Happy Monday, Reader friends!
I hope you had a good weekend filled with lots of bookish goodness. If not, we’ll kick your week off right. I’ve got the awesome Alexis A. Goring here with me today, discussing her book, Love in Pictures. Have you read it? I just love the cover!
Grab a cup of tea (or coffee) and chat with us!
Interview
Toni: Welcome, Alexis! I’m excited to talk about your book, Love in Pictures, but first let’s talk about you. What made you want to be a writer?
Alexis: Hi, Toni! Thanks for inviting me to be your guest on your blog today! My passion for people and stories started at a young age and the desire to tell their stories made me want to be a writer.
Toni: It’s great when two passions can collide in story! Who are your favorite authors and how did they influence your writing?
Alexis: My favorite authors? So many! But to name a few: Betsy St. Amant, Laurie Tomlinson, Sarah Jio, Stacy Hawkins Adams, Debby Mayne Tisdale, Mary Manners, JoAnn Durgin and Vanessa Riley!
All of my favorite authors, their fiction books and their real-life stories inspired me to keep writing. Through reading their fictional stories, I learned several writing techniques that are critical to writing fiction such as showing not “telling,” creating captivating characters, engaging the reader with fresh dialogue, creating solid character development, focusing on how to set the scene in a way that makes the reader feel like the fictional story world is real, and learning how to drive the plot forward by ending each chapter on a bit of a cliffhanger that keeps the reader wanting to turn that page in order to see what happens next.
Toni: You mentioned a few I haven’t read. I’ll have to add them to my list. 🙂 Would you choose…
Facebook or Instagram?
Alexis: Both are equally important in my life.
Toni: Awesome! Contemporary Romance or Historical Romance?
Alexis: CR!
Toni: Hands down! Candy or Chocolate?
Alexis: Aren’t they the same thing? Lol. I love both.
Toni: I can get behind that. In Love in Pictures, your heroine Michelle is a photographer. How much research did you have to do regarding her job?
Alexis: I spoke with professional photographers to research the details about the life of a wedding photographer. My wedding photographer friends Jessica Mae Cortes, Emilie Anne Hendryx and Nikki Santerre were the most instrumental in my story research. They clued me into things like the popular Ona bag that photographers use to carry their camera gear, what kind of photo editing software they use on their computer, how to work with a second shooter (a person who is kind of like a wedding photographer’s personal assistant that helps them to photograph the event) and how to plan for your first international wedding.
Toni: I love it when our friends can help with research. What is Michelle’s biggest weakness and how did you weave that into the story?
Alexis: Michelle’s biggest weakness? I don’t think she has one. Seriously! I did not give her a character flaw. She’s not perfect. But no major weaknesses unless you count her insecurities concerning the race-related roadblocks she’s facing as a woman of color who is falling in love with Logan who is not a man of color.
Toni: Oh, now I really want to read the story. Would you ever write a sequel to this story? Why or why not?
Alexis: Maybe! You’re not the first person to ask if I’m writing a sequel to Love in Pictures. They say that they want to spend more time with my characters but I cannot make any promises at this time because I’m balancing a lot of other duties outside of writing.
Toni: I can sympathize! And last but not least, what would you like readers to know about your writing or Love in Pictures?
Alexis: I’d like readers to know that I write to show the enduring love of Jesus Christ and to infuse hope into real-life situations that may seem dire, through my storytelling. Readers can buy Love in Pictures online via Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. I hope that all of my writing will inspire the hearts of my readers.
Toni: Thank you so much for hanging with me, Alexis. Readers, do you have any questions for Alexis today?
About the Book
Wedding photographer Michelle Hadley has a passion for diversity and believes that love comes in all colors. So, she’s working hard to convince editors to feature her clients’ images on the covers of the mainstream bridal and wedding magazines.
Despite having a career that focuses on celebrating forever love, Michelle has never actually been in a romantic relationship, and she’s not looking for love, until she meets the one man she cannot forget.
Since his fiancée broke his heart, Logan Emerson’s focus has been on his career. He’s won awards for his work as a print journalist and dreams of greater success on television as a broadcast journalist. But his personal struggle presents many challenges that might prevent his dreams from coming true.
Michelle doesn’t date often, and since his heartbreak, Logan has shied away from the dating scene. But something about Michelle awakens Logan’s desire to love again.
About the Author
Alexis A. Goring is a passionate writer with a degree in Print Journalism and an MFA in Creative Writing. She loves the art of storytelling and hopes that her stories will connect readers with the enduring, forever love of Jesus Christ.
Toni Shiloh 
Great interview, ladies! I read Love in Pictures back in January and LOVED IT! 😍
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Thanks for stopping by, Caitlyn!
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Hey Caitlyn! I am happy that you enjoyed my interview and my book! 🙂 God bless you.
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Hi Toni and Alexis! Great interview. I learned a few new things about you, Alexis. So happy for your writing. Keep it up!
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Mary! Hey friend! Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate your kind words! 🙂 God bless you.
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Just finished Love in Pictures yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it! Michelle’s best friend needs a story 🙂 Come to think of it, so Logan’s best bud! Looking forward to more stories in the future.
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Thanks so much, Victoria! 🙂 Yes, I’ll have to give Juliana a story of her own! 🙂 Stay tuned…
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