This week in The Loft: Barbara Mountjoy!

Joining me today in The Loft is  Barbara Mountjoy, who writes as Alana Lorens and Lyndi Alexander. The author of the Pittsburgh Lady Lawyers series, Barbara is a former family law attorney and also worked as a journalist in south Florida. Writing professionally for more than 40 years, Barbara spins tales of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and science fiction/space opera. She currently resides in Asheville, N.C. with her daughter--the youngest of seven children--and five crotchety cats!

Author Barbara Mountjoy

S:  Good morning, Barbara! Welcome to The Loft. It's always a pleasure to chat with a fellow attorney/journalist who also happens to be a romance author!

If you had to do it all over again, would you still choose to write books?

B:  Yes, because I didn’t choose to write books. I am a writer, period. I wrote my first novel at 14, and have written approximately 31 since. I’ve written short stories, the occasional poem, articles, and I was a professional journalist for seven years in south Florida. I’ve got two novels in progress now, one a sci-fi romance with a gender-shifting alien, and a contemporary romance set at a high-school reunion. I don’t think I’ll ever stop!

S:  (Chuckles.) Oh, those high school reunions! The possibilities are endless.

Do you write in other genres? 

B:  I do write in other genres. I don’t write to formula. I write whatever stories come to me. So on the romance side, I have contemporary romance and romantic suspense, written as Alana Lorens, and science fiction romance, science fiction/space opera, fantasy and YA post apocalyptic fiction, written as Lyndi Alexander.

S:  That quite a range--a sign of a very creative mind!

Do you remember your first kiss?

B: I was six-years-old, in the playground down the hill from my house in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. David Miller kissed me under the slide. It was mushy and wet. Couldn’t see all the appeal of it, at the time.

S:  At least you didn't almost get expelled from kindergarten. (Blushes.) Kissing in the coatroom at age five is apparently a grave offense!

You have accomplished so much. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

B:  While I’d love to say my international bestseller, I don’t have one, and it wouldn’t be true anyway. I birthed three amazing daughters who have grown up to be humans I admire thoroughly, who are raising their kids to be awesome. I have had many non-biological children, stepdaughters, adopted boys and girls, and others who passed through from time to time, who have also gone on to be successful. I think producing a strong next generation-whether as a mother, father, teacher or dear friend-- is the best thing anyone can do.

S:  (Nods.) Touching the life of a child--in your case, many children--is one of the most fulfilling accomplishments there is.

Do you ever have a problem ending a book?

B: Oh, gosh, yes. Endings are hard. Not because I just want the story to go on and on, but because you want to stop at exactly the right place, something moving, and clever, and rewarding. It takes awhile to choose the right words and the action that brings your story to a close.

S:  The prefect ending is the goal, but sometimes, it can be elusive.

Tell me about your book, "That Girl's the One I Love."

B:  It's a contemporary novella written under my pseudonym, Alana Lorens.

Here's the blurb--

Leyla Brand has one perfect day in her life: the day she meets rock singer Arran Lake at the Bele Chere Festival in Asheville. They have so much in common, Leyla is sure they are soulmates and will have a future together.

The very next morning, when Arran receives the call to hit the big time, he vanishes into the world of California rock and roll to become an international star, leaving her behind. Only a few phone calls keep them in touch — until his phone is disconnected. After that, all she has of him is every new song that hits the charts.

Five years later, she gets a message on the Internet from an unfamiliar address. Someone wants to know if she’s the Leyla of Bele Chere. Should she open that door and discover who this might be? Who else could it be? And if it is Arran, why does he want to contact her now, after all this time? Will he just break her heart again?  

S:  (Smiles.) Sometimes, love can be reignited with a single step--if you're brave enough to take it.

Where can readers purchase your book?

B:  It's available at all major booksellers, including--

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/That-Girls-One-I-Love-ebook/dp/B009ADS5KA/
Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/that-girls-the-one-i-love-alana-lorens/1112989182?ean=2940015628388

S:  Barbara, thanks so much for joining me today!  If you'd like to learn more about Barbara and her books, please visit--

Website:  https://wordpress.com/page/alana-lorens.com/21
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens
Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1