We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lory Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lory below.

Lory, appreciate you joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

I am a writer–have been for 40+ years. In 2017, I officially became a published novelist with my first book, “My Interview with Beethoven,” which is historical fiction.

Why Beethoven? Because he saved my sanity when I relocated from the West Coast to the East Coast–or as I call it, the Beast Coast. His music, his life, the struggles he experienced, served as inspiration for me to never give up. So, after I published it, and it won awards and other accolades, I thought, “Well, that’s it. I’m not going to write another one as good as this,” because this literary first born was my baby.

But then, several years later, I became interested in dating and relationships. Now, as a single woman who’s had her share of dates and boyfriends, a lot of the relationship advice I tuned into, on the internet, in books and YouTube, wasn’t new to me. But a lot more was, and it was fascinating. So much so, that I was inspired to write my latest book, a supernatural romcom called “It Happened One Morning…”. It’s about a famous male relationship coach who suddenly turns into a woman. Now, he not only lives as the opposite s*x, he’s forced to take his own dating advice. While my Beethoven book took 15 years to write, “It Happened One Morning…” took only over a year. It was so much fun to concoct the plot and these fascinating characters, and when I typed The End, I cried, because the journey that was such a joy had come to a close.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always been a storyteller ever since I was a teenager. Wrote two books. Never published them, but the whole point was to create a world I wanted to be part of. Escape the annoying, humdrum reality that is life, and control the fate of characters in my hands.

But, unless you’re exceptionally talented and have lucrative connections, most of us can’t succeed on story-crafting alone. So a few years after graduating from California State University-Northridge, I got hired as an editorial assistant for an aerospace magazine. Proofreading those bored me to death. Our manager, however, saw I had writing talent, so she had me assigned to a corporate newsletter. I took that experience with me to Washington, D.C., where I eventually landed two jobs at Gannett. Left there, joined another company writing for their newsletters and eventually their proposal center. Then moved to Las Vegas, where I became a communications consultant to MGM Mirage, then joined a government contractor where I wrote for and oversaw their company publication.

See what’s happened here? One thing leads to another which leads to another, and on it goes. When we’re young, we start small, learning our way up to bigger accomplishments. While leading this life, I saw it as nothing but non-stop drudgery. The pay was horrible. Some of the people I worked with were, shall we say, challenging. But now looking back, I nod and go, “Oh, yeah. That WAS a good experience.” I never realized it until the dust finally settled. My experiences were for my greater benefit.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

World-building that not only fascinates me but possibly others as well. What’s amazing is that–take my Beethoven book, for instance–people who had no interest in Beethoven, or even classical music, read it because they either won it through Amazon or Goodreads, or knew me well. The novel took them to a time and place completely foreign, yet it fascinated them. And now they know the maestro a whole lot more! Mission accomplished. This has snagged me future readers for my upcoming book.

The other rewarding aspect is escaping reality. When scenes of a book as yet unwritten pop into my head, and I hear the characters, and see it as if it’s on a TV or movie screen in my head, I have to write it down. Then that happens again and again, and then I have a completed book. I don’t write linearly, but as the characters present themselves in a very tense or dramatic scene.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Yes. If I could do my life over, I’d join Toastmasters a whole lot sooner. I didn’t because, in my 20s and 30s, I was introverted and insecure, and how in the world can anyone come up with a speech? And give that speech to an audience? How frightening! But I joined Toastmasters in my late 40s because I desperately needed to, for the sake of my career. Toastmasters has helped give me confidence, where I can now speak on anything (except sports) without fail.

The other resource I wish I had known about earlier was earning an MFA (Masters of Fine Arts). My mother kept pressing me to get an MBA–me, a math flunky. I was like, “Are you kidding me?” If I had known MFAs existed, I would have sprung at the chance.

But nothing in my life was for naught. Everything I learned and utilized brought me to my present successes. I’m looking forward to the ebook version of “It Happened One Morning…” going live on Amazon on October 12. The paperback will launch December 1, just in time for the holidays. I can’t wait for readers to take the journey I didn’t want to leave.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lahiderjones.com
• Instagram: lahider.jones.56
• Facebook: la.hiderjones.923