Lori hon, thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us.

Do tell, please, about DOUBLE THE HEAT and BACK IN BLACK.

[Lori said:] Thanks so much Ivy!
“Double The Heat” is an anthology with a Winston novella from me. The hero is a twin (cousin to the other Winstons from pervious stories of mine) and his twin’s story was out December 08 in “Double the Pleasure.” Joe Winston, one of my most popular heroes ever, makes an appearance in each story to visit his cousins and lend his expertise in certain situations. It was so much fun visiting the Winstons again!

“Back in Black” is the (as of right now) the last of my SBC series. This single title features Drew Black, president of the SBC organization. He’s a real character, a mega Alpha, uber sexy, and he was loads of fun to write. Characters from the previous SBC books do have cameos, but I also introduces a new character who has a secondary romance in the story. I hope readers enjoy the story! The cover is fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Is there anything you need to coax and/or pacify your muse?

[Lori said:] Not really, but I do have certain things I like to do when I’m in writing mode. I have a playlist that I crank up and go through scented candles like crazy. My playlist has a lot of Kid Rock, Marilyn Manson, Korn, Uncle Kracker, Macy Gray, Aerosmith and Tom Petty. Those are some of my favorites. My candles are usually cinnamon, cherry, hyacinth or lavender. (With the holidays, I love cinnamon scents!)

How do you juggle family and writing?  Do they help when inspiration strikes or a deadline looms or are you still looking for that elusive bathroom/kitchen fairy like me?

[Lori said:] Hubby is retired now and he goes above and beyond to simplify my life so that I can write without a lot of other concerns. He makes all the phone calls (medical, insurance, banking, etc…) and he does almost all the grocery shopping – and usually the cooking too!

Family always comes first for me, so when my sons (all grown) or my grandson (4 years old) come to visit or it’s a holiday, or there’s another good reason to spend time with them, I do – without guilt. Sunday is always family day and the kids come to visit, or we all go to the movies or dinner together. When I’m behind on a deadline and really have to buckle down, they’re all very understanding. Even when the boys were still at home, they were terrific about respecting my writing time.

I love the fact that a lot of your heroines are older than 20 some odd.  Is that one of the reasons you started writing or have you always done so?

[Lori said:] I mix it up. Sometimes the heroines are younger, sometimes older. Sometimes they’re gorgeous and sometimes not. Some have issues with physical traits that they consider flaws, and some have external issues (threats) and the same can be said for the heroes. I like to write a variety of character types. One thing I won’t write is a stupid or dependent character. And they have to love animals! LOL

You give so much to others and I think that’s absolutely wonderful.  Is there a certain criteria you use to decide who you give to or is it just charities near & dear?

[Lori said:] I like to stick with local charities. The more nationally known charities get help from everywhere – including from me. But when I run a fundraising project, I try to help my neighborhood. We have a wonderful animal shelter near us, and then there’s the county’s battered women shelter, and the One Way Farm for abused and abandoned children, the food bank, the Conductive Learning Center for kids with cerebral palsy and spina bifida… there are more than enough wonderful, worthy local charities that can use a little help.

I’ve noticed there are a lot of authors in Ohio, must be something in the water!  Do y’all know each other, maybe have an Ohio writer’s group or some such?

[Lori said:] There are several Ohio writers groups, including Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America (OVRWA) and Central Ohio Fiction Writers (COFW). I’m good friends with many of the ladies – published and pre published – from both groups.
That’s why my good friend Dianne Castell and I do the annual “Readers and Writers Get Together” every June. In 2010 we’ll have our 6^th annual event. Information is on my website at www.lorifoster.com then go to community and then “Get Together.”
The event is in West Chester, Ohio each year. (Because that’s convenient for Dianne and me. J )

For only $50 we have a whole weekend of fun including a Friday night pizza party, and Saturday continental breakfast, buffet lunch and buffet dinner. We have a gigantic book fair/signing, a used book trade, agent and editor appointments, lots of lots of opportunity for chatting and taking photos, a raffle that earns us some great donations to local charities (see question #5!) and all kinds of fun.
Last year we had around 100 authors, with 300 attendees total. Registration opens in January on my site, and at that time you’ll be able to see the terrific line-up of agents, editors, and industry professionals that we have attending so far.

Any particular reason you “crossed to the dark side”?

[Lori said:] Because I LOVE it. My favorite form of entertainment has always been scarier movies or action plots. I love romance too, so I had to combine them, and so far so good! I’ve had a wonderful time with my L.L. Foster books and look forward to writing many more. BUT… I’m going to take a brief break in publishing the L.L. books because I recently switched publishers, and my new publisher wants to do 3 contemporary romances back to back in 2011 – which means I really need to do a lot of writing to get all 3 done in advance. Busy busy!

Who do you enjoy reading?

[Lori said:] Right now my absolute favorite is Kresley Cole. She’s amazing! She’s hilariously funny, the heroes are uber Alpha and oh-so-sexy, and the pacing is always fast. Her Immortal series is just outstanding. I’ve never read anything like it.

I also adore Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, Johanna Lindsey and a few others – actually too many to name them all!

Thanks so much Lori for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us today.  I’ve really enjoyed it!

[Lori said:] Thank YOU for inviting me to chat. I appreciate it.
Happy reading to everyone!