Tell us a bit about your books Loving Her (released 2008) and Unbreakable Hostage (released 2009)
Loving Her was my first attempt at any form of fiction since I was a teenager. It's a group of intertwined short stories about a group of friends and lovers. It discusses their daily battles, as well as larger issues such as gay bashings.
Unbreakable Hostage is my first suspense novel ever! I didn't even think I could write it, to be perfectly honest. It's about a woman named Lareina Oliveira, who is working towards her Ph. D. in algebra. One of her classmates is obssessed with her and eventually kidnaps her. Lareina uses her wit and knowledge of algebra to help her friends, family and the LAPD try to find her. She is tortured and greatly abused while she is held hostage, and her chances of being rescued in time are slim.
Your latest book Imperfect will be out in June 2010. How are you preparing for it's release?
Right now, I'm actually just holding my breath. Imperfect is my first full-length novel, and it's really quite tragic so I'm not sure how it will be received. Thus far, I've been discussing it in my blog and on my website. I'll be making the rounds in the north eastern United States this fall promoting it along with the other two books.You were nationally (US) published for the first time at age 14. Do you think starting your writing career at such a young age has helped you in the long run?
Perhaps it's egotistical of me to say, but I do think it helped me. It was an amazing honor then (and still is now). It also really gave me the confidence to pursue other writing ventures. I think that if I came into the industry as an adult with no previous publications or history of fiction work (or even non-fiction work), I may not have challenged myself to write books like Unbreakable Hostage or Imperfect or pursue their publication.
As well as being a writer, you're also an activist for human rights, animal rights, women's rights, and gay rights. Do these other passions affect your writing?
They absolutely affect my writing. It's easy for me to admit that if I didn't have a passion for animals, Jen (a character from Loving Her) would not have been a cat shelter director. If gay rights weren't important to me, neither Loving Her nor Imperfect would be in existence. So yes, undoubtedly, my passions are deeply woven into my books.
What advice do you have for other writers?
Persistence is key. A good writer persists in making their story the strongest, most polished work possible. They're also persistent in becoming published. This is a tough industry, and in order to see your dream become a reality you have to be persistent and diligent in making it happen.
What has been the best moment in your writing career so far?
That's a tough one. I'm extremely proud of having been published at age 14, and of the fact that Loving Her was published (I never thought it would be seen by anyone other than myself).
In looking at everything I have done, though, I take exceptional pride in Unbreakable Hostage. I have never considered myself a suspense writer, and yet Unbreakable Hostage was not only published, it has been very well received so far. To see something like that come to fruition and to receive positive accolades is astounding.
Where can people find out more about you and your writing?
I'm on several websites.
The first is my own website, www.leharvey.com.
I have profiles on Facebook and Myspace: http://www.facebook.com/leharvey77 and http://www.myspace.com/leharvey.
I also tweet on Twitter at https://twitter.com/leharvey77.
Lastly, I have a blog at http://harveyle.blogspot.com/.
Anything else you'd like to add?
I'd just to let to take this opportunity to let everyone know that I love to hear from them! All e-mails and comments are more than welcome! I like to be approachable and available to my readers. I think that a good writer needs to truly listen to their readers, so I don't want people to ever hesitate to contact me on any of my websites, or via my e-mail at leharvey77@gmail.com
And of course, I want to thank you for this interview! Thank you so very much for this opportunity! I greatly appreciate it! :)
