn’t pick just one!
What advice can you give aspiring writers that you wished you had gotten, or that you wished you would have listened too?
If a published writer gave me advice, I generally listened to it. I would say, don’t worry about getting it right the first time. Get the story on the pages and then go back and fix it. If you stress about making it perfect, you won’t get it written.
How many times in your career have you experienced rejection? How did they shape you?
I was rejected three times before I got the call from Love Inspired Suspense. I submitted four times total. LOL. The rejection wasn’t fun, but it challenged me and made me determined to figure this whole writing thing out.
Do you have a favorite character or scene in one of your books?
One of my favorite scenes was also one of the hardest ones I’ve ever written. The heroine just discovered her best friend was murdered and she was ugly crying all over the hero while sitting on the bathroom floor. It was very intense for me to write.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere because everything—and I do mean everything—has the potential to be a story.
What are common mistakes you see aspiring writer’s make?
Not doing their homework and learning the craft. Thinking they’ve attended one writing class or one conference and now they’re ready to be published.
Where/How do you recommend writers try to break into the market?
That’s a tough one. I would say making sure your platform is spot on and then telling a story an editor can’t put down will get you in the door. I got in via Love Inspired, but that’s a very specific audience and is also pretty hard to break in to. I think writer just needs to understand that it’s a very demanding/picky/subjective profession even for those who’ve studied and learned and done all the right things when it comes to this journey to traditional publication.
BIO
Lynette Eason is the best-selling, award winning author of almost fifty books.
She writes for Revell and for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line. Her books have appeared on the CBA, ECPA, and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists. She has won several awards including the Carol Award, the IRCC award, the Selah, and the Christian Retailing’s Best 2017 Award.
She placed in the top ten in the James Patterson 2016 co-writer contest. The movie, Her Stolen Past, based on Lynette’s novel, aired February 2, 2018 on the Lifetime Movie Network. Lynette is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Romance Writers of America (RWA), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), International Thriller Writers (ITW), and Faith, Hope, and Love (FHL) chapter of RWA as well as the Kiss of Death (KOD) chapter.
Social media links:
Twitter: @lynetteeason
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lynette.eason
Website: www.lynetteeason.com
Books can be purchased via any online outlet or at their favorite Christian bookstore.
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