Rising Stars: Meet John Lawrence

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Lawrence.

Hi John, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
During my childhood, I resided in Orange County, and as an adult, my living journey took me through Sepulveda and Simi Valley. It was during my time in Simi Valley that the inspiration for my novel struck me. Although I currently find myself in Las Vegas, I frequently embark on journeys back to the vibrant city of Los Angeles.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The idea for this story came to me in the early 1990s, just after the Gulf War, but it was developed over the course of 30 years. The concept was simple in my mind at first. But I soon discovered how truly difficult it would be to tell the story of this fictional family. Like my own family, we are very close, and by close, I mean even to this day, I speak to my brother at least once a day no matter how many states away we live. I guess to me, family is everything. My wife is my biggest advocate; she is my other half, my partner in crime, my biggest fan. I rely on her for pretty much everything in my life. She is the rock in our family and the love of my life. Without her encouragement and that of my entire family, I don’t think I would have been able to sit down and write this story. My loved ones would have never thought I would write a book. Especially historical fiction. Growing up with a single father was an adventure. My father was a ferocious reader, but I did not take after him in that arena. I am dyslexic, and I have a hard time reading anything, especially books. Over the years, I have developed a method to focus on words, so I could speed up my reading ability. But this means I have only read a few books throughout my life. When audible books came on the scene that opened a new opportunity for me to read the same books my father would talk about. But taking on a challenge like this one I would have certain roadblocks in my way. For starters, I couldn’t really get a critique partner or collaborator. That would mean I would have to read and critique their work as they would read and critique mine. That would have been a one-way street for them since it would have taken me a long time to read their work while they can read and critique mine on a much quicker scale. This makes me a poor candidate to be someone’s critique partner. Out of thousands of roadblocks in my way, this was the biggest by far.

So why even take on a project like this, you may ask? If I’m being honest with myself, I would have to admit it probably comes back to my father, the ferocious reader. I think my father would have loved reading this story. This story would not leave me alone, every year that passed that I did not start this project, well It was like a ghost haunting me in my quiet times, in my sleep like some- thing prompted me, poking me, almost daring me to start this project. I must admit though since it took a while for me to do this project. I was able to come up with more content and more ideas for the development of the story. Developing awesome characters in this story and what they go through is one of my proudest accomplishments in my writing career. They have really come to life for me, and I can’t wait to see what they do in my next book.

Writing and publishing a book is much like eating an elephant; the only way you can do it is by one bite at a time. There are literally dozens of people that I would like to thank, starting with my family, friends, beta readers, editors, cover designers, formators, and the list goes on and on. But above all, I thank my creator for giving me this story to tell. For giving me the courage and the knowledge to complete this project.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love LA!! The best thing about the city besides the wonderful diverse atmosphere and art is… It is the center of the universe. Los Angeles truly stands out as an unparalleled destination. Nowhere else can you effortlessly transition from the beach to the valley, ascend mountains, and explore the desert—all within a short drive.

What do I like least about LA….. That is easy! THE TRAFFIC

Pricing:

• $3.99
• $13.99
• $24.99

Contact Info:

• Website: www.johnlawrenceauthor.com