Romance author Lois Richer answers our questions about
Perfectly Matched (Love Inspired): Trust is hard for most people but, for Shay Parker, it is especially difficult. So how can she possibly be expected to handle the possibility of being left behind by the one person that she’s been willing to open herself up to after moving back home to Hope, New Mexico?
Q: WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS WRITING PERFECTLY MATCHED?
Perfectly Matched is the third in a series called Healing Hearts which is about three women who lost a precious friend as a child. Together they form a medical clinic to save other children from suffering the same fate as their childhood friend. With Perfectly Matched I wanted to write about two people who turned their back on a glamorous life to return to their roots.
Q: HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHICH STORY TO WRITE?
I generally write in series so when I first brainstorm the series idea, I have an idea of how each story carries the overall storyline forward. The next book in the series is the one I write, but that doesn’t mean my brain isn’t busy mulling over something new and different that might happen down the road.
Q: WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES FROM THE STORY WHERE YOU DREW ELEMENTS FROM REAL LIFE?
Shay’s fear is one thing I drew from my own life. Fear is such an immobilizing thing. You get stuck in the ‘what ifs’ and lose sight of God’s power and the fact that He, not you, is in control. It’s usual for me to use my own experiences in a story, not always intentionally, but in the process of writing, I always learn something new about God and his love. Showing that outrageous love for us is my goal with every book.
Q: IN PERFECTLY MATCHED, WHICH CHARACTER SURPRISED YOU MOST?
I would say that Shay, the heroine did. She turned out to be a lot stronger than I’d first thought she’d be. And that’s a good thing.
Q: WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
At the moment I’m working on the second book of a series titled Northern Lights. The books are set in the far northern town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada which is known internationally as the polar bear capital of the world. It’s a fascinating place, tiny, isolated, but so interesting. North Country Hero is the first book in the series and will be on the shelves in September of this year. It’s the story of two wounded souls, physically and spiritually, who come to Churchill seeking healing. Because I love Churchill so much, I’m hoping others will love it too, if only through my stories.