Life & Work with Lorie Langdon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lorie Langdon. 

Hi Lorie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a young adult author with eight published novels. But it hasn’t been a straight path for me.

I didn’t begin writing my first novel until I’d worked in the corporate world for many years and realized the lack of creativity in my life was slowly killing me. Literally. I’ve had Crohn’s disease since my early twenties, but about fifteen years ago, it flared up to the point that I couldn’t work, and the doctors were out of treatment options. I cried a lot and prayed more. One night I had a dream about a privateer and the girl who’d traveled through time to save him. 

The next morning, I began writing my first novel. I wrote through the pain and fatigue. The doctors were astounded by my recovery. But I wasn’t. God had given me a purpose, a calling. 

It took several years and a lot of rejection from the publishing world before I got my first book deal for my co-authored YA fantasy series, DOON, a reimagining of the musical Brigadoon. I’ve since published six young adult novels including GILT HOLLOW, a mystery suspense, and OLIVIA TWIST, a gender-swapped continuation of Oliver Twist that has been optioned for film by Lonetree Entertainment. 

My current series is a dream come true because I’m writing origin stories for some of Disney’s most famous characters! The Happily Never After series features legendary Disney Villains such as; Ursula as Vanessa, Gaston, Yzma, Captain Hook, and the Evil Queen. Each book is a glimpse into the villain’s origins and their experiences of first love. Vanessa and Gaston have been released in several countries, and the rest of the villains will follow. My hope is that the series will release in the U.S. soon!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Books can take a long time to get published. Most times, it is not a smooth process. For instance, I began the first draft of OLIVIA TWIST in 2011. I continued to work on it in between writing the DOON Series and finally finished it in 2013. Sadly, the young adult publishing world wasn’t ready for a historical novel without steampunk elements or vampires, so I received rejection after rejection. But I didn’t give up hope. After four years of being on submission to publishers, it sold to a division of HarperCollins and was published in 2018. 

Also, it’s a common misconception that authors are millionaires when the majority of us struggle to make a living wage. But I, like most writers, don’t do it for the money. Writing is a compulsion; it’s in our blood! 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
One thing that I think sets my writing apart, and the reason Disney chose me to write the Happily Never After series, is because I love writing morally grey characters. I find them far more interesting than your average hero! My book, GILT HOLLOW, is about a boy who is convicted of manslaughter as a young teen and then returns to his hometown seeking revenge. For much of the story, the reader is unsure if this character is the hero, the villain, or a bit of both. In OLIVIA TWIST, I chose to make the Artful Dodger the love interest. He was raised in the slums of London, stealing to survive, and when he infiltrates high society, his cons have much higher stakes. Yet when we see him through Olivia’s eyes, he is a victim, not a criminal. In my Disney series, these characters are unmistakably villains in the making, but my goal is that the reader will never see them as evil again. 

What makes you happy?
I love to travel and experience the history, nature, cuisine, and culture of new places. As an author, I’ve had the privilege to visit cities all over the U.S., and I’ve taught writing workshops in Ireland and China. But visiting my favorite beach in Florida with my husband and sons ranks even higher on my happiness scale!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.lorielangdon.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorielangdon_author
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLorieLangdon
• Other: Find my books here: https://www.bookdepository.com/search?searchTerm=lorie+langdon&search=Find+book

Image Credits
Mike Heath
Brand Navigation
Kirk DouPonce