Landry: Fated by Chance Series (Volume 1)

Landry: Fated by Chance Series (Volume 1)

By   Publisher  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

ISBN  1530072239

ANSI  1530072239

Published in   Contemporary, Fiction, Romance,


Synopsis

When Landry falls off her horse, she suffers from amnesia. She desperately tries to rebuild her life, including her relationship with Kian, her fiancé. As Landry discovers about her past, she learns about the accident with her horse. Kian has been in love with Landry since he noticed her at college. While their relationship started falling apart prior to her memory loss, he struggles to discover if they are meant to last. Prior, Kian intensely tries to determine whether to reveal an incident he ignited out of anger. Meanwhile, he hears someone scheming a plan to harm Landry, in which triggers many more problems for them. Kian wonders if he should stay or walk away. As easy as it developed for them to fall in love with each other, the important question remains. Do they have what it takes to make their relationship last for forever? With the misfortune, the both face by chance taking a journey together, can it be pure fate from the beginning?

Do you write full time or part time

I try to write as much as I can since I don't have a full time job. I work occasionally part time but I devote all of my free time to writing. More than doing anything else, I love to write.

How do you structure your day when you write

I start writing from early in the morning (after I've had my coffee) to before I go to bed. I realize most people don't spend that much time writing. But I find I'm happy whenever I write. If it'll bring me closer to my goal of having people liking my way of storytelling, then I'm satisfied. Of course, I cannot write all the time if I have to go out. But as long as I can continue later on, that's good enough for me.

Why do you write? (Example; For fun, to make extra money, a personal experience you want to share with the public)

In the beginning, I never imagined myself to be a writer. I'm a shy person so I'm not used to people noticing me or what I've done. It's really uncomfortable for me. I knew I liked reading but writing my own books was a whole different concept for me. So when I first started, I had a lot of doubts. I had doubts about myself and what I wrote. I didn't think they would end up being published at all. Looking back over those years now, I realize writing has helped me become more confident about myself. It also has helped me be more confident about my storytelling abilities. I didn't know anything back then but I'm steadily learning now. So for me, writing has turned into a personal experience. It's helped me grow to be better and prouder of the journey I've taken. I'm sure other people might think the same way too. While writing has been fun, it encourages me to go farther than where I've ever been. Don't look back but keep on moving forward. One day, when I've written many books, I want to look back and reflect on how much I've transformed altogether. I already know it will be one unforgettable career too.

What are you working on right now / or your most recent work

Right now, I'm almost finishing my sixth manuscript. I mainly write romance. My main characters are two people who couldn't stand each other when they first met. They think the other person is completely different from them but that's not true. Darius needs a therapist after being paralyzed from a plane crash. The only one who's willing to work with him is Rianna, a therapist who's just as stubborn as he is. He's someone you absolutely want to hate too. They've never seen each other until he remembers seeing her during his adolescence. But their relationship gets more complicated when everything of his past comes out, crashing over them like a hurricane. When I thought of the characters, I wondered if this could turn into a full length novel. I didn't have the whole plot thought out at the beginning. So far, the story is turning out very good. But we'll see...

What inspired you to create this book

I believe I wanted to write a story about what brings two different people to fall in love with each other. But I also wanted to show while a couple stays together for a long time (from college to afterwards) what can happen to their relationship then. So I wrote "Landry" with those concepts in mind. At first, I didn't plan to make this into a series. But it's interesting to see how the unexpected things happen. This series also focuses on the couple meeting from high school. You see once they quickly fall in love, it's not smiles and rainbows all the time. That's when they struggle and they have to decide: do we stay together or do we walk away for good? With the story moving back and forth from the past to the present, they find the hope to keep on trying. You also see them asking themselves: are we meant to stay together forever or not? You hope they do but most importantly, the characters need to admit the truth to each other.

What genre do you write in and why did you choose it

I write in contemporary romance. At the beginning, I started in historical fiction and some fantasy. The fantasy consisted of people turning into animals but I thought to myself, no publisher will find this worth printing. A family friend thought they were interesting and encouraged me to keep on writing. So I did but I realized I needed to pick a different genre. I chose romance because I love love stories. The problem was I had no clue about how to write sex scenes. Coming from there to where I'm now definitely seemed like many years ago. I eventually read some books to help me build my knowledge and took a leap of faith. I'm still building on how to write a better story so as long as they're not fantasy, that's all that matters.

How much research did you do on your book? (If it applies)

I really didn't do much research on this book at all. But I hadn't realized then researching makes a plot more realistic since they're based on actual facts. I know I should have when I started writing this book and I wished I had.

How do you think you have evolved creatively from when you first started writing until now

My ideas for a plot sucked (excuse my language) when I first started. There was nothing about them that made the story stand out as worth reading/publishing in the first place. I might have had some noticeable characters but I had nothing else. A good book is not just about the characters. It's about the events that take place, the emotions you felt while you read, and if you connected with any main characters. Like I said before, I didn't know any of this. I read a lot as a child but writing my own story was something I never thought about. While writing "Landry," I had to put myself in the reader's perspective. I constantly asked myself, "what would the reader think about this scene?" "How would the reader expect the characters to act in here?" It took me a while to get there since this was the first book I wanted to try to publish. But I did and I'm proud of how far I've come.

What was the hardest thing about writing this book for you

My hardest difficulty was learning to write better, specifically in grammar. I'm an Asian-American woman but I've lived in Oklahoma all my life. Somehow, speaking and writing aren't the same thing as I naturally thought. I've gotten better but (ugh), I'm just glad you're not able to see the mistakes I've made then. I guess I really didn't pay attention in English class any in high school at all. My second difficulty was obviously writing a sex scene. It's easy to understand what's going on when it's right before you on TV/movie. But writing about it turned more complicated. I had to imagine everything that went on, moment by moment. I had to visualize body parts and what they did. I still didn't have any confidence in myself within this particular area but I couldn't rip it up and walk away either. Despite the challenges I faced, I pushed myself to keep on going. No one else would write it except for me. It's my book so I needed to finish it.

What was the most rewarding

I think the most rewarding thing was once I finished writing this book, I could look at it to say I've actually written a romance novel. Just when I thought I never could, I now had the proof that I did. I think I must have struggled so many times throughout the course of writing this. I even asked myself, why am I writing a book. It's true when people say being a writer is very hard. I didn't even have the money to go through the publishing process. But in the back of my mind, I longed to write a book. I loved reading so I wanted to try writing too. For me, writing my books is having someone tell me they loved my book. That they connected with a certain character all throughout the book because they possibly went through the same thing themselves. It's not about the money or the fame. I want someone to see I have an unique way of telling a story, making the characters more real. To me, that means the world.

If you had to start over, is there anything you would do different

I know some people would say they would. But to me, I'm happy with how the story turned out. I really don't think there's anything I want to do different. I'm proud of this being my first book.

Are you a planner type person, or do you prefer to dive right in when you write

I usually outline what happens in each chapter of a book. I also need to write out each character (name, looks, age,) too. Sometimes, I don't write anything out at all. On this manuscript I'm working on now, I didn't outline anything at all. But once I got past a certain chapter, I'd get stuck with what needed to happen after a scene. I find if I outline until the end, I experience less writer's block. But with "Landry," I didn't outline at all either. I guess it all came naturally to me then.

Do you recommend being a part of a support groups to help you with your writing

Yes, I would. You need as much support as you can get whenever you're starting out or after your first book's released. They can definitely encourage you and guide you to the right people/ideas you're needing for a particular thing. I know I still do. I've friended some good people on social media who are very helpful and also positive about everything. The more people you have on your side, the more grateful you'll feel at the end. They support you, you support them. It definitely makes being a writer somewhat easier than when you first began.

Do you work with an editor If so, how much input do they have

Oh, I definitely need to work with an editor. If not, I know my writing would be all jumbled up. Although I've learned a lot from my previous editor, I recognize I still need to learn a lot more about the mechanics of writing perfectly. But I know that won't happen overnight either. Because my editor's far more experienced in writing, I'm willing to learn without making a complaint. If someone makes a criticism about my book too, I won't get upset. But that's why I'm fortunate to have my editor who is patient enough to teach me over and over. So my editor can put in a little or a lot of input into my manuscript. As long as it fits in with what I want in that particular scene, it won't bother me any.

How are you publishing this book? (Indie / self-published, traditional)

This one is self-published. I think I'll do self-publishing for a while until a publisher notices me. I don't know when that will be but then, I'm not on a deadline either. I want the publisher to be a right one, whether it be independent or well-known. But we'll see where my journey of being an author takes me...

What are your thoughts on book series

I don't have anything bad to say about a book series. I'm sure some authors are very good at writing series with four or five books in them. But me, I tend to go in the other direction. I like writing of a story with new characters, new setting, and new events. That's how I was as a little girl. Whenever I picked up a book, I always wondered, 'where will this book take me?' So as an adult, I'm the same way. There might be some similarities between one story and another but that doesn't mean they're completely same. As I said before, I never thought about writing a series. But after realizing how same "Landry" is with "Denae" (the other book), I decided to put them together. Now, I don't know if I'll be doing another series later on in the future. It just might be a possibility.

How long do you think a book should be? (Pages or words)

I like my books being at least 300 pages to 20 chapters or more. I think that's a good length for a romance while some can be far more. Maybe one day, I'll publish a 400 page novel. The sky's the limit.

What advice would you give to your younger self today

I'd tell myself not to be afraid of the obstacles in front of you. No matter what's in front of you, keep on going. If writing's your dream, you should go after it instead of constantly hesitating. Life's too short. There's a chance you could die tomorrow and you could regret forever why you didn't follow your heart. The obstacles will go away but you need to believe in yourself the most. Even if no one else supports you, don't ever give up on what you want. Life's not easy either. Despite you don't have the skills now, you can learn and you can grow. Be confident in yourself and one day, you'll eventually get to the top of the mountain.

What is your favorite book or film

I have two favorite books. "Jane Eyre" and "Pride and Prejudice." I know. Those sound very old but I'm a literature girl at heart. From reading those two, I tried writing historical fiction too but one has been modernized to be published next. I just love how the main characters in those books seem to be different at first. But you can't help but wonder how they'll fall in love at the end. I especially loved "Jane Eyre" because she's a character you feel sorry for as a child. But later, she's independent, headstrong, and yet, very caring. I liked that there's a mystery element in that story too. I love those kinds of female characters like Jane and Elizabeth Bennett. Although they're set in a different time era, the story and characters still means something to us now. Those kinds of books are something you'll never forget.

If you don’t already have one, do you have plans to have a book trailer and what are your thoughts on them overall

No, not yet. I really don't know if I'll be making a book trailer anytime soon. Then again, I don't know what book I'd want to make it to either. I think book trailers are interesting to watch so you can see a film like version of the book. I've seen a couple of them so far and I like them. Maybe you should ask me that again in the coming months.

What are you working on next

Ha, I haven't really thought about it. I'm just focused on finishing this manuscript right now so anything beyond that, it's unknown. I'm sure I'll be doing another story as always. But as to what it'll be about, that will take some time. I want each of my stories to be different in their own way as much as possible. Like the previous question, ask me this later. Hopefully, I'll have an answer by then.

When you get frustrated, how do you deal with it

Whenever I get frustrated with writer's block, I end up being distracted. So I don't write as much as I want to. Sometimes, I read a previously written manuscript. Or I browse around on the Internet without having anything in mind. Or I'll play a game on my phone. So it all depends on just what I'm stuck on. I've experienced a lot of that with this manuscript lately, probably because I haven't outlined the plot out. The frustration can last for a short time or go on longer. The only way I can really get rid of it is when I start typing some sentences. I might have to delete the whole thing later but I'm just glad it's gone.

What advice would you give a writer that is just starting out

Obviously, everyone will tell you being a writer is very hard. But despite all the facts they give you, concentrate on why you want to write. Sure, they're being realistic with you. But you're not driven to write because of those. You have a passion to write and you desire to see your book out there. I think if you focus on that while you're starting out, everything else won't matter. You'll deal with them whenever you get to them. What's important to you are your hopes and goals. You can succeed if you're confident about yourself. And you will despite what anyone says. Just think about Jane Austen. If you keep reaching after your dream, everything you've ever wanted will soon come true. I wish I had someone tell me this then. But I hope this encourages someone out there too.

About the Author

VivianLeeAuthor

Vivian Lee has been a fan of books since a little girl when her father introduced her to books at the age of four. She always loved to read more than doing anything else. Since college, while in graduate school, she tried her hand in writing some of her own stories. Although, Vivian had never intended on publishing or sharing them with anyone to read, her thoughts endlessly seemed to go on paper. Since college, she had written a lot of romance stories such as historical romance and fantasy. It wasn't until a friend had encouraged Vivian to write the stories for publication, because she felt the passion to write that much. Along the way, Vivian has tried to enter into some writing contests and you may see them appearing in the future. With the Series of "Fated by Chance,” Vivian has chosen “Landry” to be her first book. All that she can dream about is having her name recognized one day as a novelist. Ms. Lee desires for her fans to relish deep in her books with page turning her books turn into bestsellers. She continues to write romantic fiction with four titles waiting to be published. She lives in Moore, Oklahoma.