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Though I love most all kinds of fiction, I often prefer something laced with humor, especially if it’s laugh out loud funny—it makes my day so much brighter. With her wacky and endearing heroines, author Leslie Ann Dennis does it every time. I simply love everything she writes.
As a little girl in Baton Rouge, Ms. Dennis played “Star Trek” with her brother and his friend. Her brother was always Captain Kirk, his friend was Spock—and Leslie wore a cork in her ear and played Uhura. She also collected Koala Bears up until college, then she started collecting books (mostly romances).
Ms. Dennis has had many laugh-out-loud moments herself and she loves them. As a newlywed, she and her husband moved into their first apartment. No one told them that the upstairs master bathroom had an ant problem. After taking a shower and putting on his boxers, her husband came running out, spastically dancing and shouting, “I have ants in my pants!” She still gets tickled thinking about that incident.
She has the uncanny ability to recognize voices on the phone after only hearing them once or twice. She can also tell what actor is doing a voice-over (if they’re known). And she can cook like Paula Deen (Oh, boy! I’m inviting myself over for supper, Leslie!) When asked what she’s most passionate about without stepping into Looney Land, she responded with, “Hey, I own property in Looney Land!” But she is passionate about cooking.
She doesn’t listen to music while writing, unless it’s atmospheric like nature sounds or beach sounds interlaced with orchestral music, because lyrics distract her, and she’ll just give up on writing and dance around the room instead.
Some of her favorite things are: animals (especially dogs), cooking, bicycling, crawfish, TiVo, Colin Firth and chocolate! (Preferably Colin Firth dipped in chocolate).
On Writing in Leslie Ann Dennis’s Own Words
What or who inspires you to write?
It’s usually a story with a slant on it that intrigues me so much that the characters just come to life and start brainstorming with me inside my head.
Why did you begin writing?
It was just an overwhelming urge I had to bring characters to life and give them their own stories others would enjoy reading.
Which author inspires you?
I love Brenda Joyce and Richard Matheson the most. They both inspired me on some level.
What do you find most rewarding about writing?
I’m not going to lie and say, “Oh it’s the process that’s a reward in itself.” Heck, the process is HARD and it makes me want to yank my hair out sometimes, but I keep chugging along because the big payoff, in my eyes, is when the reader writes and tells me how much they enjoyed the story, or how much they loved my character(s). There is no greater feeling to a writer than having her work appreciated and applauded. Seriously, we’re very fragile and insecure about our literary babies!
Have you experienced writer’s block? And if so, how did you cure it?
I can’t imagine any writer who hasn’t experienced this. And basically, I have to loosely quote Le Nora (Nora Roberts, one of my favorite people) when she says, “You just gotta WRITE and not wait for your muse to inspire you.” That’s the truth! You just have to sit down and wring every word out of yourself when you’re feeling “blocked”.
When is your next book due out, and what’s it about?
Currently, my novella, Sugar Shack, (written by my alter ego, Paisley Scott) is scheduled to be in a print anthology with three other authors (Ana Aragon, Devon Gray, and April Vine) in the fall of this year. I’ll be so excited to hold it in my hands! My latest work-in-progress is a sci-fi romance inspired by the short-lived, albeit wonderful series, “Firefly.” I hope to have an agent by the time I start shopping this one around New York. Wish me luck!
Do yourself a favor and don’t pass up this wonderfully funny author. Leslie Ann Dennis personally gets my highest recommendation. After reading my reviews of Reason to Believe and Sugar Shack, head over to Leslie’s homepage to learn more: www.leslieanndennis.com
