Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Romance Writers' Sisterhood - Guest Blogger LoRee Peery

Today, I'm so pleased to welcome author, LoRee Peery, as my guest blogger. A lifelong Nebraskan, LoRee is the oldest of seven and grew up on a Nebraska farm. She feels grounded in her sense of place and considers it a blessing to have lived most of her life in the country. She has five children and values one-on-one time with her eleven grandchildren.


She grew up singing and feels closest to the Lord when she worships through song. One of her fondest memories is ascending the basement stairs of Grace Lutheran Church in Neligh, NE singing “Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” preceding the Christmas Eve program.




Romance Writers' Sisterhood

When I hear the word “writer,” an immediate picture comes to mind. Always, a person is sequestered and hunched over in his or her writing place. For me it’s not the writer, but the workplace I focus on. I used to imagine a manual typewriter on a bare topped desk except for multitudinous wadded up papers. That evolved into an electric typewriter surrounded by scads of reference books. Then the tiny computer monitors with the huge backs and a keyboard close to the edge of the desk. Finally, laptops, anywhere. The writer is no longer sequestered.


Writers need a social life, balanced with the time spent in the chair while spewing out words. (Notice, I didn’t say playing on the Internet.) We need other people: family, church involvement, frolicking with friends, and fun away from words. We also need what I’ll talk about today, the sisterhood of romance writers groups.

Years ago, a friend and I created Lincoln Word Weavers, a Christian group that crossed all genres. I think it lasted a couple years. To my knowledge, no one published. I joined Romance Writers of America in 2002 and learned more about writing and publishing in six months than I had in the ten years prior. I realized immediately that I had a bond with anyone I came in contact with. The local chapter I'm part of now is Prairieland Romance Writers. We writers have a common passion (or compulsion), a synergy, that binds us together. From local chapters to the online chapter I’m part of Faith, Hope & Love, I can still be amazed at the camaraderie and generosity of individuals. Whether those writers are unpublished or have a hundred best sellers under their belt, they share whatever they can for the common good.

It’s a unique sisterhood that recognizes individual voice as one that cannot be duplicated. Romance writers tell the happily-ever-afters with familiar themes; but always with unique qualities of that writer’s distinctive voice. And now I’m so pleased to be part of another sisterhood, the White Rose Publishing family.

Do you belong to a group where you have a like-minded bond?

As a final note, I doff my hat to the few brave men who don’t mind being part of this “sisterhood.” You know them, they read and write romance too.

************
LoRee's novel, Moselle's Insurance, the first in the Frivolities series, was released on July 30th. The cover is just stunning, and the blurb sounds exciting! The book has been receiving rave reviews. You can purchase it through publisher, White Rose Publishing. Link for more info: click here

Blurb

Creative artist Moselle Carson gives new life to old items, but she can't seem to renew her shattered ideal of love. When she returns to her hometown to help with a new family business, memories of a broken heart and small-town gossip chip away the tough exterior she's erected over the years. Now she's forced to decide whether she'll rebuild the wall or trust that true love never dies when it is ordained by God.

Generous insurance agent and vulnerable firefighter, Eric Todd, remembers too well how he mistreated Moselle and then set her aside. Now he longs for true love and the second chance to become a husband and father. Can he learn to forgive himself and still keep the secret that may redeem him in her eyes?

17 comments:

Carol Ann said...

LoRee, thanks for guest blogging today! I'm so thrilled to have you here. Isn't it wonderful to have that connection to a writing sisterhood when the work we do is so solitary? Thanks for sharing.

Sandy Wickersham-McWhorter said...

Hi LoRee and Carol Ann! I agree with LoRee 100%. Playing on the internet??? Tish-tosh, who does that??Having like-minded friends to encourage your efforts, tell you about current publishing news, and be there when you're rejected is invaluable when you're in this writing business. So many writers start out alone, work alone, and give up alone if they don't have that support network. I found COFW in the 80s and because of their annual conferences, networking, and common sense, I have such a place and group of friends. I don't get to visit these friends very often but I feel closer to them as each year goes by. If someone hadn't put a notice on our email loop about a new publisher, TWRP, I wouldn't be published today and have the self-confidence I have!

Marcia James said...

Hi, LoRee! Congratulations on Moselle's Insurance! I enjoyed reading the blurb for your book, as well as your guest post. I've been part of writer groups since 1979 -- first the groups were professional associations for advertising copywriters and scriptwriters, and now I'm part of Romance Writers of America. There's no substitute for the support and knowledge-sharing of a writers' group.
-- Marcia James ;-)

Tanya Stowe said...

Hi LoRee,
I couldn't agree with you more! I say the same thing about Romance Writers of America. I learn so much from the organization and its great to have the support. And I love my new White Rose Family too! Can't wait to read Moselle's Insurance!
Tanya Stowe

LoRee Peery said...

I thank Carol Ann for showing my face and letting me express myself. But it's really not about me; it's about sharing a love for words and as Christian writers, our love for His Word.

Sandy, Marcia, Tanya, I appreciate our like-mindedness and your comments.

Donna B said...

Hi LoRee, lovely interview, and this book sounds great! I love reunion stories (both writing and reading them) that renew old love.

Good luck to you!

JoAnn said...

Like the gals who have already commented, I enjoyed your interview. I haven't had the chance to read your story yet, but it sounds great.

Janie Mason said...

Since I've been trying to go green, I love your heroine's career!
I've learned so much from the members of my local RWA chapter, Central Ohio Fiction Writers. I also count them as friends and without them would have given up on this "writing thing" long ago.

LoRee Peery said...

Donna, thanks for the good wishes. JoAnn, let me know later if it was indeed "great." Janie I'd never thought of Moselle art as going green, but why not?
Nice of you to stop by, ladies. And thanks for extending your kind words.

Marianne Evans said...

Hi, LoRee - and let me toss in my congratulations on this very intriguing release! I can't wait to read it!!! I've got a few White Rose titles coming with me on vacation this week and yours is one of them! :-) Blessings - and great post on support - and escaping the 'solitary' life of being a writer. Great stuff!! Blessings ~ Marianne

Sherry James said...

Yes, thank goodness for the sisterhood! I've been a member of RWA since 1992 and wouldn't be where I am today without them, and the support and friendships I've found in PRW! Glad you're a part of PRW, too, LoRee!

Congratulations again on your first release! It sounds wonderful. My TBR pile just keeps getting deeper, and deeper!

LoRee Peery said...

Hi Marianne and Sherry, thanks for the congrats and blessings. I appreciate the bond we have as writers. Don't you just love the TBR piles? Kind of like work--always there waiting, yet giving us something to look forward to.

P.I. Barrington said...

Hi LoRee! One thing I love about your story is the theme of forgiveness--its one of my favorites across over all genre' Great interview too!
Patti

LoRee Peery said...

Ah Patti, thanks. Where would we all be in life without forgiveness?

Caroline said...

The book sounds wonderful, and the interview was great. Enjoyed learning more about another author. Thanks for sharing, ladies!
cb
http://sunnebnkwrtr.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Hi LoRee
It really is a blessing to have good friends who "get it" when it comes to writing. Unless you've "been there, done that" you have no idea how hard and/or isolating it can be. So nice to get our monthly writer fix and PRW is one of the best out there. So glad you joined too.

Best of luck with your first release!
B

LoRee Peery said...

Caroline, thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. Hmm, Anonymous must be a writer friend, thanks for being in a group that has been there and done that. And thanks again to Carol Ann and others who stopped by and didn't leave a comment.