Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lori Fairchild. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Lori, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
When you work in a creative business, it can be difficult to be creative every day. And when you work from home by yourself, it can also be hard to find that spark of creativity. When I’m working at home, I try to create a workspace that includes things that I love and that inspire me. For example, I love the TV show Doctor Who, and I have an entire shelf in my office full of Doctor Who paraphernalia. Whenever I see those items, I’m reminded that I want to create characters and stories that are as lasting and as well-loved as that TV show is. On another shelf, I have a Lego set of the house from the movie Up! to remind me that it’s important to create worlds with characters that tug on people’s emotions. In addition, I try to get away from my office as much as I can — even if it’s just a walk around the neighborhood. I find I do some of my best creative thinking when I’m away from my desk walking, going for a run, or hiking. Of course, I always take my phone with me to be able to jot down some notes if I have a great idea while I’m out.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m an author of a young adult dystopian series and a children’s mystery series. In my role as an author, I also visit schools and offer creative writing classes for young people.
I love being an author because I love to write and tell stories. I write children’s and young adult books because I think young people are inherently hopeful. And I think the world could use more of that.
Both my young adult and children’s stories feature female protagonists who are making big decisions and learning about the consequences of those decisions. My young adult books, The Palumbra Chronicles, are perfect for people who loved The Hunger Games, Divergent, or The Testing series.
My children’s books, The Buddy and Panda Mysteries, are for elementary-aged readers and they feature two loveable dogs solving mysteries. All the mysteries revolve around hockey and the ice rink because their 10-year-old owner Eva plays ice hockey. These books are some of my favorites because my daughter played ice hockey growing up, and being a girl playing hockey can be a little lonely when you’re the only girl on the team. There were never any books about girls playing hockey when she was younger, so I decided to write some.
I firmly believe that girls can’t be what they can’t see. If they never see themselves represented in books, movies, and other media doing “non-traditional” things like playing hockey, then they won’t know that those opportunities are available to them. I wrote these books so that other little girls would feel seen and less alone, making them more likely to continue to do the thing that they love.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. I don’t think I can overstate the importance of refining your writing skills. Write all types of things. I have a degree in journalism, so I learned early in my career to be able to write about anything. Try different types of writing — even if you’re bad at them. I can’t write poetry to save my life, but writing poetry — even bad poetry — taught me the importance of choosing the right word and that sometimes using fewer words is the best way to say what you want to say.
2. Observe everything. If you want to write believable characters and places, you need to observe people and places. Whenever you’re around others, watch what they do, how they react to things, their body language, what they wear. All of these things can then be used to create believable characters in your books.
3. Learn to market. I’m still working on doing this well, but the days of finding a publisher and having them do all the marketing on your books are in the past. I self-publish, but even traditionally published authors find themselves doing a lot more heavy lifting on the marketing side than they did in the past. Figure out what you’re good at and focus on that. Don’t waste time or energy on things you hate. I do a lot of in-person events because I love interacting with readers and young people. There’s no one right way to market your books, but you do have to figure out how to market them.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
I love this question because my parents are a big part of my life and two of my biggest fans. I started writing my Buddy and Panda series because my mom asked for a book based on our dog, Buddy.
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to teach me to not take myself too seriously. The biggest gift they gave me was to teach me that laughter really is the best medicine. Even when things go wrong, we can find something to smile about or laugh at. It really does make the tough times a little easier.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ldfairchildauthor.com
