Welcome mystery/romantic suspense author Lori Derby Bingley to Love Romances and More. We are
excited to have the opportunity to speak with you and learn more about your work. 

Thank you, Dee!  I am excited to be here and anyone who knows me is quite aware of how I love to talk. 
Lol. 

How long have you been writing, is it something you have always wanted to do?

I feel as though I’ve been writing forever, but ‘professionally’ it’s been about five or six years.  My niece 
came to me a couple of weeks ago and said she had to do a paper on someone ‘famous’, and she 
picked me.  *sniff*.  How sweet!  So I had to search through my old papers to see just how far back the 
writing went, and I realized I started writing around grade 2 or 3.  I have poems, stories, plays, etc, and 
even back then I knew I wanted to be a writer.  In fact, I wanted to teach from September to June, train 
horses from June to September, and write during evenings and weekends.  As far as marriage went – I 
was in grade 4 – boys were stinky.  They’ve grown on me since, however.  Lol

What inspired you to write in the first place?  Does the same thing inspire all your stories?  

Reading inspired me to write.  I read anything and everything I could get my hands on when I was little. 
I loved reading about horses at first…so many of my earlier stories were about horses and girls riding them. 
Then I discovered mysteries and horror books (much to my mother’s chagrin) and fell in love with the
suspense and the … yes, the crime of it all.  I spent many…okay, most…of my school days hiding in the
back row writing stories instead of paying attention to the teachers.  Some of them caught on and were
great about it, because I was still a good student (women and their multi-tasking, right?).  I was blessed
with great teachers who encouraged my writing and many of them came to me after my first book was
published to say “I told you it would happen”.  Inspirations for my books now can come from anywhere.  I
can grab an idea off a television show, movie, a night at the ER, anything.  And sometimes they come to
me in my dreams.   

Most authors are also avid readers.  Is this the case with you?  If so, who are some of your favorites?  Have any
influenced your writing? 

I wish I could say I still read all the time, but the truth is I don’t have the time.  I have a book I’ve been
picking at for about three months now, and I’m not even half finished.  There was a time when I could
have finished it in a day, or less, but not now.  I am a stay at home mother, and I watch other kids during
the day as well.  So once my ‘work’ day is finished, there are still the household things to take care of, and I
wait until the kids are in bed before I begin to write – so the only time I have a chance to read would be in
the *cough* bathroom.  My favorites, to name only a few, would be Mary Higgins Clark (who inspired the
mystery side of me), Heather Graham, Sidney Sheldon, Johanna Lindsey, Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, and
Phillip Margolin.  These are authors that I still buy their books even if I don’t have a chance to read them. 
They will remain in my TBR pile until my children are grown.  lol 

What influenced you to take the step of submitting your work to a publisher?  How long did it take you to get
your first book published? 

I always wanted to see my work in print.  I would walk by the books at the store and dream about my book 
being there beside one of my favorite authors.  I wrote my first full length novel while in high school 
(during class…shame on me!) and submitted it to Harlequin and Penguin books.  Well, was I shocked when 
they didn’t tell me I was a fabulous writer and they couldn’t wait to sign a million dollar contract.  In fact, 
the letters I received were rather eye opening and I knew I had a lot to learn about the publishing world.  
I then went out and bought the Writers Market book, researched the companies that were right for me, 
and submitted to them.  It took approximately ten years after that first experience before my first book was 
published.  And I was so excited!   

Often a writer’s first book is the toughest to write.  Was this true for you?  If so, what helped you get through it?  
If it wasn’t the first, which one was the most difficult to write?  The easiest?

My first book was relatively easy to write.  It was the editing that was tough!  And I can honestly say that 
with each and every book.  However, the easiest book to write from start to finish – editing included – was 
my newest one, “The Confession”.  I love this book!  I wrote it when my daughter was an infant and she 
and I would be up in the middle of the night; she with her bottle and me with my laptop.  It took me only 
three weeks to write this book, and I am very proud of it to this day.  The hardest book was “Lorelei”; not 
because it was difficult to write as much as the storyline was difficult to portray.  This book is based mainly on 
my own life – with the childhood of Amanda taken from my own, including the deaths of my grandmothers 
and my struggle to believe that once you’re gone, the suffering is over.  It was a healing book too, 
however, because it helped me deal with those same issues and once and for all get the closure I needed.

Do you usually outline your stories before you write them, or do you "go with the flow"?

I could lie and say I’m very organized and have everything planned right from the first, but my editor 
would read this and say “NO WAY”!  I am a fly by the seat of my pants girl, and it sometimes works, and 
sometimes bites you in the backside.  I love creating the plot, then the characters, and allowing them to 
write the story.  I don’t know who the killer is going to be in my books until I get near the end, when he 
(or she) tells me they want to be the one who has been behind it all.  This will never change, or I’ll get bored 
with the story.  For me, it’s like reading it while I’m writing; so if I lose interest, the reader is going to as well.  
However, this last book I wrote has been plotted out with my editor and it was easier to write because it 
was a complicated story to begin with.  

Have you ever suffered from "writer’s block"?  If so, what did you do to get out if it?

Funny you should ask this question because for the first time in my life, I can’t seem to write anything!  I have 
been finding it difficult to sit in front of the computer and come up with anything more than a response to 
my chatting loops.  It’s a terrible feeling and one I’m still trying to deal with.  For me, it’s been about family.  
The kids need me more lately, and I refuse to take time from them to do the writing.  By the time I sit in front 
of the screen, I’m so tired I can’t think.  I plan to try caffeine injections to see if that works.  Of course I’m 
kidding, but I have been writing articles and short stories to try and get back into the swing of things, so I’ll 
let you know how it goes. 

Your writing has garnered the attention of readers and reviewers; how does it feel to have such a positive
reaction to your work? 

Thank you so much!  I love the reactions to my work, and it makes me feel proud that people enjoy my
murderous side LOL.  I love taking the reader on a path of suspense and hope that they can’t figure things
out until close to the very end.  And as funny as it may sound, I don’t mind the odd ‘bad’ review because
it puts things in perspective for me.  I’m not going to please everyone, and I never want to be in that place
again (like when I wrote my first book) where I think I’m the best writer and everyone will, and should, love
my work.  If I can please MOST people, then I’m very happy.   

Congratulations on the release of your newest title from Champagne Books, THE CONFESSION in
September 2006; could you tell us a little about this exciting mystery?

Thank you!  As I stated earlier, I love this book.  It’s one of my favorites and probably one of the few where
the characters became a part of my every day life.  They talked to me in my sleep, telling me to get back to
the computer and write more – they needed their happily ever after! 

This story is about Tahlia Edwards; a woman whose father was murdered when she was a little girl.  He was
also accused of having killed her fiancé, and many people told her he was bad and no good.  She wanted
to prove them wrong but, being unable to, left town to start her life over.  She lost contact with her
mother, tried to pretend she didn’t have a past, when Jake Randall walked through her door and
changed her life forever.  He was hired my a mysterious employer to find out what truly happened to her
father and fiancé, and when she and Jake return home to get answers – suddenly Tahlia is a target and
she begins to understand just how little she really knew about her own life.  

Your characters come to life in your books, as a reader I was immediately captivated by your hero and
heroine, Jake and Tahlia, from THE CONFESSION.  Do you feel each of your characters live with you as you
write? Could you tell us a little about their conflict and how it drives the story? 

Yes, I believe the characters come to life.  As I said above, I especially found it with these two.  They would
guide me which way to take their relationship and how fast it was going to move.  The conflict with Tahlia
and Jake, as with many romance stories, was their difficulty trusting each other.  Tahlia wanted to prove to
everyone that her father was innocent of Kenny’s, her fiancé, death, but the more they dug up the more
she proved otherwise.  And many witnesses they interviewed began to show up dead as well, making
Tahlia worry about Jake’s possible involvement.  After all, he wouldn’t tell her who hired him in the first
place.  Jake’s issue was with having to keep this secret from Tahlia when all he wanted was to be with her
and protect her.  He wondered if Tahlia knew more than she was saying, or if she truly was that blind to
what kind of man her father was.  And why did he care so much about what happened all those years
ago?  You’ll have to read to find out!  lol 

Who has been your favorite character to write so far? The most challenging? 

Hmm… my favorite character?  I don’t know.  I had a fabulous time writing “Fraternity” because it was my 
favorite mystery of all.  It had some pretty creepy moments and if you like suspense with less romance, than 
this is a book for you.  I would say writing the scenes with the group of women in the crypt were my
favorites, and Ron and Gerry’s relationship as a detective team was great as well.  Yes, they were definitely 
the best characters.  As for the most challenging, I would say that Amanda in “Lorelei” was the most 
challenging if, for no other reason, than she was ‘me’ and I had to go through all those things I went 
through again.  At least I had some control over her life; so that was a plus!  lol

Romantic suspense has always been popular in movies and television.  Has anything from movies or 
television influenced your writing?

Oh, definitely!  I love scary movies.  I just have to see that one is at the theatre and I’m begging my 
husband to take me.  The scarier, the better.  I don’t like being grossed out…that’s just nasty.  Make me 
scream, not barf!  Lol.  I love to be shocked at the ending, because I’m usually trying to figure things out 
as they go along.  My husband, Joey, always says he hates going to those types of movies because I’m 
usually write about how it’s going to end.  So when I’m wrong (which is hardly ever lol) I love it.  And my son 
would always tell people when they asked him what types of books I wrote “She loves watching Matlock 
and Murder, She Wrote, so you can be sure someone dies in them”.   

In your book, THE CONFESSION, there is a fair amount of sexual tension. Do you find it difficult at times to write
love/sex scenes? 

YES!  Especially since my mother is one of the first people to read them!  Lol.  I love having the romance
part of it, but the sex is harder (no pun intended) because I have more fun killing people off.  Yes, I have
friends, but they’re all afraid.  VERY afraid……..lol.  But I know that they’re important to the story and I
hate it when I read a book where the couple get together and fall into bed after only a conversation. 
To me that’s just sex, and I like more of a relationship first.  Then let the sex happen all you want!  LOL 

Your work so far has been in the fantasy and mystery/romantic suspense genres, is there another genre you
 would like to try writing in the future? 

I would love to be published as a children’s author.  I am trying so hard to get there!  I have a book that 
I’ve written and I had some of my nieces and nephews read it to let me know which age group it’s 
good for.  Plus, being a mystery writer, my children aren’t old enough to read my books and it would be nice 
for them to see what Mommy does after they go to bed.   

Your website features some wonderful poetry. How long have you been writing poetry and what inspires you?

I used to write poetry all the time.  I have stuff dating back to when I was 11 years old and there were a lot 
of them!  If I was happy, I wrote a poem; if I was sad, I wrote a poem; anything about Michael Jackson or 
horses, and I wrote a poem.  LOL.  Then, as I got older, I found poetry to be very healing.  I wrote a poem 
for my grandmother after she died and it was a ‘good-bye’ that I never got to say in person.  And when 
my Aunt Dianne passed away just a couple of weeks after my daughter was born, I was so angry and 
happy at the same time that it was the only way to get my words out (this is the poem on my website) 
without ‘losing it’.   

What can readers expect to see in the coming months? Can you give us a teaser about these projects? 

I have “Lethal Memoirs” coming out with Champagne Books in the next few months.  There’s no set release date on this book yet, but we’re in the beginning stages of editing.  This book is about April, senior editor at a major publishing house, who has come across a story that is very similar to something that happened in her own past.  Horrified that someone out there knows her secret, she sets out to find out who the anonymous author is, and if they have anything to do with the fact that her brother has been charged with murder.  Bring in Caleb McKinley, the prosecutor in charge of sending her brother to the electric chair, and the sparks begin to fly.  Especially when Caleb comes across the mysterious manuscript and starts to put two and two together.   

Any final advice to aspiring authors?  

I will say the usual “don’t give up” “keep writing”, and add HAVE FUN!  That’s the most important thing for me.  I mean, when I was a little girl I didn’t aspire to be famous, I just wanted to write.  I loved how it made me feel, and how it made others feel when they read my work.  That’s the most important thing for me.  I won’t lie and say it would be nice to make more than the price of a happy meal at McDonald’s for a change, but for now I’m happy just being able to do what I love.   

Do you have anything to add? 

I just want to thank everyone who has supported me with my writing.  I love what I do and hope to be able to continue doing it for many years to come.  I have a website at www.loriderbybingley.com so if you’d like to stop by and sign up for my newsletter, or just drop me a note at lbingley72@yahoo.ca if you have any other questions for me, feel free. 

Thank you, Ms. Bingley, for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us.  We look forward to reading more of your wonderful writing. 

Thank you, Dee, and Love Romances & More, for having me here!  I loved answering your questions and appreciated the great review!  I’m in the middle of revamping my website, so keep an eye out for updates!  Take care all!