Lucinda Race draws inspiration for her books from her dreams. When she was younger she believe everyone’s dreams were like chapters in a book. It was only as she began talking to other authors that this wasn’t the case. So either she was a little nuts, or she needed to sit down in front of a keyboard and start typing. She chose to type. Now over thirty books later she’s still dreaming and still writing. Meet Lucinda…

You are an author, but is it your day job? If not, what does fill your days? I’m a marketing manager for a major corporation in the B2B world.

Did you always want to be an author? Yes, it was my dream and when I first began to write when my oldest was young I started in children’s books but quickly realized that was not where I wanted to stay.

What is your most recent book and what inspired you to write it? I love classic movies, the old black and white film noir where someone is gaslighting another. When I first added Polly to Stars Over Montana I wasn’t sure of her story but the minute I started writing Hiding in Montana I just knew that was the situation, she was being stalked with no idea by who or why.

How do you hope your book uplifts those who read it? I hope Hiding in Montana provides a great escape to the reader, pure enjoyment.

What are you most excited about with this book? There are so many things, I love the cover. I love Polly’s strength and that Clint is ready to stand beside her but not try and fix anything for her. They’re a great team.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to succeed in your professional industry? Don’t chase shiny objects – listen to advice but then follow what resonates with you. Write a good book, use a good editor, find a cover artist who “sees” your vision and be brave.

How do you handle setbacks and criticism? There are negative critics everywhere and it’s either one of two things, its constructive feedback and I try and learn from it or they’re just a mean person and I brush it off. I concentrate on writing the best book I can and the editors I’ve worked with over the years have taught me how to write an even better book.

Being an author today is like running a business. How do you manage all your publicity, social media and keep your engagement up with readers? It’s hard and I’m not very good at staying on top of it so I use scheduling tools even with my newsletter it’s all about using the tools to make it happen seamlessly.

How do you hold yourself accountable and achieve the goals that you set forth? I have daily and weekly word counts so if I don’t make today’s goal I must finish by Sunday night. I’m a little driven to hit the targets I set.

How do you structure your day and make time for writing? During the week I write on my lunch hour at work, if I don’t hit my word count I’ll finish before dinner and then on the weekend I plan to write 2 chapters at minimum, more is great but that is the target. If I’m not writing a book then I have a similar plan for editing.

What do you find most fulfilling in the career that you’ve chosen? Writing makes me happy. Readers are the cherry and sprinkles on top of this journey.

What book uplifts you? I adore cozy mystery books and read at night when I go to bed for 30-60 minutes.

Connect with Lucinda on her website @ www.LucindaRace.com 

Images Courtesy of Lucinda Race