Interview with Lisa Lickel

Recently, I interviewed author Lisa Lickel. 

Heidi: You state, “I live and write in beautiful Wisconsin in a 160-year-old Great Lakes ship captain’s house.” How did you find such a cool home? Where do you spend your time writing? Has your house/property served as inspiration for one of your novels?

Lisa: Hi, Heidi, thanks for letting me visit today. Our house was sort of an accident. I’ve always loved history, but we ended up with this house because it was in our price range when we were looking. The cool part—learning about it—came later. I write all over the house with my laptop, sometimes on the deck, the front porch, but mostly on the couch. Hmm—yes, the house/family was the inspiration behind the Yankee Boy, a yet-to-be-published story in my ethnic settler children’s series.

Heidi: You write, blog, edit, etc. What is your schedule like?

Lisa: It’s so crazy you can’t believe it. When I try to schedule, God laughs, so I go with the flow. I’ve been nearly finished with my current work in progress since June, but I really am close. When I say I’m going to take a day for my book, then something else comes up. My editing clients are close to first priority, and my commitments as the literary magazine editor for Wisconsin Writers Association deadlines. Blog deadlines when I’m scheduled…I try to keep things straight on calendars and a wipe board.

Heidi: How many books have you written?

Lisa: Written: Last count, 12 novels, 6 children’s stories and a novella, a short story in a collection; my current WIP is nearly done, so make that 13; 4 radio plays have been produced, short stories, newspaper features, and so forth.

Published: 7, and 2 that were re-sold, re-written and re-packaged; 2 currently under contract.

Heidi: You state, “I like to write stories that define and defend contemporary families.” Tell me more about the characters/families in your most recent release.

Lisa: My latest release, The Newspaper Code, features a young family in which both parents, Judy and Hart, have regular work and a brand new baby. Judy’s job is threatened and she has to go through the whole identity crisis if she loses her teaching job. Hart’s widowed mom is getting married again, to a man who’s been divorced, and he’s concerned about her and whether marrying someone who’s failed once will fail again. Judy’s friend’s daughter had kicked her husband out, and then had to admit to her mom that she was pregnant…it all turns out okay, as only HAE fiction does, but still, there are lot of different ideas about family, what constitutes family and our traditional and non-traditional ideas and roles in society.

Heidi: How do you like to spend your time when you are not writing?

Lisa: I read a lot, pull weeds in the summers, spend time with friends and family, travel, try to take care of my house, but I have my best cleaning days when I’m writing. I volunteer with InterFaith, an organization that helps elderly and disabled do everyday living activities from home, and church stuff.

Heidi: How may readers connect with you?

Lisa: I’m on most of the usual social media sites, Facebook and Goodreads, and have an Amazon author page. My website is http://www.lisalickel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlisalickel

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Lisa-J.-Lickel/e/B002D66ECC/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel