I have always been a huge lover of books. I blew through the children’s section before I hit my 10th birthday and was given parental permission to borrow any book in the library. I discovered horror, mystery, and eventually romance novels. I could easily read 20 to 30 books a week during the summers, consuming entire series. In my teens I wrote poetry for fun, and I read a romance novel when I was 22 that totally upset me. The main characters made me angry, and the woman chased after this total jerk I hated. I thought I could write a better story.
It took a year, but I wrote my first book. I loved it! The characters came alive in my imagination and my ability to daydream finally had a purpose. I was hooked and completely in love with the hours I spent at a keyboard. It was the perfect escape from reality, a vacation for my mind, and I continued to write, 54 books over the next 16 years. I dreamed about becoming published, but I had dropped out of high school, and to be honest, my bio wasn’t impressive. I didn’t think anyone would really want to read my books. I couldn’t afford to take any writing classes.
I sent inquiries to a few agents over the years and was promptly rejected. E-books became popular and I did research. Writing had become a daily part of my life, an addiction, and my dream of being published came true after I submitted to Ellora’s Cave. It changed my entire life. I get to do what makes me happy and my characters now exist for others, for every person who reads one of the books. It’s magic to create worlds and people, and to breathe life into them through words. Reality can be tough at times but fiction is wide open to happy possibilities. The good guys win, true love not only exists but it’s found, and there’s always a happy ending in the books I write. It doesn’t get any better than that.
I especially love writing series books. I enjoy following the characters and seeing their progression beyond their original stories as I write about their family, their friends, and in some cases, the children they created with their love. I feel as though they are people I really know. I am deeply tied to them emotionally, and writing about them is a pure privilege. I do it because I love it; it’s fun, and I feel excitement every time I turn on my computer to delve into a new story. It helps that I have a very supportive husband who has always been very understanding about the extreme hours I spend working on books. He’s very proud that I’ve hit the bestseller lists. I’m shocked but thrilled that so many people seem to enjoy the books. I’m a firm believer in never giving up on your dreams. They can come true!
Laurann Dohner has published 24 erotic romance novels. Her three most recent titles have made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.
