Author Interview - Lisa & Laura Roecker

I promised you an amazing (on the author's part - not mine) interview today, so here it is. My friends, meet Lisa and Laura Roecker authors of the upcoming novel, A Kate Lowry Mystery: The Haunting of Pemberly Brown, set to debut in 2011!


Oh, and yes girls, I stole your picture from your facebake...oops! :)

1. How did the two of you come to the conclusion that you wanted to write a novel?

We always had separate dreams to write a book one day. It wasn’t until a ridiculously long phone call in which we were trying to figure out ways to work from home that we figured it out. That night we came up with an idea and the next day we were outlining. While the big idea didn’t necessarily pan out, another one did and the rest, I guess, is history!

2. Is it fun writing a book with your sister? I'll be honest, I doubt my sisters and I would accomplish much at all...how do you make it work?

So. Much. Fun. We love to read and writing together allows you to be a reader every other chapter. You never know what direction the story will take. It’s kind of like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books.

3. What can you tell us about A Kate Lowry Mystery: The Haunting of Pemberly Brown, for those who don't know much about it yet?

First of all, the title is going to change. Yeah, we suck at titles. But the book involves a character named Kate who receives an email from her dead best friend on the anniversary of her death. This forces her to launch an investigation to discover what really happened the night her friend died. She uncovers ancient secrets about her school and classmates that she never could have imagined.

4. What was the road to publication like for you?

It was a very exciting (and sometimes exhausting—constantly refreshing your email burns calories, right?) process. Catherine was extremely supportive and communicative. She kept us in the loop and offered many, many encouraging words along the way. We knew the book would end up with a passionate publisher and that’s exactly what happened. Dan and the team at Sourcebooks have high hopes for Kate and we’re thrilled to be working with them!

5. Are you influenced by any authors, or are there authors who inspired you to become so yourselves?

We appreciate the work of so many different authors. We love Pat Conroy (and write nothing like him), Sarah Dessen, Sophie Kinsella and Marisa De los Santos. They are all so different but definitely inspire us as writers.

6. If you could describe Kate Lowry in just one word, what would it be?

Independent.

7. A Kate Lowry Mystery: The Haunting of Pemberly Brown debuts in 2011...what do you plan to do in the meanwhile?

We plan on writing as many Kate Lowry books as we can think of and going to a conference.

8. What is a fun fact that you can each tell us about yourselves?

Laura wishes she were a Broadway star. She can’t sing or dance. Lisa sleeps with her BlackBerry every night which drives her husband, but more importantly, Laura crazy. Lisa ALWAYS reads important emails first.

So, there you have it! These amazing writers have a hilarious blog that I stalk daily, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Not in the least bit. Where else would you find engaging, modern haikus? Where else would you find a D-Bag-O-Meter? That's what I thought. So, head on over to Lisa and Laura Write. Trust me...you won't regret it.

Lisa and Laura - Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I look forward to reading your book, and I wish you all the best of luck!