Meet the wonderful and talented LaNora Mangano...
ABOUT ME
I was born and raised on the South side of Chicago, Illinois during my early years then moved to the suburbs and lived there until I met my husband, had kids and relocated to central Indiana.
I started reading romance novels in high school when a friend introduced me to a Harlequin book and it was so refreshing and "new" to me that I bought another one, then another one and read them every spare moment I had. This was also around the time I developed a passion to write my own stories and I’ve been writing ever since.
I wrote romantic suspense. Most of my novels are part of a 3-6 book series. I now write contemporaries and paranormal.
Due to wanting to create characters and build situations for them , it has led to accomplishing my true goal; Publishing.
Someday, I hope to get much better at this dream of mine and be compared to some of the great romance authors of today.
Follow me at:
Website http://jeanne1965.wix.com/finding-lanora
email - [email protected]
Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/LanoraMangano.Author?fref=ts
I was born and raised on the South side of Chicago, Illinois during my early years then moved to the suburbs and lived there until I met my husband, had kids and relocated to central Indiana.
I started reading romance novels in high school when a friend introduced me to a Harlequin book and it was so refreshing and "new" to me that I bought another one, then another one and read them every spare moment I had. This was also around the time I developed a passion to write my own stories and I’ve been writing ever since.
I wrote romantic suspense. Most of my novels are part of a 3-6 book series. I now write contemporaries and paranormal.
Due to wanting to create characters and build situations for them , it has led to accomplishing my true goal; Publishing.
Someday, I hope to get much better at this dream of mine and be compared to some of the great romance authors of today.
Follow me at:
Website http://jeanne1965.wix.com/finding-lanora
email - [email protected]
Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/LanoraMangano.Author?fref=ts
J.J. Devine: What is your writing strategy? How do you go about putting your latest WIP together?
LaNora Mangano: My strategy? First a simple story plot comes to my mind. For example, my current WIP started with "what if" a single, professional woman saw a feed the hungry commercial on TV and fell in love with one of the orphans from a brief flash of the baby's picture. Then she starts the ball rolling to find out everything she can about that one and only child. From there, I mentally draw up who the hero is, how does he enter her life (also why does he enter her life) then I throw them together and create all sorts of tension and complications to work through before they finally do and have a perceived happily ever after.
J.J. Devine: Do you fall in love with your hero as you create his story?
LaNora Mangano: Absolutely. I fall in love with who I believe them to be and most of my heroes are tailor made to my specific liking and attraction. I'm still learning how to get my readers to fall in love with them the way that I do.
J.J. Devine: You write romance, so give us the scoop, do you believe in love at first sight? What about kisses that make your heart stand still? And the real question, do you believe in soul mates?
LaNora Mangano: Yes. Yes and Yes. I believe as a romance writer you have to believe in love at first sight and soulmates. Simply because it's somewhat of a magical concept and we write fiction. Our goal is to make readers believe it and so we have to believe it a little bit too.
J.J. Devine: What from your past plays into your writing today?
LaNora Mangano: I wrote an interracial romance, called Love Encounters and while I was dating my husband, (back when he was my boyfriend), I had a friend who didn't seemed very tolerant of my relationship. I used that experience in my book.
J.J. Devine: In your writing do you ever cross genres? If so, what stories have you written doing so and where can we find them?
LaNora Mangano: I began writing romantic suspense because I loved to read that while growing up. Then I realized that what I am most comfortable writing is contemporary romance and that was what I was first published with, the "Emergency Calls" series. Love Encounters is the first paranormal book I've published and I am making that a three book paranormal series. All of my books can be found on Amazon.com. Love Encounters will be released in trade size in February 2016.
LaNora Mangano: My strategy? First a simple story plot comes to my mind. For example, my current WIP started with "what if" a single, professional woman saw a feed the hungry commercial on TV and fell in love with one of the orphans from a brief flash of the baby's picture. Then she starts the ball rolling to find out everything she can about that one and only child. From there, I mentally draw up who the hero is, how does he enter her life (also why does he enter her life) then I throw them together and create all sorts of tension and complications to work through before they finally do and have a perceived happily ever after.
J.J. Devine: Do you fall in love with your hero as you create his story?
LaNora Mangano: Absolutely. I fall in love with who I believe them to be and most of my heroes are tailor made to my specific liking and attraction. I'm still learning how to get my readers to fall in love with them the way that I do.
J.J. Devine: You write romance, so give us the scoop, do you believe in love at first sight? What about kisses that make your heart stand still? And the real question, do you believe in soul mates?
LaNora Mangano: Yes. Yes and Yes. I believe as a romance writer you have to believe in love at first sight and soulmates. Simply because it's somewhat of a magical concept and we write fiction. Our goal is to make readers believe it and so we have to believe it a little bit too.
J.J. Devine: What from your past plays into your writing today?
LaNora Mangano: I wrote an interracial romance, called Love Encounters and while I was dating my husband, (back when he was my boyfriend), I had a friend who didn't seemed very tolerant of my relationship. I used that experience in my book.
J.J. Devine: In your writing do you ever cross genres? If so, what stories have you written doing so and where can we find them?
LaNora Mangano: I began writing romantic suspense because I loved to read that while growing up. Then I realized that what I am most comfortable writing is contemporary romance and that was what I was first published with, the "Emergency Calls" series. Love Encounters is the first paranormal book I've published and I am making that a three book paranormal series. All of my books can be found on Amazon.com. Love Encounters will be released in trade size in February 2016.
Blurb for Time and Time Again
Seth's moves were slow, trusting that she would keep her word. She began to follow him but with more distance than he preferred. He couldn't blame her as he was a stranger, leading her into an unknown situation. Once he reached the top landing, he pushed the apartment door open wide to allow her a clear view. He walked in further and motioned her to do the same with his hand. As he tracked her hesitant steps, he also paid attention to how she studied the furniture and fixtures.
"Please have a seat at the kitchen table, and I'll get you something to drink." Seth hurried to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottled water, handing it to her. She held it for a moment then shook it upside down.
Seth took it from her hand, twisted the cap then simulated what to do next. "It's water. We drink it here."
"I know what water is, Seth, but how do you get it so clear?"
"It comes that way then we filter it more." He couldn't believe he was answering this question. "What color is your water?"
"We make our water for our vegetation. We do not drink it, ever, because there isn't enough to do so. Our water is green, and it comes from our dirt, which is red."
"Green water? Does it stain your skin when you bathe in it?
"What is this bathe?"
"We do it to wash our body and our hair."
"Purifying."
"Yes."
"That was banned forty years ago, when water was harder to make. But to answer your question, it did not stain our skin for long."
What in heaven was their purification process he wondered?
"Our uniform has technology that keeps our skin...bathed. It allows radiation rays to feed through it so that we get the nutrients from the sun."
"Uniform?"
"Yes, it holds our communication modules on them that connects to here," Jori touched her hip then the spot behind her ear. Her motions from earlier now made sense. She had been looking to communicate with someone when he'd found her.
"How do you do purification, Seth?"
"I'll show you, and I bet you'll love our way much better. When I'm in a hurry, I take a shower, but when I'd like to relax, I take a long bath." Seth stood and led her to the largest bathroom. He leaned over the tub, plugged the drain and twisted the dial on the faucet so that warm water poured out. Jori startled at the sound of the rushing water.
"It's okay. I'm filling the tub so that you can take a bath if you want to."
"Where will I take it?"
"You're adorable." He smiled. Once the level reached three quarters full, he tested the temperature with his hand. Jori sank to her knees and mimicked what Seth had done.
"Oh!" Her face lit like any woman's face would have after having a warm bath drawn specifically for her. Seth watched as her perfect peach lips formed the "O" shape, and the urge to kiss them punched him in the gut.
Seth's moves were slow, trusting that she would keep her word. She began to follow him but with more distance than he preferred. He couldn't blame her as he was a stranger, leading her into an unknown situation. Once he reached the top landing, he pushed the apartment door open wide to allow her a clear view. He walked in further and motioned her to do the same with his hand. As he tracked her hesitant steps, he also paid attention to how she studied the furniture and fixtures.
"Please have a seat at the kitchen table, and I'll get you something to drink." Seth hurried to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottled water, handing it to her. She held it for a moment then shook it upside down.
Seth took it from her hand, twisted the cap then simulated what to do next. "It's water. We drink it here."
"I know what water is, Seth, but how do you get it so clear?"
"It comes that way then we filter it more." He couldn't believe he was answering this question. "What color is your water?"
"We make our water for our vegetation. We do not drink it, ever, because there isn't enough to do so. Our water is green, and it comes from our dirt, which is red."
"Green water? Does it stain your skin when you bathe in it?
"What is this bathe?"
"We do it to wash our body and our hair."
"Purifying."
"Yes."
"That was banned forty years ago, when water was harder to make. But to answer your question, it did not stain our skin for long."
What in heaven was their purification process he wondered?
"Our uniform has technology that keeps our skin...bathed. It allows radiation rays to feed through it so that we get the nutrients from the sun."
"Uniform?"
"Yes, it holds our communication modules on them that connects to here," Jori touched her hip then the spot behind her ear. Her motions from earlier now made sense. She had been looking to communicate with someone when he'd found her.
"How do you do purification, Seth?"
"I'll show you, and I bet you'll love our way much better. When I'm in a hurry, I take a shower, but when I'd like to relax, I take a long bath." Seth stood and led her to the largest bathroom. He leaned over the tub, plugged the drain and twisted the dial on the faucet so that warm water poured out. Jori startled at the sound of the rushing water.
"It's okay. I'm filling the tub so that you can take a bath if you want to."
"Where will I take it?"
"You're adorable." He smiled. Once the level reached three quarters full, he tested the temperature with his hand. Jori sank to her knees and mimicked what Seth had done.
"Oh!" Her face lit like any woman's face would have after having a warm bath drawn specifically for her. Seth watched as her perfect peach lips formed the "O" shape, and the urge to kiss them punched him in the gut.