Author Lauren Smith Interview and Amazon Gift Card Contest LIVE Here!

BBB: If you could eliminate one thing from your daily schedule, what would it be and why? LS: Driving. I wish they had teleportation machines. I’d be the first in line to try one out. I think driving can take up a lot of time when you have to run errands or when I drive to work. Wouldn’t it be cool to just step through a portal and blam! You’re where you need to be in a matter of seconds!
BBB: If you could switch bodies with a certain author, who would it be and why?
LS: Hmm, well I might have to go with something crazy and say Stephen King. If we switched, I think it would be hilarious to go around saying things that people wouldn’t expect from him. I’d probably, as King, start saying people should read more romances LOL.
BBB: If you were a professional wrestler, what would your ring name be and why?
LS: Wow, that’s a great idea! I’d probably be something like the “Dark Tornado” since I’m from Oklahoma and I think Tornadoes are pretty darn scary. I’d like to instill that dread in my opponent if I was a wrestler.
BBB: What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing versus being traditionally published or the other way around?
LS: I’m mainly traditionally published, with only one novella that was sort of self-published through my agency’s literary agency. I think the advantages to traditional publishing is the promotional support, editing quality and cost saving. To be a successful self-pubbed author, you have to be willing to put in the time to hire a good editor, pay for good cover art and pay for promotion. Publishers will cover these costs for you, and that is part of the cut they get from your profits. I think it’s a fair trade for new authors like myself. Once you have an established fan base it’s easier to transition to self-publishing so long as you can afford the costs.
BBB: Please tell us more about Wicked Designs and the storyline that drives it.
LS: Wicked Designs is the first in my Regency set series “The League of Rogues”. Basically, a duke and his four friends, kidnap a debutante (named Emily) in London in 1821 so that it will ruin her reputation and therefore destroy her options for marriage. Sounds pretty dastardly right? Well, Emily’s uncle stole a bunch of money from the duke (Godric) and this is the way he gets his revenge because Emily’s uncle wanted to marry her off to a bad guy named Blankenship who would pay off Emily’s uncle’s debts.
What starts off as an abduction turns into a madcap series of adventures for Godric and his friends as they in turn become captives of the innocent, intelligent and charming Emily. When Blankenship comes after Emily to reclaim her as he sees her belonging to him, Godric and his League of Rogues must defend the woman that Godric in particular can no longer live without.
BBB: How many more books will there be in the League of Rogues series?
LS: There will be 6 books, one for each member of the League. In the first book there are five league members but by the end of the book, they’ve added a new rogue to their numbers.
BBB: What sets Wicked Designs apart from other books in the same genre?
LS: Two things really. The first is that most authors write secondary characters who come and go during a book in the series and don’t get much page time until their books You might see them mentioned, but you don’t get really interact with them as a reader or even be in their point of view much or at all in other series. With Wicked Designs, you get up close and personal with all the members of the League. They are all part of the adventure and the story and work to support Godric and Emily to reach their happily ever after. The second thing is that this book is for readers who might not like historicals or maybe have never been interested in historicals. I want readers, no matter their romance subgenre preference to enjoy this story. The book is more character driven, and fully of action, humor and suspense. You don’t need to be an expert on the Regency era to read or enjoy the book, the time period is more of a window dressing for a reader to enjoy.
BBB: What types of characters can readers expect in your world?
LS: Deep characters with flaws and chances for redemption. I want my characters to will last in your memory for weeks or months after you’re done reading. I have truly bad boy alpha male men in my series, but they all have sweet interiors that get busted down one by one for the women who will change their lives. You will also have smart, sensible heroines with humor and bravery who will equal their heroes and make you want to be their friends.
BBB: If you could have an unlimited storage of one thing (besides books), what would it be?
LS: Diet Dr. Pepper. It’s my ambrosia. I need at least two in the morning to be fully functional.
BBB: Name one thing that drives you crazy in the publishing industry.
LS: I think the most annoying is that when editors tell you they are looking for fresh new ideas they are pretty much not wanting that. They almost always reject fresh new ideas in favor of publishing book after book of exactly the same thing they’ve published for the last decade. I’ve been fortunate to land with three publishers who like my unique storylines.
BBB: Share one funniest, one silliest and one wackiest status you have put up on a social networking site.
LS: I think the wackiest status I posted was more about the picture. It was a .gif of Kermit the frog waving his arms around frantically in excitement. People loved it! The silliest thing was probably just the other day when I shared a picture from my favorite tv show Supernatural which had a picture of Dean with a cup of pudding and I was saying how I can’t hear the word pudding or pie and not think of Dean since he LOVES pie and pudding. The funniest post was probably a post about Stephen Colbert discussing the Amazon v. Hachette issue. He’s one of the funniest guys out there.
BBB: If you were a genie, what wish would you absolutely NOT grant?
LS: A million dollars. I wouldn’t do that. The law of genies is that the money or whatever is wished for cannot be produced out of thin air. It comes from somewhere else, and I would worry that wherever my genie powers found the money, it would be taking it from someone who might need their money.
BBB: Tell us about a unique or quirky habit of yours. (writing or otherwise)
LS: I write everything for the most part by hand. I’m an artist in my spare time and there’s something you can’t beat about writing or drawing with your hand rather than typing on the computer. People always react with shock when I saw I write by hand, so I guess that’s quirky lol.
BBB: What’s coming up for you for the rest of 2014?
LS: The second book in my League of Rogues series comes out November 11th. It’s called His Wicked Seduction. I also will be starting my modern gothic series for a different publisher. It’s a series with stand alone books that involve english ghost stories set in present day. Think Downton Abbey but with a present day setting with all the sexiness and excitement and supernatural elements of the tv show Supernatural. It’s a blend of both of those worlds and it’s super fun!! The first book in this series is called The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall and it comes out September 22nd (just in time for Halloween!)
Read a 4 star review of  Wicked Designs by clicking here.
Buy a Kindle copy of Wicked Designs from Amazon by clicking here.
Books in the League of Rogues series in the order they should be read: Wicked Designs

About Lauren Smith

Author Bio:

Lauren Smith is an attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets: a feisty chinchilla, sophisticated cat and dapper little schnauzer. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including being an Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award.

11 Quick Things About Lauren

Favorite Food? Orange Chicken with fried rice
Favorite Color? Cobalt blue
Favorite Movie or TV Show of all Time? Supernatural (tv show) Laura (1944 film noir movie)
Favorite Drink? Diet Dr. Pepper
Favorite Book? No way I can possibly answer that question, but if I had to pick one, The Host by Stephanie Meyer (don’t laugh lol, seriously, read it!)
Favorite Season? Fall
Favorite Online Hangout? (think FB, Twitter, Goodreads) Facebook
Favorite Animal? North American River Otter
Favorite Band or Musician? Evanescence
Mode of Travel? (Trains, Planes or Automobiles) Automobiles
Favorite Vacation Destination?  Cambridge (UK)

Connect with Lauren

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