Meet Lisa Chalmers

I'd like you all to meet author Lisa Chalmers. I "met" her on an authors' online group when she announced the release of her debut book. I had to congratulate her, of course, and then I invited her here. I can't believe how much we have in common besides writing. So grab a cup of tea or coffee and meet Lisa Chalmers. (She's shy so no picture...yet.)

Welcome, Lisa. Tell us about yourself.

I’m a total bookaholic, always have been. I love flowers, gardening, photography, going to concerts, yoga when I can fit it in.

(See what I mean about similarities: flowers, gardening, & photography.) What is your work schedule like when you're writing? 

I tend to be a night owl, the words seem to come more easy then for some reason so I’ll be up writing till the words stop coming to me, usually around 2-3am.

(Okay, I am so not a night owl.) How many hours a day to you spend writing? 

It varies, some days only a couple and others when I’m in the zone with the characters and the words are coming, I can write for about eight hours.

That is such a great feeling. How long does it take you to write a book? 

It varies. One I wrote years ago I did in six weeks, there’s another one I’ve been working on off and on for eight years now. Generally though, about four months then another month or so for revisions later when I get them back from my editor.

What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

Watch movies, listen to music, go to the occasional concert. In the summer I love to garden, take pictures of flowers.

(You all know how much I like movies.) Okay, Lisa, what’s your favorite movie?

I’m a big fan of the old classic black and white movies. I love Cary Grant, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, William Powell and Myrna Loy. They had such great dialogue in movies back then. I also love a good action movie. The Die Hard series and the Fast and Furious series are a favorite, too.

 

(Yes, yes, yes. I've been in love with Cary Grant since I was a teen. And I love the Die Hard movies.) 

Where do you start when writing? Research, plotting, outline, or...? 

Actually, once I have a character talking to me, I usually start writing and make notes of things I need to look up later along the way. I like to get the first draft down as much as possible then go back in and add things in the next draft.

 

(Bingo!) Are your stories driven by plot or character? 

Character for sure. They like to change direction on me on a whim sometimes.

Do they ever! Tell us about your debut book.

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES is my debut release. It’s a paranormal romance, but it’s not exactly a typical romance. I tend to think of it as a bit of ‘Ghost’ meets ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.

I love taglines that reference movies. Ghost stories are great. So, Lisa, give us more info about IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES.

Blurb:

Josh Collins has the perfect life—a beautiful girlfriend and a baby on the way, until an accident takes his life and he’s suddenly forced to fight for everything and everyone he loves. 

Alone and pregnant, Avery Rhodes is suddenly faced with a painful new reality. Life without the man she loves is turbulent. Nothing feels the same any more without him and she finds herself facing the unimaginable. 

With his newfound guide Gabriel, Josh is forced to learn what happens IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES.

Excerpt of IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES:

Josh tensed, his body still as a statue the moment he opened his eyes again and found himself in the church, everyone he loved sitting in pews in front of his casket, his photo on an easel surrounded by flowers. He never thought he’d see this moment. Everyone mourning him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. None of this should be happening. He wanted to reach out and yank on everyone’s sleeve like a toddler, demanding their attention to tell them he was there, he wasn’t dead. He wasn’t gone. He was just…stuck.

Tears burned his eyes, and he brushed them angrily away. He hated the sadness on everyone’s faces. The feel of the loss in that room was palpable. It burned its way through him, making his entire being ache. This was a step too far, having to see Avery suffer through this, not to mention Blake and his parents.

“Can we go?”

Gabriel studied him. “I thought you wanted to be here for her.”

“I do…” But everyone had a breaking point, and this moment right here was awfully close to his. He followed a group of people up the aisle, wanting to get close to her. He knew Gabriel stayed behind, granting him some semblance of space, of privacy.

He saw her sitting up front, the somber black dress making her appear all the more pale, all the more fragile. He moved around a couple of people whispering in the aisle, their gazes turned towards her. Josh heard the murmuring of the word baby, and his hands tightened into fists automatically.

“You should stay.” Gabriel’s voice sounded in his head, as clear as if he stood beside him.

Why? Josh thought as he rounded the pew and walked by his brothers. Alec sat beside her, his head bowed as he played with the cell phone in his hand. He recognized the bandage on his brother’s knuckles from where he’d punched the wall. His sweet younger brother who wasn’t prone to having a temper, who rarely got mad or raised his voice, had taken his anger and frustration out on his bedroom wall, putting a good dent in the drywall which he’d hastily covered up with a poster, not wanting to have to explain it to anyone.

Josh had never felt more helpless. Hopeless. This was going too far. He needed Avery to know this wasn’t real. It wasn’t. It was…limbo, some strange in between where he and everyone he loved was being held, tested in, waiting for someone to make a decision.

This sounds like such a great book. Where can I find it?

Buy links:

http://www.amazon.com/If-Tomorrow-Never-Comes-ebook/dp/B00BHOCMMC

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-tomorrow-never-comes-lisa-chalmers/1115292097?ean=2940044514737

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/if-tomorrow-never-comes/id646062728?mt=11

 Here's a little more about Lisa.

Bio:
Lisa Chalmers is the author of If Tomorrow Never Comes and the upcoming paranormal romance, Dark Intent. She writes an eclectic mix, but has a special place in her heart for the paranormal and all things that go bump in the night.

One last question, where can readers find you?

My website http://www.lisa-chalmers.com, twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisaink and my facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/LisaChalmersInk (which I’m trying to get way better as using!)

Lisa, it's been a pleasure having you here today. I wish you much success for your debut book.