The Dan O'Brien Project: Interview With Lori R. Lopez

I have Lori Lopez with me today on the blog, author of Dance of the Chupacabras. She talks about her recent release, future release, and her writing process. Let's here what she had to say.

Me: Tell us about your novel Dance of the Chupacabras.

Lori: In Tome One of the Tome Trilogy of Trilogies, a pair of Mexican-American brothers become lost on foot in a fantasy realm I call Zone Zero, located in the Baja Desert of Northern Mexico. They are thrust unprepared into the roles of heroes and must endeavor to rescue a small child abducted by El Chupacabras. Aztec god Quetzalcoatl and Mayan god Camazotz have engineered the plot in an effort to reclaim their stolen empire. A tense subplot involves a busload of folklore dancers held captive by a seething Mexican cop. The book's two main heroes are based loosely on my sons, Noél and Rafael. The book is a blend of genres and elements and themes. As with much of my work, it is quite diverse and quirky. There is humor and horror; fantasy and reality; history and mythology.

Me: What sets your most recent release, Dance of the Chupacabras, apart from other books of the same genre?

Lori: I can honestly state that there is no book quite like this one. I feel it is truly a unique reading experience. I've crafted an epic fable that manages to tell an ornately layered story in detailed and descriptive terms, while at the same time stepping back to view it from different angles. But at its heart is a simple classic tale of two brothers and their relationship.

Me: How is the book doing so far?

Lori: When my first three paperbacks were released, I was basically not yet promoting my work. Being unknown, that means there were no sales. In the months since I recently began promoting and releasing e-books for both this novel and my first collection, along with a shorter horror sampler called Chocolate-Covered Eyes and some individual stories, I have finally started to sell my work online . . . primarily the ninety-nine-cent stories. It takes time, but I am encouraged by hearing how well some of the other authors I know are doing.

Me: Any future releases readers should be aware of?

Lori: Yes, this year I hope to release my novel An Ill Wind Blows, a horror collection titled The Macabre, more stories, and a second volume of verse based on my monthly column "Poetic Reflections." I would also like to release Tome Two, the first sequel to Dance of the Chupacabras.

Me: Are you reading anything right now, or have you read anything recently that is worth mentioning?

Lori: I am reading primarily indie authors at present, including: Jerry W. McKinney, Geri Small-Graham, Lynn C. Tolson, Carole Gill, Anthony Servante, Jackie Williams, and Angela Shelton. I've traded books with Billie Sue Mosiman, Trent Zelazny and T.W. Brown, which I hope to start reading soon. I also plan to read a number of others -- Ruth Barrett, Leigh Lane, Jeffrey Kosh, Jaime Johnesee, Penelope Crowe, Christine Sutton, and many more. There are some very talented authors who have opted like me to self-publish or go with a small unknown press. I am proud to be in their company.

Me: Does music inspire or motivate you to write? If so, what kind of music?

Lori: Depending on the project, anything from moody Classical to Pop, Sixties and Seventies Folk tunes, Eighties Rock, Jazz, Country. But usually of late, I write in silence.

Me: Who are some of your favorite authors? Favorite novels?

Lori: Favorites range from Lewis Carroll to Mary Shelley, Doctor Seuss, Stephen King and Dean Koontz. I love anything by Jerry W. McKinney and am sure I will add more indie favorites to my list. Frankenstein is still a cherished book, along with Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

Me: Are you one of those people who don’t own a TV? Do you have any favorite TV Shows? Favorite movies?

Lori: Oh, I love television! There have been so many shows my entire life that have meant so much to me, from I Love Lucy to The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits and Night Gallery. I was a huge fan of the British series The Avengers. More recently I have loved shows such as The X-Files, Seinfeld, Medium, Supernatural, Lost, The Big Bang Theory, Fringe, American Horror Story, The Walking Dead. There are even some Disney Channel shows I watch. My sons and I loved So Weird, for example. Movies! John Carpenter's original two Halloween films; Alice in Wonderland, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd and other Tim Burton masterpieces; Jeepers Creepers, Alien, The Terminator, Star Wars, Frankenstein films, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean; Carrie, The Shining, The Thing, Coraline, The Goonies, Pan's Labyrinth, Stardust, Big Fish, Moonstruck, Mamma Mia! I could go on and on.

Me: At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to be a writer?

Lori: Since I was an imaginative little girl. The art of writing came naturally, along with other talents. But writing was the one that was special. It has been what I could pour my creative energies into, and it just clicked for me. Unlike my other interests, I feel as comfortable writing as I do reading. I have a boundless supply of confidence, patience, and passion for it. There was never any doubt that this is what I would be.

Me: Tell us about your writing process.

Lori: When I get an idea, I first record notes and write the initial paragraphs. Then decide whether to continue working on that or switch to something more urgent. If it's a short story, I might keep working on it each day until it's done. More often, there will be something else I need to finish. Or a whole list of somethings. I don't work from outlines, except for my nonfiction project. That's a book series too and involves a lot of years. Most projects, I prefer some basic notes. With both the fiction and nonfiction book series, I have binders of notes due to their complexity. My Tome Trilogies has required extensive research in languages as well as history and customs and more. The method I prefer is to get an idea and run with it, when possible. I have to be flexible, though, and focus on what is most needed at a given time. I rewrite a lot because I'm extremely picky. I am also a slow writer. And I edit while I write, so there isn't a lot to do when it's done. Mainly to check for redundancies (I'm rather compulsive about that) and the flow of each sentence. I write with a poet's ear.

Me: Are the names of the characters in your novels important?

Lori: The brothers in Dance of the Chupacabras are named after my sons. The characters of their parents are nameless, even though they are important. Another name in the book, however, is based on someone I wished to honor and used for two characters: the little lost girl and her mother. I used my own mother's middle name for the character of a mother in my story "Beyond The Stump." In my story "Unleashed," I used the name of a beloved cat for the homicidal feline. I generally choose names for the meaning or sound, usually not based on anyone. I might even make names up, and try to select interesting ones that I hope would be memorable.

Me: How do you define success as a writer? Have you been successful?

Lori: I feel that I am successful because I am publishing my work, and I am satisfied with what I write, and I am writing my way. There is another kind of success measured in terms of money and popularity. I am not yet successful in that regard. It would be nice, of course, and that is part of the dream. But the most important thing is that I am doing what I love.

Me: Do you have words of wisdom about writing that you want to pass on to novelists and writers out there who are starting out?

Lori: Don't wait too long. Don't put it off until you have "time." Just write. And keep writing. And don't give up if you really want to do this. One more thing: Don't expect it to be easy.

Me: What should readers walk away from your books knowing? How should they feel?

Lori: I hope my readers will feel enriched . . . like when you meet someone who touches your heart or inspires you, makes you smile. And you can no longer imagine your world without this person in it. I hope that something or someone from my tales will become a treasured part of their lives.

Me: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Lori: You don't have to like everything I write. But I hope you will keep reading. There are so many wonderful books and stories available. I greatly appreciate anyone who takes the time to read mine.

More About The Author:

Bio: Lori's titles include Out-of-Mind Experiences, Chocolate-Covered Eyes, Dance of the Chupacabras, and her award-winning novel An Ill Wind Blows. Her stories and verse appear in anthologies such as Masters of Horror: Damned in you Don't (Triskaideka Books), I Believe in Werewolves (Netbound Publishing), Soup of Souls (Panic Press), Thirsty are the Damned (Rainstorm Press), The Epocalypse: Emails At The End (Pill Hill Press), Deadication (Panic Press), and magazines (The Horror Zine Issue "Ghosts and Haunts"; Women Empowerment). Fifteen of Lori's poems were published for an anthology titled In Darkness We Play (Triskaideka Books). Lori is a renegade indie author who believes creative writing should not be standardized or conventional. She and her sons are establishing an entertainment website for their many creative pursuits at http://trilllogicinnoventions.com/.