Stephanie is represented by the
publicity firm of Creative Edge and is a welcome addition to the ongoing series
of author appearances on the Scribbler.
When I visited Stephanie’s
eye-catching website - Stephanie LaVigne
• Author – I was greeted by the following:
…things here are whimsical, witty and
uplifting …with an occasional side of
mystery & mayhem.
It is an absolute delight to have
such an accomplished author as our guest this week. She has kindly agreed to a
Branching Out Interview, so…
Let’s chat with Stephanie.
Allan: Thank you for taking the time to be
our guest, Stephanie. Before we discuss your novels and writing, can you please
share some personal details with our readers? Where you reside, family &
friends or pets.
Stephanie: Thank you so much for having
me, Allan!
I live back in my hometown of
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The same place I dismissed as being awful at
eighteen, only to find many years later that I love its bizarre, beautiful,
beachy small-city feel. Now, not only do I love it here, but it’s the setting
for many of my upcoming books!
I am lucky enough to live
close to my family which is amazingly nice. Especially considering I have three
young children who are never short on energy or imagination. I’m also married
to a wonderful guy who lives in the madhouse alongside me. We live about a mile
from the beach, but don’t nearly go as often as we should. I do make a point to
drive by it a lot. Simply knowing that it’s there always makes me feel better.
We currently have a butterfly
garden that has taken over our backyard. I always tell our kids that their
youngest sibling is the family pet, but they aren’t convinced that’s
sufficient. Thankfully they like the butterflies and caterpillars lately, so
it’s serving as a placeholder.
Allan: You write both Mystery and Romance.
Is it a separation of the genres or do you combine both in your stories? Which
do you find easiest or the most fun?
Stephanie: The most recent book I did was a
crossover with both romance and mystery. The story is a mystery at the root of
it, with a little sweet romance thrown in.
My romances, in general,
don’t tend to have a mystery angle. They are feel-good fare with more of a
focus on family, friend, and romantic dynamics alongside the personal journey
of the main characters. My mysteries include those emotional aspects, but the
driving force of those stories are still centralized around the whodunnit.
I don’t know which genre is
easier. I want to say romance, but I’ve also been writing them longer. Romance
takes less intensive plotting. With a mystery, I have to reverse-engineer the
mystery or crime so that I know what I’m doing and making sure the book leads
up to where it needs to be. I try to plot and outline both, but the stories
inevitably change to some degree during the writing process as the characters
develop into more fully formed personalities.
Allan: When was the defining moment you
decided to write stories and seek to be a published author?
Stephanie: I had two defining moments.
The first one was when I decided to leave the film industry and let myself go
back to the drawing board to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I
realized then that I definitely wanted to be a writer. I was not sure yet what
that would look like, whether it would be writing for magazines, or TV, or
novels. I didn’t know anyone who was a professional writer and the information available
wasn’t quite what it is today. I sat down and had a blast writing a novel in a
month. It was messy and unstructured, but the story was there. Mind you, I had
never really thought too much about writing a full-length fiction book before.
Previous to that, I had written things like screenplays and short stories. As
soon as I confirmed what my life path should be, I immediately changed course
and decided to become a photographer.
This leads to the second
defining moment that I knew I wanted to be a writer! I was lucky enough to have
a career in photography and design for several years, but I always knew deep
down that I wasn’t on the right track for me. After I had my first child, the
stress of having a newborn and being out on photo shoots, then coming home to
do marathon hours of editing, was really breaking me. And the deep-down voice
within me knew that I should get out. The photos I took were pretty cool, but
still something didn’t feel right. Finally, I looked at my life and said, “it
is time to start trying to be a writer, whatever that means.” At that point I
knew what it was like to start from scratch in a new business, so that part had
become less daunting. I knew that I just needed to be brave enough to put
myself out there and be willing to be vulnerable. I was never really scared of
doing that in photography, but I was secretly terrified to fail as a writer.
So I started on my writer’s
journey in secret and didn’t tell anyone other than one of my closest
girlfriends what I was doing. Six months in, I finally admitted it to my
husband and I think it was nearly four years before I sat down and told my dad
what I was doing. Now everyone knows and even on the stressful days I feel
content like I am on the right path. I’m also proud of myself for finally being
willing to try the thing I was most afraid of.
Allan: Headlines,
Deadlines and Lies from The Sunshine
State: Cozy + Crime Series is on pre-order. Please tell us about this
story.
Stephanie: It’s live now! This was a Cozy
Mystery-Sweet Romance crossover akin to the Hallmark Channel Mystery TV Shows.
It is a genealogical mystery where the main character, Piper, has to uncover
some incontinuities in her best friend’s family tree. She’s trying to learn
more about her best friend’s long-lost dad, who died as a young man in the
Navy, but she quickly finds that things aren’t adding up.
I wrote it when the world was
feeling very intense and heavy. I wanted to see if I could write a compelling
mystery without centering it around a murder or other cataclysmic event. So it
makes for a very uplifting read! I tell people that so that they recognize that
it is a little bit different from a traditional mystery, or cozy mystery even,
because you come to expect that central crime or calamity. If you’re in the
right mindset and looking for something to make you feel a little smiley- and
then maybe end up scrutinizing your own family history a little more closely-
you’ll have a great time with this book!
Allan: The Homecoming is the newest addition to your Fox Hill Southern Mystery Series. What can our readers expect when
they pick up their copy?
Stephanie: This story was put on the back-burner
for a lot longer than I intended. I had considered ending the series at book
three, but it always felt incomplete. The final book brings some unsolved
backstories from the other books full circle and makes Caitlyn, Kurt, Reba, and
the rest of the Fox Hill gang’s story feel complete. It’s a touching yet fairly
wild, hijinky ride to the end! Hopefully readers will enjoy it!
Allan: Please share a childhood memory or
anecdote.
Stephanie: I am going to tell you the first one
that pops into my mind. Once when I was somewhere around 12 or 13, my parents
and I were on a bike ride in our Florida neighborhood. I was obviously at an
age where I was a perfectly competent bike rider, and at some point, we were
riding on the sidewalk spread out in a single file line when I noticed the
large cement electrical line poles strewn down the block. There was one about
twenty feet ahead of me. As I’m riding, I’m kind of in the zone and randomly
think to myself, “imagine how awful it would be to run into one of those.”
Which I thought was a ridiculous notion because the pole was not even on the
actual sidewalk, simply butting up against it in the grass.
My thoughts went from
wondering if people ever run into it, to fixating on not running into it by
saying over and over, “don’t hit the pole.” Now mind you, I had plenty of
clearance, I was a skinny 12 or 13-year-old on a 5-foot-wide sidewalk. But as I
mentally repeated the mantra to not run into that giant cement pole, I slammed
right into it and got thrown wildly off my bike.
Every once in a while, I
think of that when I apply my adult knowledge that if you focus on the wrong
thing, you will put all your energy toward that thing and lead yourself right
to it. Don’t focus on the things you’re afraid of, focus on the road ahead or
the positive goal you do want to achieve. Because I will tell you, slamming
into the thing you wanted to avoid and being thrown to the ground is not that
fun.
Allan: From reading your bio - About —
Stephanie LaVigne • Author – you’ve lived an exciting life and have
settled in Southern Florida to write full time. How much of your past
adventures find their way into your stories? How many of Stephanie LaVigne’s
personality is evidenced in your characters?
Stephanie: Many of my stories have absolutely no
basis in my real life. For example, I’ve never faked my own death or had to
save the family ranch alongside my four siblings. Though I’m sure every one of
my books still has elements of me or my experiences woven in. Recently, I’ve
been having fun with a new character because she embodies the sarcastic,
confident yet playful “tough girl” side of me that doesn’t get to come out as
much because I’m always home with my kids and husband. When I’m writing, she
often gets to act and respond in ways that feel very organic to me. Often
though, I’ll channel relationships with different people I’ve had or seen and
try to get into the heads of my characters when I’m writing. Even though I’m
making it up, I’m sure it’s easier when the personality type isn’t completely
foreign to me.
I’ve had so many different experiences that it makes it easy to pull bits of familiarity into my stories through that, which I do like to do. I assume that even when I’m writing about something that is purely fiction, it still has some elements of me, even if simply in the fact that it’s a location or premise that piques my interest. I’ve never lived in the mountains, but I’ve always had a fascination with cowgirls for example.
So when I’m working on a contemporary Western romance,
there is still that fascination with mountain life that I have, and I’ll pull
from some of my memories of visiting those areas. I don’t tend to write about
things that aren’t interesting to me.
Allan: Favorite authors? Books? Movie? Dessert?
Stephanie: It’s funny because I don’t
have favorites, generally speaking. Especially when it comes to books. I love
too many books and I cannot choose.
For movies, I lean toward
comedy, action adventure or heist films. A lot of the movies I consider “my
favorite” are kind of ridiculous. For example, many years ago I realized I had
copies of pretty much every Burt Reynolds movie. Add in Dom DeLuise and Sally
Fields, I am going to call it a classic. So from Cannonball Run to all three
Smokey and the Bandits, I own them and truly love them. Back to the Beach with
Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, which was made in the 80’s, is also part
of my coveted movie collection. I really enjoy movies where the actors work
together a lot because they are truly friends. Something about that shines
through to me. I also like how Burt Reynolds always randomly breaks the third
wall in every movie he’s in and either winks, or cocks an eyebrow and smirks.
It simply makes me smile.
As for dessert, I tend to be
a decadent chocolate dessert person. If you give me a fruit-based dessert, I
will gladly eat it, but I will consider it breakfast.
Allan: Anything else you’d like to share
with us?
Stephanie: I will just leave whoever is reading
this with the reminder that you are never alone in this big ol’ world.
Sometimes all of us feel alienated or alone, full of self-doubt, overly
critical, or scared to take a chance on trying to live a life that we think
would make us happier. But now more than ever, there are ways to find people
who will believe in you, support you, love you, and support you through the ups
and downs of life. Maybe you will find that in a good book, in an online group,
even in a pet, or just one good friend you can call. But sometimes that is more
than enough. Know and believe that you are wonderful in your own unique way,
and know that I am here championing for you to live your own incredible life.
***That's a beautiful thought Stephanie.
Thank you, Stephanie, for taking the time to share your thoughts and for being our guest this week. Wishing you continued success with your stories.
For all you fantastic visitors
wanting to discover more about Stephanie and her writing and where to buy her
novels, please follow these links:
https://www.facebook.com/thestephanielavigne
https://www.instagram.com/thestephanielavigne
https://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-LaVigne/e/B014DUTKOY
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stephanie-lavigne?follow=true
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14291865.Stephanie_LaVigne