We recently connected with Lisa Olech and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

So many of the books I write are meaningful, tackling sensitive subjects, keeping my women characters strong. With my pirate captain series CAPTAINS OF THE SCARLET NIGHT, I was able to work very closely with the deaf community to develop a character whose story I later earned nationally recognition for.

That being said, I think the most meaningful book I’ve written is my latest release ON WINGS OF SILENCE. It was a special project on many levels. It was my first side step out of the romance genre and into straight historical fiction. It is set during WWII, which was a very different backdrop than I am used to writing. Most importantly, however, was the fact that the idea for OWOS came from my oldest son. He is a pilot and sent me a documentary about women bombardiers during the war that I found fascinating. These women known as Night Witches were truly amazing. I knew I had to create a story based on them. Couple that with my son’s knowledge of aircraft and my husbands historical fascination, and this book quickly became a ‘family affair.’ To complete the family, my youngest son used his talents as a graphic designer to create a stunning book cover that is both unique and amazing. All together this novel will always hold a special place in my heart because my children shared in my passion for writing, and because we all added our own passions, interests, and talents into one special combined project.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a multi-genre, multi-published, hybrid author, but first and foremost I am an artist. Having been a muralist, a sketch artist, and the owner of a stained glass business for almost 30 years, the art of creating has always been who I am and has carried me to where I am today. Now I simply paint with words, and color my world with stories full of love and challenge, strength and fortitude, adventure and heroism.

I would love to tell you that I penned my first novel in purple crayon when I was only three, but I didn’t start writing until I was well into my forties. Had you told me I would be working on my fourteenth novel, I would have laughed at you. But there is something about immersing myself in story, making my characters live and breath in a flourish of type that is magical for me. I love creating worlds and enriching my stories with ties to history that really ground the story and make it feel much more “real” even in a fiction novel. I’m fascinated with research, and truly believe it is my responsibility to do that research completely and to the best of my ability.

I believe what distinguishes my books from others, is my attention to those tiny details that can truly make a story sparkle. I take my craft seriously, and feel I have a unique voice. I don’t fall into the cookie cutter approach to story telling. I much prefer an organic rhythm and flow to my books. Hopefully that helps my stories shine a little brighter than most.

I am immensely proud of the work I do. I put a lot of heart and soul into anything I attach my name to. I refuse to write ‘beige’ and although I’ve had times were others tried to dissuade me from writing about certain topics or certain groups of people, I believe if I do my job as a writer, I can tackle any subject, or character with respect and compassion and integrity. I hope my books reflect that dedication.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience? I have an entire file folder full of rejection letters to illustrate my resilience. Publishing is a long and winding road full of detours and potholes big enough to lose a bus in! It truly isn’t for the faint of heart, but persistence and dedication to craft has always been my road map. Most rejection letters are insignificant in the scheme of things, but occasionally, they cut deep. I often need to remind myself that art, any kind of art, is totally and completely subjective.

I remember early on, still unpublished, I entered two contests on the same day. One located in Florida, one in Texas. Same day, same number of pages, same, same. The judges in Florida hated my work. HATED! From one particular judge I was given a score of 37 out of 100 and told I should throw my manuscript away and start over. Texas, however, had a much different opinion. Texas LOVED me! One judge gave me a score of 103 out of 100 because she could give extra points for what she considered exceptional writing. I won the contest in Texas which got my story in front of a publisher and it was how I got my first contract.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think first and foremost we need to rid ourselves of the “starving artist” mindset, and realize the time, talent, and energy that goes into being a creative of any kind. So often as artists we are asked to give away our work for simply the exposure. We don’t ask this of any other field. We would never ask a doctor to treat us for free, or a contractor to build us a new bathroom simply to be showcased on social media. That’s ridiculous. We have been taught as a society not to value art or even recognize artists until they are dead, and yet without those creative minds I truly feel the world would be a much darker place. Art in all its forms should be celebrated. Encouraged. Taught. Valued.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lisaolech.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaa.olech/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.olech
• Linkedin: Lisa Olech
• Youtube: @JellySideUPwithaSideofSc-zt6wv
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/lisaolech/

Image Credits
Olech Designs
Jenny Olech Photography
Kensington Publishing
The Wild Rose Press Publishing