Today we’d like to introduce you to J.L. Lawrence.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us how you got started?
Reading has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. My true writing journey began when my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since middle and high school, I had always written down crazy ideas or fun stories to cope with. However, as my sister battled cancer, I began to bring those ideas together and write deeper stories as a way to disappear into a world of fantasy. The more unbelievable the world, the more I felt relief. At the time, it provided therapy more than thoughts of publishing. A few years later, I faced breast cancer, and writing became a way to escape into another world. A friend of mine read through what would become my first book. She loved the concept and helped me find an amazing writer’s group. I still have several friends from that group to this day. After years of edits and re-edits, I finally published my first book. Within three more years, I released my first complete trilogy, The Mystic Series.
I honestly thought that was it. I had finished my task. My daughter, who was only fourteen then, wanted to know why I had written something for adults and not for her age range. She wanted to read my books too. I thought about it and decided to take my heroine from the Mystic Series and give her a backstory. I’d talk about my ideas and read chapters to my daughter. We had a lot of fun creating a new world. Four books later, I had a complete young adult series entitled The Path to Destiny. Throughout this process, I began exploring many new ideas and characters for future series. It has also allowed me to share a unique experience with all my children.
Jumpmaster Press asked me to join their publishing company two years ago, and I agreed. I attend Comic Cons and other local events and craft fairs. I love the fantasy world and believe it can allow people to drift into another world where the rules are different and anything is possible. I hope my books provide that adventure for my readers and offer comfort if they are dealing with their hardships in life.
I just released a new Christmas series. It’s a clean, fun romance series with a little Christmas magic mixed in (but not my usual fantasy). The first two are available, and I hope to have the third book out soon. This series is meant to be light and entertaining while reminding us about all the good that still exists. I’m also working on a new Middle-Grade fantasy series that I’m extremely excited about. I have many other projects ready to begin. Being an author is a wonderful experience and has allowed my creativity to shine. When I’m not writing, I’m a high school teacher, college instructor, soccer coach, and mom to three athletes. Life gets crazy, but my writing keeps me grounded. I’m thankful for life’s detours that led me to my current path. That same concept is often found in my books. I want to keep creating stories that inspire others to discover their dreams.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve experienced my share of setbacks and struggles; It took several years and three massive edits to release my first book; Finding an agent and having someone take your work seriously isn’t easy. Self-publishing brought challenges like learning how to format and dealing with cover designs. I had to constantly research and figure out things on my own. Luckily, I also had friends in the same boat, and we worked together to find many answers. I constantly worried about what others would think and sometimes began to doubt myself. The costs associated with self-publishing are much higher than most people understand, and I sometimes struggle to justify the amount of money required. At times, I began to question if the strain it caused negated the relief that it had once provided. Marketing has also been a lot to handle. It’s hard to stay on trend and connect with the correct people and media platforms while not spending much money. The pandemic made things more difficult because many events were canceled during the last few years. Those events provided much of my contact with potential customers. I’m now seeing some events and venues return somewhat normal. The publishing world is tough to enter and takes a lot of dedication and, at times, thick skin.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Most of my novels are part of the fantasy genre. I love creating fun, unique worlds full of quests and adventure. I also like to add in as many mythological creatures as possible. The more magic, suspense, and action inside the books, the better they are. I’ve written seven fantasy novels (three adult and four young adult) and an anthology short story through Jumpmaster Press. I’ve also just released two Christmas novellas and have a middle-grade fantasy series coming soon. My characters reflect real-life issues but take place in magical worlds. This makes them more relatable and real to the readers. They suffer hardships, but I believe in happy endings. The combination of relatable characters and unique worlds and quests helps my novels stand out from others.
Had we love to hear about any fond memories you have from growing up?
My favorite childhood memories revolved around my grandfather (who I called Papa). He had amazing patience and a way of calming me instantly. I remember him pouring his coffee and then making me hot chocolate in an identical mug so I’d be like him and feel grown up. We watched all the westerns together. He loved John Wayne. Then, we’d go outside and play games and make-believe. I also would help him in his wood shop to make furniture. My kids use that same furniture to this day.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.authorjllawrence.com
- Instagram: jllawrenceauthor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLLawrence
