I recently had the pleasure of interviewing LoLo Paige, an award-winning author, and former wildland firefighter. Her debut book, Alaska Spark, has received several awards in the indie romance category, while her second book Alaska Inferno was named as a finalist in 2022 Kindle Book Review Awards. We spoke about her writing journey, what inspired her to write romance novels set in Alaska, and the importance of being persistent despite rejection. Read on to find out what she has to say!
Tell us about your book Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart. Travel writer Dayna Benning tours Europe to write a feature story for a travel magazine. Along the way, she helps her bestie scatter her husband’s ashes. When Dayna accidentally sprinkles Alex Mendes with dried rose petals intended for the deceased, she senses a chemistry with the silver fox airline pilot. Just one catch—he wears a wedding band. Embittered by her divorce, Alex and Dayna go their separate ways, but she’s mystified when serendipitous signs point her toward him at every turn. Determined to find out why, she learns Alex is a widower. Dayna hopes for a second chance at love…but can she forgive those that broke her heart the first time or forgive herself for her failed marriage? Unless she does, Alex will forever remain a fantasy.
What is the PRIMARY benefit, above all others, that your potential reader will gain from reading this book? Lots of feels, as Dayna and Alex try to get past their broken hearts from their first marriages to move on—agree to keep their attraction a fling or a friends-with-benefits? I love my side characters, who are Japanese and Portuguese. I gave one a snarky sense of humor, and the other a sophisticated one, so there’s plenty of laughs and diversity in this book. Dayna is from California, and Alex is a Portuguese-American, retired airline pilot.
If you had to compare this book to any other book out there, which book would it be? Readers who love vacation and travel romances like The Road Trip, and Holiday to Remember, by Susanne O’Leary will love Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart.
Hundreds of thousands of books come out every year. Why should someone buy THIS book? This book is based on my own personal experience when I traveled with a tour group on a pilgrimage tour of Spain, France, and Portugal. It was an outstanding trip, full of somber moments, hilarity, and fun with the people in my group, who were from all over the U.S. In fact, the following year when on a different tour, they beta-read my draft as we traveled and gave me all kinds of fun things to include in my story.
Who is your target audience? The target audience for Hello Spain are readers who enjoy both romance and reading about travel. This is the first book in the Wandering Hearts Series published by The Wild Rose Press. The characters are older, in their late 40s and early 50s, and takes place in several settings, beginning in Portugal. The heroine, Dayna Benning, is on a group tour that also goes to France and Spain. Alex Mendes is doing a pilgrimage on the El Camino trail in Spain, and the two meet on a beach in the opening chapter.
Did your environment or upbringing play a major role in your writing and did you use it to your advantage? I live in Alaska and Alaskans travel a lot. We go back and forth to the lower forty-eight, as most of us have families there, and because Anchorage is a both a major destination and a crossroads for air travel, we have direct flights to many countries overseas. I’ve taken advantage of that and have visited much of Europe over the years. This book was inspired by true events that occurred on a group tour I did of Spain, France, and Portugal.
Tell us your most rewarding experience since publishing your work? The reviews have been fantastic! The book has been well received so far, with 5-star reviews. I’ve also done a few podcast interviews which have been fun as well.
How would you describe your writing style? I prefer writing in 3rd person, past tense, since most of the books I’ve read have been written this way and I am used to it and enjoy it. I wrote one book in another subgenre in first person, present tense to see if I’d like it after reading a few, but I find I’m most comfortable with the former. I write in a relaxed style and my books contain lots of humor, since I was a stage actor and did lots of stage comedies.
Are your characters pure fiction, or did you draw from people you know? The characters in this book are based on several people I know, including a couple that were on the actual travel tour with me.
Are you more of a character artist or a plot-driven writer? I do both. Sometimes stories enter my brain first and the rest follows, and sometimes a character type will jump in, and I write the story around them. It just depends whether I’m writing a romcom, such as Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart, or my action adventure firefighter series. With my romcoms usually it’s the characters who jump in first.
What do you hope to accomplish with your book other than selling it? I love making people laugh, and hope this book does that, as well as touch on some heavy subjects most people have dealt with by the time they’re in midlife. My mother used to tell me how she dealt with tragedies in her life was to find the humor in some situations—and that’s what got her through it. I try to emulate that in my writing. I also love to show readers how cool it is to get outside your comfort zone and travel to other countries.
Learn more about LoLo Paige an Award-Winning Author LoLo Paige is an award-winning author and former wildland firefighter whose debut novel, Alaska Spark, has received several awards for best indie romance. Her second book, Alaska Inferno, was a finalist for best indie romance in the 2022 Kindle Book Review Awards.How can our readers get in touch with you? Readers can sign up for my newsletter and get a free book at https://www.lolopaige.com email me at lolo@lolopaige.com and follow my author page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LoLoPaigewildlandfire
Where can our readers purchase your book? Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Angus & Robertson in Australia, and other global retailers. Buy link: https://books2read.com/HelloSpainGoodbyeHeart
