INTERVIEW: Historical Author James R. Lawrence

James R. Lawrence

Appleton, WI

USA

Good morning, James, and welcome to Vision and Verse. Can you tell us a little about what you’ve written?

Novels: Echoes in the Wind, The Musketeers: All for One, Mr. REE, Mr. REE in Maine, Mr. REE in the Witch’s Cove, Soldier Boy, Love is Mad, and Daisy Ingle’s Secret Circle.

Produced Plays: The Lady of Shalott, Isn’t She Lovely, First Impressions, Wuthering Heights (adaptation).

Poetry: Last Words of a Graveyard

What is your favorite genre to write? 

My interests are vast, but a wise person told me to focus on one genre. So, the one that tied a lot of my interests together is historical fiction.

Favorite food?

My favorite food has to pizza. I could eat it every day.

Coffee or tea? 

I drink both tea and coffee equally.  

Pizza or ice cream?

Pizza, of course.

Beer or wine? Or what?

I should drink more wine, but a cold beer is all that seems to be around. 

Where would you like to visit? 

I love to travel, but if I had a choice to visit any place in the world, it would be England, where much of my heritage originated. I would want to walk the same streets my ancestors walked, see their ocean views, and even visit their final resting places. Again, I love history.

Who is your favorite musical artist?

My favorite musical artist is a tough one. It depends on the minute and mood I am in. But I do have an affinity for seventies soft rock.

Do you listen to music when you write? Or do you need quiet to write?

I don’t usually listen to music while I write unless I need an emotional trigger. In that case, I will play the soundtrack music from Michael Nyman.

What makes James R. Lawrence laugh?
I was raised on old Hollywood comedy teams, so I would have to say one-liners.

This is an Art and Author blog so I am obligated to ask: What is your favorite work of art? 

 
My favorite work of art is The Lady of Shalott (1888) by John William Waterhouse, which is a gigantic work of 72x91-inch oil painting on canvas displayed at London’s Tate Gallery.

When did you discover you had a gift for writing? 

I started writing when I was ten years old. I remember my fifth-grade 

teacher encouraging my writing.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I am what you might call a Lawful Plotter. I plan out more details than you can imagine. I know how many chapters the book will be, roughly what happens in every chapter, and especially how it ends.

Please describe your perfect evening. 
The perfect evening would consist of dining out, a walk along a river, attending a theatrical performance, and crashing on the couch in front of the TV.

Where do you get your inspiration?
I don’t know where my inspiration comes from. I know my brain is always working overtime. There is never a shortage of ideas, and I am planning several books ahead while writing my WIP. I know watching shows like The Twilight Zone gave me the passion for the twist ending. 

Do you get Writer’s Block?

What do you do when you get it?
What is writer’s block? I never understood that concept, though I hear it is common. My problem is finding the time to sit down and write.

Who is your favorite author?
My favorite author is Charles Dickens. I am nostalgic, so I tend to hold onto the great authors I read as a child. I also have a thing for William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen, and Alexandre Dumas.

What’s the best book you ever read?
The best book I ever read is another hard question to answer since it is so subjective. I learn toward Great Expectations, although I must put Pride and Prejudice up there in a close second.

What’s the last book you read?
The last book I read was The Family Web by Itzel Cummings.

What would you choose as an occupation if you were not an author?
Considering I love studying the past, my second occupation might have to be a history professor.

Who is the one person in your life who has influenced you the most?
I suppose the person who influenced my personal life the most would have to be my mother. She has been gone for 20 years now, but the things she taught me are ever-present.

If you could sit on a bench and have a conversation with any person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be? 
If there was one person, living or dead, real or fictional, that I could talk to, I would have to choose Charles Dickens. It would be amazing to discuss his works, his influences, and his advice for me as a writer. And I could explore London while I am visiting.

What one piece of sage advice would you give to an individual who wanted to become a writer?
The best advice I could give a beginning writer of any age is to claim a space that is their own and write there every day at the same time, no matter how long of a period it lasts. It trains the brain to think it should be working. 

Do you have some links for us to follow you? 
Social Media pages:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wisconsinauthorJRL

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/stores/James-Lawrence/author/B08BV1991J

TikTok:  @jameslawrence539

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wisconsinauthor/

X:  @wisconsinauthor

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