Space Summary
The Twitter Space Author Leslie A Lee: A Conversation hosted by jgmacleodauthor. Author Leslie A. Lee led an engaging Twitter space conversation focused on romance books, offering valuable insights on storytelling, character development, and writing journeys. The space aimed to inspire and educate aspiring writers by emphasizing the importance of community support, authentic storytelling, and perseverance in the creative process. Through discussions on crafting captivating endings, embracing unique voices, and the emotional power of narratives, listeners were encouraged to explore their creativity and share their stories authentically. Leslie A. Lee's journey from reader to writer served as motivation for budding authors to pursue their passion for writing with dedication and authenticity, creating impactful and relatable stories that resonate with readers.
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Questions
Q: How did Leslie A. Lee emphasize the importance of character development in romance storytelling?
A: Character development adds depth, relatability, and emotional resonance to the narrative, engaging readers on a deeper level.
Q: What role do happy endings play in romance books, as discussed in the space?
A: Happy endings provide closure, fulfillment, and a sense of hope, offering readers a satisfying conclusion to the story.
Q: How can aspiring writers benefit from engaging with a supportive writing community?
A: Supportive writing communities offer motivation, constructive feedback, networking opportunities, and a sense of belonging for writers.
Q: What advice did Leslie A. Lee give on finding inspiration for storytelling?
A: Drawing from personal experiences, emotions, observations, and imaginative scenarios can inspire unique and compelling narratives.
Q: How important is it for writers to stay true to their authentic voices in crafting romance stories?
A: Authenticity fosters genuine connections with readers, making the narrative more compelling, relatable, and impactful.
Highlights
Time: 00:12:45
Crafting Captivating Endings Leslie A. Lee shares insights on creating memorable and satisfying conclusions in romance narratives.
Time: 00:28:19
The Power of Community Support Discussions on the benefits of engaging with writing communities for inspiration, feedback, and growth.
Time: 00:35:52
Embracing Unique Storytelling Encouragement to embrace individuality and personal experiences in crafting compelling narratives.
Time: 00:47:03
From Reader to Writer Journey Leslie A. Lee's journey and advice on transitioning from a reader to a successful writer.
Time: 00:55:21
Impactful Storytelling and Emotional Resonance The transformative power of storytelling and creating emotional connections with readers.
Time: 01:02:14
Fostering Creativity and Passion in Writing Advice on nurturing creativity, vulnerability, and passion in the writing process.
Key Takeaways
- Author Leslie A. Lee shared tips on creating captivating happy endings in romance books.
- The space highlighted the importance of character development and relatable protagonists in storytelling.
- Listeners gained insights on effective storytelling techniques and building emotional connections with readers.
- The conversation emphasized the significance of perseverance and continuous learning in the writing journey.
- Engaging with a supportive writing community can provide inspiration, feedback, and valuable connections for aspiring authors.
- The space encouraged writers to explore different narrative styles, plot structures, and character arcs in their work.
- Authenticity, vulnerability, and passion were underscored as essential elements for creating impactful and memorable romance narratives.
- Leslie A. Lee discussed the process of transitioning from a reader to a writer, offering encouragement and practical advice.
- The space highlighted the transformative power of storytelling and the emotional impact it can have on both creators and readers.
- Aspiring writers were encouraged to embrace their unique voices, experiences, and perspectives in their storytelling.
Behind the Mic
Starting the Session
We will be starting in about ten minutes. Just going to check some sound and mic tech stuff. All right, Leslie, I've just given you an invite to speak, so I'm not sure if you've used spaces before. So there's a little mic sort of icon at the bottom. I'm not sure if you're on a phone or on your desktop, but if you want to press that and then I'll mute myself just to test your sound.
Testing the Sound
Yes, it sounds good. I've never done that. Perfect. Where are you calling in from? I am in. Well, it's actually cloudy today. California. Yeah, right smack dab in the middle. Okay, perfect. Yeah. Because I find sometimes if it's too far overseas from where I am, then we get, I don't know what you would describe it as, a squeaky, you know, sound in the background. Like it's really trying very hard to connect. But I'm in Ontario, so even though we're 3 hours apart, it sounds good. It does sound okay for you as well.
Connectivity Concerns
And I'm so relieved because we. Today was the day that they decided to work on the Internet in our area. And so I'm having to hot spot bought everything and I had to move outside from my office because it wasn't working inside. So. Yeah, I'm glad you can hear me. Oh, goodness. Yeah, no, it sounds good. I'm just going to share your links and some other things in these spaces so that people have that. If you want to put anything in the link that I sent you, if you put reply, you can add anything, links to other socials or anything that you want, you can put that there.
Preparing for the Session
But we'll get started at one and. Yeah, this is great. I'm so relieved. Me, I was running around like a headless chicken. Oh, my gosh. Why did they. Why did they have to do me? Why? That's always the way. I've got my kids upstairs with their doors closed and so hopefully they'll. They'll also help me out here. That's right. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Thank you. Yeah, it's going to be good. We have our meal coming up tonight, but this is a perfect time to have a chat, so.
Writing Process and Environment
Yeah. Thank you. All right, I'll be back in about five. You got it. Just one thing, Leslie. In between speaking, you can mute yourself. Okay. So you can press the speaker button again. So that way if you have to get a drink or do anything, then. Then your sound is off. You got it. And hopefully nobody decides to mow the lawn. No, I've got a note outside that says, don't ring the doorbell. There you go. We'll see. All right, I'll be back.
Session Preparation
Thanks. So we're going to get started in a couple minutes. I've got everything, I think. Pretty organized. Some links in the replies. If anyone has a question they can think of and they want to pop it in there. If we have time at the end, we're going to aim for about an hour. So, yeah, throw questions in there that we haven't thought of. Awesome. All right, I think I've got everything pretty organized here. Leslie, are you good to start?
Introduction of Guest
I'm ready. Okay, I think we'll get going. This is being recorded, so any of the sort of silence or whatever at the start. I'll just edit that out after when I send you a copy, and then you'll have that to share wherever you want. Okay, perfect. Thank you. All right, so welcome, everybody who's listening. And then often there's a lot more people who listen to the recording afterwards.
Discussion Begins
So this is the Canadian Thanksgiving. I also know it's a holiday in the US, too, so people might be with family and stuff and listen to it later. But I just wanted to welcome our guest, Leslie Lee, author of Silk and Waters and lots of other good stuff. So I was just hoping to kind of start off the chat. Just if you want to give a brief intro to the listeners before we get into some more detailed questions.
Leslie's Background
Just anything pertinent that you kind of want people to know at the start. And go ahead. Yeah. Again, like my name says, it's Leslie Lee. I am a lifetime resident of California. Not any of the cool parts. We're kind of like right in the. I call it the belly button of California. Right in the middle in the San Joaquin Valley. I am the mother of two wonderful children who are my biggest writing fans. I have a twelve year old daughter and a ten year old son.
Early Writing Journey
I'm fairly certain my son might take after me when it comes to riding, which just absolutely thrills me. And, yeah, we're enjoying our first cloudy day today in months, so I'm super excited. It's been like 100 degrees here in October, so it kind of stinks. That sounds like it. Do you get today off as well? Is it an official holiday or do like, do businesses shut down or is it a normal school day? We have.
California's Holiday
So we have Columbus Day slash indigenous people day. And so the kids are in school. The post office is closed. I think the bank is closed, but everybody else is pretty much just working. Away, business as usual. For most, then it sounds like, yeah, my first question is just if you want to take us back a little bit to when the whole journey started. So many writers have different journeys when it comes to when they started writing.
Beginning of Writing Journey
You know, some very young ages and some, you know, they hit 40 or something and then they start writing. So if you just want to share a little bit about when that kind of all happened for you, that I think listeners would find that interesting. Yeah. So I started really young. My earliest memory of kind of understanding what the written word and books were was, I was probably four or five.
Childhood Inspiration
My mom read me Charlotte's web in her tiny little house up near San Francisco where I. Where I grew up. And I kind of just. I don't know, it was almost symbiotic. Like, I just knew that this was something that I wanted to do. I loved listening to stories, and so I wanted to, you know, write them. Obviously, when you're four, you're not going to necessarily write a masterpiece.
First Writing Experience
But I would just kind of, like, scrawl ideas with crown on news, that newsprint paper that kids use, you know, in elementary school. And I wrote my first kind of, like, beginning to end story when I was in the second grade for a young author competition. Got second place. And then I kind of just. Since that day, since getting that second place, I always kind of wanted to get first place, so I just kept writing until I actually did, years later, get that first place ribbon.
Ongoing Journey
But, yeah, it's just, it's been kind of something that's always been a part of me since a very young age. And it, you know, it's obviously evolved and changed and grown over time. But I truly believe that I was kind of just born with this innate desire to put the written word onto paper. That's so cool. And it kind of shows how something really simple like that contest can also add another spark or commendation or an award or just all of those little things that happen can motivate us and help us.
Evolving Goals
Did the goal change over time? Because it sounds like you were attracted to prose. Have you written poetry? Has it always sort of been the goal to write a novel one day? What did that look like when you were young? Yeah, you know, it's kind of all inclusive. I mean, when I was. When I was younger, probably all the way through, like, early high school, it was definitely writing stories.
Beginning of Poetry Interest
That was. That was very much what I was reading myself. And so therefore, it was, I was, you know, inputting, you know, you were reading books. And so I was kind of outputting the same kind of concept. And then in high school, I started reading a lot more poetry, and I think that kind of created a desire to try it, you know, my craft in that form of writing. And so nowadays, I do write a lot more, you know, like, you know, book form.
Exploring Different Formats
I've tried my hand at plays and screenplays, you know, just anything. But I think kind of, like, my niche is the. Is the. Is the book form. And do you find that you read the same genre that you write? Like, is there. Do you find a difference then? Like, how would you describe the genre that you write? Or do you write in multi genre? And is that different from what you tend to pick up when you are reading a book for pleasure?
Reading Preferences
Yeah, absolutely. I went through. So, like I said, when I was in high school and college, I was reading a ton of poetry, specifically just, you know, in my English classes, because that's. That's what you learn when you take English in high school and college. And. And then I kind of morphed into. I was reading a lot of historical fiction.
Influences on Writing
History is part of my degree. And so I kind of gravitated towards more nonfiction for a while and reading, like. Like, history books. But then that kind of also morphed into, you know, well, I want to read something that's fictional, that's set during the Civil War or the. I went through a phase when I was reading a ton about the troubles in Ireland, like the great potato famine and the migration to America and all that.
Phases of Reading Interests
And then I went through a phase when I was, like, probably late twenties, early thirties, where I was fascinated with the origin of, like, different religions and, like, specifically Christianity and how, like, the council at Nicaea and how, like, all the stuff in the Bible came to be in the Bible, like, who decided it went in? And so it's just to your point, it's very much what you're reading tends to be what you want to create with, if that makes sense.
Common Interests
It does. I feel like we have a lot in common, because when I was in university, for my first degree, it was history and English as well. I think they complement each other really well. One feeds the other, and. And like you said, it changes because, yeah, you are forced to read certain texts when you're in school, but it does spark something. Right. And then even if you don't act on it right away, it's still there somewhere.
Engaging with Literature
for when you do decide to write your own. Your own books one day, do you find that you have a. Is there a process for your writing? Like, do you sit down and write every day? Is it, does that change over time? You know, what's the routine, the writing routine look like for you? Yeah. Like, so I wish I could. I I could sit down and write every day, all day, and be like, you know, like a Jane Austen or a Charles Dickens just locked away in some really cool room somewhere that I, again, as I'm a mom and my children are older now, they're at that stage, like, when they're really little, you know, and, you know, this.
Challenges of Writing
They're really little. They take all your time, and then you have kind of a couple of years where it's kind of mellow and, like, even keeled. And then now, like, my daughter's a cheerleader and my son's a football player. And so I just, I really don't have the amount of time. I would love to sit down and write as much as I would. I do tend to write kind of in seasons. So, for example, this book, I was very specific in starting during the summer because I knew I would have more time because the kids, you know, were out of school, and my goal was to be done.
Seasonal Writing Schedule
Bye. At the very latest, you know, the beginning of October, and I actually was able to finish it by the end of August, which was great because that gave the editors more time to work with what I gave them and whatnot. So, yeah, I, you know, when I do get to write, I have to have kind of ambiance, I think would be, like, the appropriate word. Like, I have, my office is in my closet, and that's the one space where all my books and my, you know, random collections.
Creating a Writing Space
I love to collect antiques and things from all over, and so, and the rest of my family just thinks I'm weird. So that's, like, my space where I can have my things and my inspirations, and I have, you know, my books that I can refer to when I want to look up a word or I want to be inspired. And then I'm currently actually sitting in my own version of a shed, which is my kind of outdoor space that nobody else is allowed into because this is where I kind of go to think when it's not 114 degrees outside and I can survive, you know, in the outdoors in California.
Importance of Inspiration
So I'm very specific in having to have ambiance and inspiration. And when I don't, I find myself kind of, like, dried up as far as what I'm going to write. So. But, I mean, that's kind of the life of the writer. You know, if you're not inspired, then you're not going to put anything on paper. And it's. It's very.
The Tortured Experience of Writing
It's very tortured experience. I'm laughing at a few things that you said. The having to write in a closet or a shed. It sounds so isolating in it. And I just watched a movie with a writer in it, and they, of course, went to some beautiful, you know, island setting to write. And it's just so different from the reality. Lots of our friends talk about writing in the basement and just trying to find a quiet space and constantly being interrupted. So, yeah. Yeah, that's the reality. My kids have learned that if the door to the closet is closed, you better not open it, or there's writing. You should say, like, my note, don't ring the doorbell. It's like, don't knock. Yep. Leave coffee outside? Yes, please. That's. That's fantastic.
Writing as a Perceived Weirdness
You mentioned that, you know, maybe family slash relatives think you're weird. What's it like when you're a writer and maybe your friends aren't all writers, right? Like, maybe you're the only one. How has that been for you? Has it. Has it helped? Because since they're not also involved in it, they can be readers, or do they just not. You don't address it with them at all. Is it kind of like a secret love? How does that. What does that look like for you? Yeah. You know, again, it's. It's been kind of an evolutionary process. In high school, I was the consummate kind of geek weirdo. Like, nobody. Nobody else wrote. Nobody else was. Was creative in that sense.
The Transition from Alienation to Acceptance
You know, you had the. You had the athletes and you had the cheerleaders and you had a. The super smart kids that would go and do the academic decathlon or whatever. And I was just this writer who would often ditch. I can say this now without getting grounded. I often would ditch my math and science classes to go and write in the library in the back corner. And so I had very few friends. As time has kind of gone on. And this has always been a part of who I am, I think people have kind of come to not necessarily, like, understand, but definitely respect and appreciate the commitment. It's not something that I just did. You know, when I was a kid and it was a passing phase. Like, this is something I'm very committed to. And with that commitment, I think, has come a response.
Support from Friends with Different Creative Outlooks
Not necessarily an understanding, but a definite, you know, respect. I have a friend who is. He is also creative. He's a videographer, so he has, he does have that creative mind, but he does not understand the appeal of reading fiction specifically. And, but he still, it respects the fact that I continue to put stuff out and I continue to use my imagination. And then I have another friend who, we've known each other our whole lives, and we've never, we haven't been really close until, like, the last couple of years. And he is also a creative, and it's through conversations with him that I've come up with a lot of the ideas. Specifically in this last book, when I would have kind of a writer's block, he would, I would go to him. He actually lives in Hawaii right now, so there's a time difference, and we would be talking at odd hours, but I would be like, help, you know, I don't know how to have this character go through, you know, their journey, and I don't know how to end this or should I do this or this?
The Role of Challenges in Writing
And, and he would help me come up with the ideas. And so I found it very kind of interesting how both people who don't necessarily get the craft but then also who are incredibly gifted with the craft have all played a part in what I've created over the years. In fact, the last, what, three books I've written have been on kind of like just momentary dares that my videographer friend has kind of issued. You know, like, he, I was writing historical fiction for a time, and he said, you know, well, why don't you try to write something that's, like, modern? Like you always are writing stuff that's, like back in the day. And so I said, all right, challenge accepted. And I wrote a contemporary piece. And then these last two books, you know, he was like, you should write, like, science fiction or fantasy, which is so beyond anything that I've ever done before.
The Influence of Personal Experiences on Writing
And, you know, he should have known better because I accepted the challenge. And as a result, two books have come out of it. So that's neat. It's like the journey brings you people or brings people into your life. In a way. It's somewhat, you know, serendipitous how it all just, it kind of comes together and you meet people and they bring out, like you said, the challenge will bring out then new things in you, which then might lead you to meet new people because you're writing fantasy and so on. So I think that's such a cool description, you writing in the back of the library. I just an image of the breakfast club, minus the detention, was conjured in my head. I'm thinking, okay, I get that. I can picture you doing that.
The Importance of Writing
It's clear you think writing's important. I think it's in everything that you've said. But is there something bigger? Like a bigger thing that you think is so important to write, to be a writer or to just, you know, go through the process of writing? Like, why is writing important to you? Yeah, you know, I think. I mean, first of all, I mean, the obvious, it's a great form of expression. And we have, I think, in today's world where, I mean, even with, you know, my own two kids, technology is just at their fingertips. They can create anything by typing into an AI program what they want. There's no. There's no need to sit and think and process because everything is just easy.
Writing as a Preservation of History
And, I mean, I know for my kids, we have this love hate relationship because I make them look at what they're writing. I make them think about the process and how to form their thoughts. My son and I are currently going through the Chronicles of Narnia because he has to read a certain amount each quarter. And these things are important because they need to learn how to be able to express themselves both verbally, but then also on paper. And I think, you know, writing is also. It's important because it preserves the past, which I think is something that is also kind of being taken for granted and lost, especially in today's day and age, where we kind of want to, like, alter and change our viewpoints of the past.
The Significance of Historical Context in Writing
But it's important, you know, for us to understand not just facts and places of events, but also kind of the mindset of why did Charles Dickens write so much about child abuse in his novels? Well, it was because he experienced it. He grew up poor and having to serve in the debtors prison, and then he also witnessed it around him. And so that's why it's in his novels, is because he witnessed it firsthand. And that was a part of victorian history, you know? And so if we don't continue to express our thoughts and our feelings and preserve, you know, what's going on around us, then we're kind of doing a disservice to the future generations, in my opinion.
The Responsibility of Passing on Knowledge
And if we're not kind of preserving the books and the authors that have come before us, then we're also doing a disservice because, I mean, CS Lewis, like, I mean, he's one of my favorite authors, and, I mean, if I don't teach my kids to love Narnia, then, in my opinion, I'm failing as a parent. And I know that's a personal opinion, but, I mean, that's how I feel like I want them to be able to appreciate the classics and the privilege that it is to be able to read because there's people in the world that aren't allowed to even own a book. So many good, important points there.
Exploring Themes in Fiction
Do you feel? You mentioned Dickens and Cs Lewis, and I'm thinking, is your work, would you say it's pure escapism, or do you feel like you have a message, whether it's hidden or, you know, really obvious, in your new book or in any of your works, do you try to incorporate something, maybe social critique or something historical? You know, do you also find that you need to put that in your writing? Or is it just. Would you say it's. It's meant to be something where people pick it up and they just lose themselves in it and there is no, you know, deeper message to it? Something just, you know, comedic or, you know, just for pure enjoyment?
The Balance Between Escapism and Real Messages
Yeah. You know, it's. It's. It's very interesting, and I don't even fully understand it myself. I I never set out to be a writer that had a message. I just, I would come up with an idea and I would want to put it on paper. And I think my early stuff, especially is very much escapism, as you called, it's historical fiction, but it's not. There's no message. And then as I've grown older and I've obviously experienced life more and I've been through things and I've seen other people go through things. While it's never kind of like, in your face, there's subliminal messages that I kind of end up putting. Putting in almost unintentionally.
Inspiration Behind New Works
I started writing the first book of the series that silk and waters is a part of. Right. Kind of like, I came up with the idea in the middle of COVID and then started kind of really forming it towards the end of COVID. And, you know, I was home with my kids. They were younger, and I was kind of watching this whole experience through their eyes. The. My son was in kindergarten when it all kind of started, and so it was seeing it through their eyes and how the misunderstanding and the confusion other. We had a lot of kind of protests and stores broken into during the whole the Black Lives Matter movement. And I was watching all of this through my kids eyes. You know, they're like, what? Like, why would someone do this?
Understanding Social Issues Through Fiction
And why would someone hurt somebody just because of the color of their skin and all this stuff? And so there's very much kind of an underlying message in. In the series that silken waters is a part of. Of, you know, you. You don't judge somebody just because of how they look or how they live their life. To kind of segregate a person because of what they look like or what they think or how they feel is detracting from humanity. You can't. Because without differences, whether it be political opinions or religion or identity, the world would be really boring and not that entertaining or interesting.
The Fantasy Genre and Relevant Issues
And so. And I don't even think I intended to write any of that in these books, but it's definitely kind of the underlying message. And I enjoyed taking kind of, like, the fantasy aspect and creating this. This fictional world, but this world that had very real problems and issues that were very relevant to our current environment. That's great. Yeah. Silk and waters, you mentioned it. And so it's only a couple weeks old, right? Yes, a fairly recent release. First, before I get you to share a little bit about it, I love the COVID I see, you know, as soon as I look at it, I see a couple.
Creative Collaborations
So I'm thinking there's probably some kind of romantic angle, but because you also have the ship and the water, like you said, that was one of your challenges. I'm thinking journey. So then when I read the blurb, it does have that in it, but then you've woven in the fantasy aspect, too, so it seems like quite a mashup in there. Maybe you can just share a little bit about that specific book now. Maybe what a synopsis of the plot or what inspired you to write that specific storyline, that kind of thing, but, yeah, beautiful cover. Thank you. Yeah. And I have to. I have to give a shout out.
Acknowledging Contributions to the Work
My. My friend who doesn't understand the purpose, my videographer friend, he actually created the COVID for me. He's. He's way better at graphic design than I am. And so I've. It's. It's kind of been like a running joke. Like, he's hated all my covers. He never liked any of them. And so he finally just, like, decided, you know, I'm gonna do it for you, Leslie. And it turned out amazing. I just. I mean, it's just. It's beautiful. So kudos to him. Silken Waters was actually. It was. Again, the journey is just amazing. It was never supposed to happen.
The Development of the Series
I wrote the first book in the series and thought I was done with fantasy. I was gonna move on to something else. I had no idea what, but I just. I was done. And then the people that had read the first book were like, well, no, we want more. And I had no idea where to go at all. And finally talked to my friend in Hawaii and were kind of talking about, of all things, Peter Pan and hook and the kind of, like, how that whole story revolves around. Really revolves around pirates and piracy and the interaction between Hook and Peter Pan and where did that come from?
Exploration of Pirate Themes
Why did they hate each other? This whole thing. And that's where I came up with the idea for kind of a pirate adventure. But that still didn't really give me anything. I mean, anybody can write a pirate story. And so this book really, the. The second book really kind of, I guess, focuses on what do you do when your livelihood has been taken from you? At the end of the first book, there's kind of a resolution between. I guess I should kind of set the precedent. The whole series. It happens in a fictional world called the Veil, where there are vampires and there are elves and they obviously don't like each other and they've been fighting for about 1000 years.
Conflict Resolution in Fantasy
And at the end of the first book, there's an easy peace that comes into existence. But the pirates, who are all vampires, they find themselves kind of wondering what they're supposed to do because they're being told by their leaders that they can no longer pirate, but that's all they know. And they've all. This faction has all grown up from a very young age as pirates. They've lost their families and so they've been taken in bye. By older captains and raised on ships. And so they don't know how to do anything else. And so how do they obey? How do they obey what they are being told to do? But then how do they also maintain their livelihood? And that's kind of the main story of this book, is what do you do when you can't do what you're basically created to do and raised to do?
Exploration of Fantasy and Imagination
How do you reconcile with that? And then, of course, there's also, you know, the fantasy aspect. There are. There are mermaids and they're sirens. And we. We set up the third book to have more fantastical creatures in the third book. So, yeah, it's. It. Again, it was. It's amazing how, like, my own journey just kind of, like, happened with this book because I. I managed to come up with vampires and elves in the first one and then I was like, okay, well, I'm done. I don't. I don't need to create anything else. And, you know, this. Then this book came into fruition, and I. And it still kind of astounds me that there's so much in my mind that I can put onto paper, and, I mean, which is why imaginations are just so incredible. Like, you never even know what you have in you until you try to express it. It sounds like there'd be a lot of research.
Historical Elements in Fantasy Writing
Maybe I'm wrong here, but, you know, pirates, ships, you know, like you said, the journey and the trade routes and just all that aspect, it's so, you know, there's a historical element to it. Even though you're writing a fantasy book. Did you. Did you go back into, you know, historical records and research that, or did you basically just kind of say, okay, this is a fantastical world, I don't need to do that? How much of this is actually taken from actual research that you had to do? So, yeah, you know, like, when I. When I created the world, the veil, it was. It was very kind of almost not one dimensional, but it was like, okay, there's this body of land, and half of it is the elvish kingdom, and half of it's the vampire kingdom. Done. Like, that's all. That's all you need to know. There you go. But then when you create pirates, well, you have to have ocean and you have to have places for them to sail. And so it kind of just exploded because I had to. I had to figure out, okay, so case, ship.
Character Development and Creativity Challenges
What kind of ship are they going to have? Like, are they going to have, you know, something that's. That's a kind of similar to pirates of the Caribbean or horatio hornblower. Like, you know, it was. It was amazing how much time I sat. Kind of like, laying the groundwork, more so than actually just typing. You know, it was, what. What were maritime laws? And how. How did pirates work their way around the things that they could and couldn't do or what, you know, what kind of swords did they use? I was very appreciative of my upbringing. I watched a lot of classic swashbuckling movies. Errol Flynn was one of my favorite actors. So I did a lot of referencing back to movies like Captain Blood and the Seahawk to kind of get inspiration, but, yeah, and then, you know, like, just the world itself is very much kind of based on Tolkien, and I would. Every name in. In these books means something. So there's. There's a lot of Germanic and Gaelic, a little bit of Russian and scandinavian languages wrapped up into the names, but there's meaning behind all of them.
Creating Depth in Fantasy Worlds
And so that was really important for me was to create this world that once I knew I was going to continue with it. Okay, well, then everything has to have depth and has to have meaning. It can't just be kind of like this flat picture on a page. It needs to kind of jump out at the reader and have a culture, have a. Know a code, and there's. There's his. Their own histories. It is in there. And. And, and, they're. They're religion, and they're. They have, you know, demigods and so all the things. And so it's. It's. It's been a quite exhausting journey that I wasn't really planning on going, but I am. I'm grateful for the, you know, kind of like the upbringing I've had where I know how to go back into history and do research and figure out how I want to kind of amplify the. The culture that is in the veil.
World-Building and Imagination
Did you go full tolkien and create maps? Are we going to see appendices? There's no. Well, there's no appendices yet, but I did. I did try to do a map. There's actually some program online where you can create your own fantasy maps. I failed horribly at it. So there is. There is. There is a sketch in my. In my closet office of, like, because I was like, okay, well, I know that, like, the elvish capital is kind of southeast, and then the vampire capital is, like, northwest, and, like, okay, so. But then when the vampire pirates go off on their journey, well, what's beyond? You know, the shores of the veil, like, what is there? You know? And so every time they started a new leg of their adventure that exists in this book, it was, well, where are we going?
Character Dynamics and Narrative Flow
And so, you know, they go to the Mermaid kingdom. Well, what does the mermaid Kingdom look like? And then they. They end up in a. Beneath a whirlpool where a jaded demigod lives. And, you know, like, I mean, just, it's. It's just. I don't mean to sound arrogant and or egotistical, but I love my mind because these things would just, like, pop in. It wasn't really kind if I knew point a and point b, but everything in between just kind of manifests, and it's just. It's wonderful. It's wonderful to have an imagination and to use it to create things like this. It sounds like the characters themselves are kind of jumping in. And a lot of us authors know that's a blessing and a curse because you might have had a and b. And then I, it ends up being a to z because, you know, or for a to z for my american listeners. It's funny how that happens.
Balancing Storytelling and Character Interactions
Did you find. Cause I was impressed that you said you took the summer to write this, and it was published at the end of September, and that was editing, too. So the characters didn't cooperate. They decided more things needed to be in there. What did that do to the whole process? Like, did you find, did you save some of that for, say, a sequel, or does it all make its way into this book, silk and waters, is it all in there? Yeah, well, you know, it was. So this book has the two main characters from the first book in it as kind of more secondary characters. And then there's the plan to have a third book, but this one, it was, you know, you would, I knew I had the maintain pirate, which the Renault, he's on the COVID and then I knew I wanted him. There has to be a romance.
Romantic Themes in Fantasy Narratives
And so, but I didn't know. Pirates aren't necessarily, like, the most chivalrous of individuals. So how was there going to be a romance with this pirate who didn't have any manners, who was also very kind of put off by the fact that he's being told that he can't be a pirate anymore? How was that all going to come into play with a female heroine as well? And what was he going to have to do to win her over? And how also could I do it in a way that it wasn't going to be. I I know, very, there's a kind of a mindset like these days with, you know, the damsel in distress isn't a thing anymore, and the prince doesn't rescue the princess or whatever. You see it a lot in Disney, you know, where the girl is just doing her own thing and so how was I going to, like, incorporate all of that but also have a romance, also having them sail off into the sunset?
Writer's Challenges and Surprises
And I just kind of let the characters run with it, which as a writer is sometimes very frustrating because you want to write something, but your characters don't want to be written that way, which for anybody who's not a writer probably sounds completely psychotic, but they always pull it off for me. And there were several times where I would be sitting writing and I would probably sound like a complete nut to my family because I would literally be yelling at the computer screen because the characters were cooperating. But it all. It all works out. And I was kind of surprised. The ending of this book was not at all what I thought it was going to be. It got completely changed shortly before I finished writing everything. And again, they just, the characters didn't want to be written the way I wanted to write them, so. But they're always right. I sound like a complete nut job.
The Complexity of Character Arguments
So many people say stuff like that, but it makes so much sense when you think about if they're really written to be, you know, alive, like to feel real. Then when they start to have an argument, sometimes things just get out of hand. Or, you know, when you create a conflict and another character is part of that, you don't always know until you're writing the words what's going to happen. And so, yeah, it can get away from you a little bit, but you still get them to the next point. It just might be a different journey than you imagined at the start or that you mapped out. So I can completely relate to that. And I know. I know a lot of people can as well.
Diverse Perspectives in Storytelling
It's less rigid, of course. And probably it's just, maybe it's a different brain type. There should be research into this. It'd be so neat to know what kind of thinker you are or how you live your life. Maybe even what kind of books you love and read versus how you write. It'd be so neat to see how we're all different that way. That's kind of cool. Yeah. One thing you were saying, you said there had to be a romance, and then you talked about the pirates personality and, you know, the fact that he's also a vampire, I'm assuming is this main character also a vampire as well?
Exploration of Vampire Characters
So the. Are we talking about the female? Because you said that the pirates are vampires in your book. So I'm just curious because that would add a whole other layer to this as well. So the. So the vampires in the world of the veil are more. So I don't even want to compare to the twilight movies or. I love the, I love the books, not the movies, but they can be in sunlight. They're not the vampire type that, you know, you. The sun comes up and they slip into their coffin. And so, which I chose to do because I didn't want all the action in my, in the veil stories happening at night, you know, them slurping around, you know, avoiding the sunlight.
Dynamic Interactions Between Races
And so, yes, the. The vampire, the. The pirates are all vampires. And then they have to wrestle with the elves that live in the Vale, who are very much. The elves are portrayed as very arrogant, very conceited, kind of very full of themselves. And, and again, they've, you know, they've been warring with each other for a millennia. Nobody really knows why except for the fact that, like, they just don't like each other. And so, but then you have certain characters that are. They are half of each. So, for example, the two main characters from the first book are, the male is half elf and half vampire, and the female is half elf, half human.
Themes of Prejudice and Identity
Her mother actually crossed over into the human world and married a human Mandev. And so she is the result of that marriage. And so the kind of, like, the mixing of races also comes into play because you have this hatred between the elves and the vampires, but then you have this kind of additional level of prejudice and racism, in a sense, between, like, with the people or the characters that are of mixed race, you know, and how they are even. They are thought of as even less than just the direct enemy, which I, which, again, wasn't really even intended. It wasn't planned to kind of, like, come about that way. But I found myself, you know, writing these characters who they, it wasn't their fault that they had the parents that they had or they came from where they did, but yet they're still judged and ostracized for just being just a little bit different than everybody else. So, and I think, I mean, and that's, you know, completely relevant today's world, you know, and so, but, and those are my favorite characters is the ones that are, they're conflicted with their own identity, and then they're conflicted with everyone around them because of who they are.
Reflections on Writing and Themes
I think you're proving how complex the writing can be. You know, often we get judged when, say, the book has a romantic angle or, oh, it's fantasy or, and just the judgment that can come from it must not be, you know, at the same caliber, say, as, you know, if we said it was literary fiction or whatever. But the issues you're saying that are the nuances and the complexities in there are, you know, like you said, they're timely, they're worthy to be studied. And just because you're doing it in sort of a fantastical manner to make it enjoyable to read the story, you know, I think it's still, you're bringing out a lot of really important subjects in there as well. So I think that's very cool. And it's sort of a testament to how we can use stories to tell those kinds of things.
Romance as an Integral Part of Life
But you can still have a romantic angle because romance is part of life, too. So what's the heat level? What would you say? The, like, the language, the heat? Like, who would love this book? Who would maybe not want to read it? Like, you know what I'm saying? So I write all of. I mean, they're, all my novels have a romance, and so I write with the kind of, like, the idea that I want those Jane Austen fans to have that perfect romance with Mister Darcy, you know, walking across the field in the morning mist. But then I also want my children have read my stuff, so I want. I want it to be kind of, like, acceptable for all ages, and I want it to be enjoyed by all ages and, you know, not do it so sappy that, you know, a guy can't pick it up and enjoy it just as much as, you know, a girl.
Challenges in Writing Romantic Scenes
And so my. The romance scenes are always the toughest to write for me. I think sometimes because I want to go further than I probably should for my readers as a whole. There's a. There's a scene in an earlier historical fiction book that I did, and my people who've read my stuff, they call it the red shirt scene because it's describing the male hero of the book in a rainstorm. And he's wearing a red plaid shirt that has shrunk, and so it's tight on his body, and it's one of the favorite scenes that I've ever written for people who read my stuff because of, you know, like, just like the way I describe him and the fact that the shirt is too tight on his, you know, well built chest, you know, or whatever. And so, but, like, and that's kind of like, what I try to do is I want to create a visual that's appealing, but I don't want to go so far as to offense somebody to the point that they don't want to read anymore, if that makes sense.
Navigating Audience Expectations
I think I lost my mic there for a minute. Yeah. I think that's really cool, because it sounds like you're walking that line, but you're being very savvy about it. And I think that it's going to appeal just as much to say, like you said, to people who love Jane Austen or classic lit of romance, but contemporary readers would also like that. And even if it's slow burn, you're still going to satisfy that. But have you ever considered having, say, a pen name to write those other types of stories? Or do you prefer and think it's better to consolidate under one name? Like, how do you. How do you feel about the marketing side?
Marketing Strategies in Writing
No, I mean, I've always. There's.
The Appeal of Pen Names
Yes, absolutely. Like, having a pen name, I think, would be incredibly fun just to be able to kind of, you know, push the limits and push the boundaries. And I know, you know, when I. When I was. I had no. It sounds crazy, and I don't even know how I was unaware, but I had no idea that there was. When I was writing the first book, Child of Dawn, I had no idea that there was this kind of subgenre of romanticity where, you know, people were like. And that's probably because I wasn't reading it. And so I just didn't. I didn't know. But there was this whole kind of subgenre where, like, the focal point was the hot, steamy romance between two fairies or, you know, whatever. And so when I started promoting the first book, you know, and I thought I had this incredibly unique idea and come to realize that, no, this is, like, a thing. And people, you know, want the heat and the fire with the fantastical beans.
Escapism and Fictional Worlds
And, I mean, there's. There's whole organizations that, you know, cater to just that, which I think is incredible. I think everybody needs to kind of be able to experience that kind of escapism and that it's okay. It's okay to kind of, like, lose yourself in these fictional and fantastical environments, whether it's at, you know, a fairy ball or you're reading a book, you know, by a fireplace, like you, it's totally acceptable and permissible to do that, you know? So, yeah, I think one day, in fact, I have a pen name. I've just never used it. So, like, we'll see. I don't know. I know it's sort of. I mean, I also have created one. I'm just not gonna lie. I haven't published anything under that yet. But it's unlike you, where I just. I want to, under this name, market a certain way and have a certain readership.
Finding Comfort with Pen Names
And while my, like, my books would not be for under 18 or not for very young people, it's still not pushing the envelope very much either. It's kind of, you know, within the parameters I feel comfortable with. I feel like if I were to do anything different, like you, I would. I would need to do that under a pen name and really think hard about that. But also, once you have a name and you've got your Amazon set up and your website and whatever else, you know, it's a lot to consider to then do you do all that work, same amount of work with the pen name? Yeah, it's a dilemma, right? Yeah. Yeah. But I think it's also, like, good for, you know, writers to also be able to kind of almost create that secondary identity and kind of, you know, explore, like, what they're capable of doing and how.
Ties Between Fiction and Reality
How far they can, you know, push their creativity and their talent, you know, before they cross the line and then where that line is, like, you know, where are you? Where are you comfortable getting to before it's too much. Yeah, that's true. And that's. That's sometimes a tough call. Right. So maybe the pen name creates the comfort to just explore that without somebody attaching it to something else that you published, you know, and keep them separate until you are comfortable or, you know, whether or not you want to maybe take that and really market that and whatnot. I think that's fair. Completely fair. Do you ever write about real life experiences? Like, is, while all of what you said about silk and water sounds very fantastical, do you feel, is there anything in your real life that you've kind of inserted in there?
Incorporating Personal Experience into Writing
Are any of the characters inspired by any real people? Has that ever worked its way into anything that you've written? I mean, yeah, I definitely. There's the. If you kind of trace my writing, there's always. I'm a redhead, and so there's always a redhead character, and. And usually it's. It's the female protagonist, but that's kind of like my way of inserting my own personality, my kind of my spunk and my tenacity and my. My temper into my writing. So, yeah, there's definitely always a piece of me. I try to always put a bit of the people who have been supportive of my writing into my stories. So, for example, my friend in Hawaii who's just been so important in this last journey that I've been on as a writer, there's a lot of his personality throughout several of the characters, and he knows it, too, in our conversations.
Reflections on Nonfiction
You deserve to be on these pages. Like, you've. You've earned a place here. And, you know, to his credit, he appreciates it. And then, you know, like, I've definitely written. I never used to write nonfiction. It just wasn't my thing but then again, as I've grown older and I've seen the world as it is, both the good and the bad, I've definitely started writing a lot more. Kind of like, not. Not like full length nonfiction, like books, but commentary, a few essays, you know, and just kind of voicing what I think and what I feel and not really caring, like, what anybody thinks about it, you know? Because I've reached the point in my life where it's like, you know, if you don't agree with me, that's fine, but I also don't agree with you.
The Importance of Expression
And so I'm going to say this or whatever, and I think that's why writing is so important, is you can say what you want and the good and the bad of kind of living where we live is that you can say what you want. And it may not be agreed with, but you kind of have the right to speak. And so that comes out both in my books, but then also, if I hear something or I see something and I'm not happy about it's probably going to go somewhere on social media, and people that know me have just kind of come to accept it. I think at first, when I was first kind of doing that, people were. People were like, well, what are you doing? Like, you can't say that. And I'm like, well, but I can.
The Challenge of Public Opinion
And if you don't like it, then you don't have to read it. But I need to. I need to say what I think and say what I feel. I think that's great. Do you have a website that you also use? Like, do you blog? Or when. When you said you wrote the nonfiction, are you. Is it just for social media purposes, or do you share them in a longer form on a. On a different site? It kind of. It kind of. It's kind of twofold. So there's some. I was blogging for a while, and the blog is connected to my website, but then there's a lot on. Well, actually, no, I think actually, on my website, there is.
Connecting Through Writing
There's. There's a. There's a couple of other things. There's a. There's a piece that I wrote when. Again, like, when were going through Covid, and we had a local store that was graffitied and broken into due to black lives matter, protests. And, just kind of like, the. The perspective that my kids had, going to their. It was a target and targets their favorite store. And so, like, driving my kids up to this target, and we couldn't go in because there was glass everywhere and graffiti everywhere and having to explain to my children, you know, this is why this happened. And, you know, how do you feel about that? And you know, my son being in tears. So I wrote a piece about that, and then I wrote a piece when Roe v.
Confronting Real-World Issues
Ray got overturned. I come from a very conservative upbringing, and so everybody was kind of celebrating, but I kind of also, like, wanted to write, like, the opposite side, you know, like, from the perspective of a girl growing up in a conservative environment, but then being persecuted because of that and her kind of, like, perspective and viewpoint on that because I was, you know, when Roe v. Wade got overturned, I was very much, you know, hearing all the celebration and all that, you know, like yay and whatever. But then it was, I've also witnessed no girls being persecuted outside of planned parenthood, like, having things thrown at them and being really quite abused all in the name of pro life.
Personal Narratives and Perspectives
And so I'm getting so political there. This is not my intent, but writing about stuff like that, if I am passionate about it or if I see my children kind of experience something or go through something, I'll write from their perspective. And it's not necessarily going to change the world, but if I feel something or I think something, then I'm going to write about it. So, yeah, I think the neat thing, though, is that a lot of the political stuff and even the things you mentioned and being able to see it from both sides, because often when we're raised a certain way, even if we have differing views, you can then see both sides, which then when you make, when you write these characters that are very complex, that makes its way into the writing.
Creating Complex Characters
And I think you're able to write, say, a villain or like you said, a character who's flawed, who changes, grows, it's easier. It becomes a part of you, and you can do that easier. And they're not all just these two dimensional beings. And it sounds like what you were witnessing there as well when you mentioned the elves being extremely arrogant and the vampire pirates and just the whole concept of pre judging. And it sounds like a lot of that is in the book, even though, again, it's a fantasy series, but it sounds like you've managed to kind of take the stuff that you said, your son, how he was feeling and taken the vibe or the emotion and it's in your work.
Standalone Stories in Series
Absolutely. I think that's really cool. Can you read them as a standalone? Do you feel like if, say, you didn't read book one, you would completely be lost for book two. Or could they each be enjoyed separately? I think you could definitely enjoy them separately. I tried to, in fact, writing the second one, it was a challenge because I wanted to be sure that if, you know, you were reading it as a series or book one and then book two, you, I wasn't saying something that was not conclusive with book one. And so I try to kind of sum up what's happened in book one enough in book two.
Navigating Series Continuity
So if you were to just pick it up at the bookstore off the bookshelf, you know, you were, you would be able to follow along. There might be, I mean, there might be a few discrepancies, like, well, wait, like what is this about? Or, you know, when the characters from the first book are introduced kind of halfway through the second book, you know, who are these people and why do they matter? But it's, it's fairly understandable. That's good. Yeah. Are you wide? Like, do you, are you kindle unlimited? Have you committed to doing that or do you offer the books to a wide market beyond Amazon? What's that look like for people who are interested?
Publishing Platforms and Availability
Yeah, it's on Amazon. The first book is actually, first book is Kindle unlimited paperback and hardback. Silken Waters is available on Amazon on paperback and Kindle. And I believe it's Kindle Unlimited as well. And then all the books are also available through the website through ww dot, lesleyanlea.com dot. That's fantastic. Thank you. I want to ask you one final question, if that's okay. Just kind of curious what your next plans are. Where do you hope to kind of go forward from here now that you've, you know, you've got the new book out? What's that? What's next on maybe your to do list for writing or are there any other plans in your life?
Future Writing Aspirations
So it's kind of a jumble right now. We, I, the plan is to write a third, which will, I think, now I have to say think because you never know. I think we'll conclude the series and this third book will involve dragons, which has really kind of excited everybody that knows that. So there will be a race of dragons involved in the third book. And it's kind of alluded to in the first two that there will be dragons. So now we're going to actually have them. That's with the writing. I, after writing the first book, I was challenged kind of unexpectedly by somebody who I did an interview with that, you know, I should write a screenplay, which was not a plan at all, but again, with everything.
Exploring New Writing Mediums
When I'm challenged, I accept the challenge, and I take it head on. So I'm currently. I've written the screenplay, and that the screenplay is being shopped for the first book. If anything were to ever happen with that, I would probably just continue and write a screenplay for the second and third books as well. Whether or not anything would happen, who knows? But that's kind of like the side project that was completely and totally unexpected. Writing a screenplay is nothing like writing a novel. It's like writing in a whole different language.
Balancing Multiple Projects
So that's. That's definitely been a challenge. And then just. Just kind of, you know, right now is the. This. This next month or so, I've got several interviews that I'm doing, and. And those always kind of, like, spiral into other things, and so I'm just. Yeah. Like, I probably won't start writing again until early spring, summer, because it's just crazy with the holidays and whatever, and I never get to write as much as I do, and then I just get angry, so. And you have thanksgiving there in November, too, so, you know, ours is today, but you're kind of heading into a very busy time then.
Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts
Yes. As well. Yeah. Yeah. It was a pleasure to talk to you. Is there any. Any final thoughts or anything else that you want to add before we wrap it up? I. It was. It was such a pleasure, and I really, as soon as you mentioned Tolkien near the start there, I was like, this is a book I need to buy, because even if there's nothing Tolkien in it, anyone who's a fan, that is, just anyone who knows me, knows that I think in Tolkien, everything is a quote. Everything is a memory of falling in love with that book when I was ten.
Concluding Remarks
So, any final thoughts that you want to share? No, just. Thank you so much. You've been so wonderful and communicative and professional, and I've had some pretty interesting, sketchy interviews, and this probably tops the list. So I appreciate you very much. Oh, that's really nice to hear. Thank you. I'll continue to kind of shout out your book for a little while, and I'll get this video edited or the audio edited and sentence that off to you. But if anyone else has any questions for you, they can put them in the replies. Even when they, you know, the interview is done, you can feel free to answer those and respond as well. So thank you so much. Leslie, it was a pleasure.
Final Goodbyes
And, everybody, grab your copy of Silken Waters, as well as I'll put the link in there for the whole series. So thanks so much. Awesome. Thank you so much for everything. Happy Thanksgiving. Yeah, you too. Bye now. Thanks. Bye.
