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If I’m hungry for an ordinary hero—a guy who has no special abilities but is still willing to take on the world for the woman he loves—I pick up a romance by Nora LeDuc. She mixes a little bit of humor with the right amount of thrills and mystery to make a great romance read.
Ms. LeDuc was born fifteen miles from where she lives now. Though she hasn’t traveled far from home, her stories take her places she’s never been. As a child, she entertained herself with her twenty dolls. They all had roles in her stories. As she grew older, the dolls disappeared, but the roles and stories remained in her head, which is why she doesn’t bore easily.
Besides writing, she’s good at organizing social events or entertainment. She’s also passionate about her family and her pets. She tends to talk to her pets—and she just knows that one day they’ll answer her back, and she’ll land in the loony bin. She likes Broadway and top-forty music, and she’s a collector of what her husband calls junk—but she doesn’t throw anything out because each object has a story connected to it.
Some of her favorite things include her computer because she can email people and read on it, her car because it takes her places, her flower gardens and spending time in them, and her porch where she reads and secretly naps.
On Writing, in Ms. LeDuc’s Own Words
What or who inspires you to write?
I’ve always enjoyed television. My first book, Miss McNeal’s Pirate, was based on Cheers. My librarian was based on Diane, and the alpha hero on Sam. The ship was Cheers with all its characters. My book Gifts from the Heart was based on Remington Steele. Lara was named for the pragmatic Laura, and Harrison was named for the suave Remington. The book percolating in my head is actually based on characters on a show I’m watching now, but they haven’t made it to the page or computer screen yet.
Why did you begin writing?
I saw the book, You Can Write a Romance, and thought, Why not? I’ve read tons of them, why not write one? My family said, “Great. How soon will you be rich?” They’re still waiting.
Which author inspires you?
Tami Hoag, Sandra Brown—all of the authors who worked their way or wrote their way to the top. I remember reading them when they first started out. You go, gals!
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
When I know the story is funny or the emotion is strong, I feel or sense it. It’s a great accomplishment to transfer it into my characters’ lives.
Have you experienced writer’s block? And if so, how did you cure it?
I’ve always been able to write. There have been periods when what I wrote had to be cut because it was worthless, but I believe that writing can be a cycle. You have the up days and the down. The trick is not to let it get you down.
When is your next book due out, and what’s it about?
My next book is Murder Came Calling. It’s due in June 2009. It’s about the heroine Annie Townsend who’s forced to confront the fear that her father may have murdered her mother. Desperate to learn the truth, she launches her own investigation. With a growing list of suspects and no leads, she’s forced to team up with prison-toughened Sam O’Brien, a man her family despises.
I’ve also sold another book, Pick Up Lines For Murder to The Wild Rose Press. The date of release will be announced soon. This one tends to lean more to the funnier side for those who like light mysteries.
To learn more about Nora LeDuc, please visit her online at NoraLeDuc.com
