Olivia St. Claire
accomplishes her dream to become a pianist, but didn’t count on falling in love
with the man she can never have.
Prelude and Fugue wattpad link: http://wattpad.com/LauraMcNeil
Laura Haley-McNeil
has studied piano, violin, organ and ballet. She has served on the boards of
two community orchestras. She currently lives in Colorado with her husband.
1) Can you tell us a little about Your
Book(s) without giving away too many spoilers and what inspired you to write
it? Prelude and Fugue is about
Olivia St. Claire who once had a dream to become a pianist. Now she unburies
that dream, but with the dream comes Liam Wallace, the married man she can
never have. I wrote this book because I hear so often, “If only I had done. .
.” So I created a character who said the same thing and realized she still had
an opportunity to not only say what might have been but to reach out and
accomplish something, though not without the pain and pitfalls that occur when
we reach beyond our comfort zones.
2) Which character do you like the
most? Why? I like Olivia St. Claire, the main character. She says and does
what she wants when she wants to, which I am afraid to do. She usually says
things that get her into trouble but she accepts that as her lot in life and
keeps pushing ahead.
3) When did you know you wanted to be a
writer? I have written stories since
I knew how to pick up a pencil. I shared a room with my sister and I told her
stories. I guess you could say that I love to make things up.
4) Are there any new authors that
currently interest you? Kate Morton, an Australian author, is my current
favorite. The House at Riverton was fascinating. It’s three stories that merge
at the end and it’s a great mystery that isn’t solved for the characters but is
for the readers.
5) What kind of research did you do for
this book? I’m at an advantage because my husband and I are both
classically trained pianists and most of our friends our serious musicians.
Whenever we attend a concert or meet with friends, I keep track of what
everyone is doing, the composers, the violinists, the conductors, and think of
ways to incorporate their way of life into a book. To me it’s an intriguing
background that few people know about. I hope you agree.
6) What's a typical working day like
for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal? I
try to start writing as soon as I get home from work. My goal is at least three
pages a day. Some days are more productive than others. I set up a corner in
the family room because the sofa is more comfortable than an office chair. I
pull my laptop into my lap. I try to read a little before I start to write
because that inspires me.
7) What is the hardest part of writing
for you? Because I have a day job, I’m usually tired when I get home and
I’d rather surf the net than write, but then I start thinking about where I
left off during my previous writing session and think that I need to keep
writing and eventually the story starts to pester me and so I start to write.
8) What are you working on now? My
current book is called Rhapsody in Blood, which is a murder mystery. The main
character is Vanessa Sterling, a famous concert pianist with a terrible secret
that she thought she buried long ago. Now someone else knows her secret,
someone who will stop at nothing to destroy her.
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