LET'S WELCOME LIV ARNOLD AUTHOR OF: LAW & DISORDER

LET’S
WELCOME
LIV ARNOLD

AUTHOR OF:





Rad-Reader:  Did you always plan on the courtroom scene between Juliet and Jesse or did you try different scenes first?



Liv:  Yes, I thought it’ll be great to see the type of relationship they had straightaway. They’re enemies from work so I wanted to show this environment.




Rad-Reader:  Was it your plan to just have Juliet’s character to be knowing what she was thinking about her neighbor in the courtroom and not Jesse mind?



Liv:   Since this is a shorter story, it only made sense for this to be in Juliet’s POV. So that when she’s locked out of her home, the reader will know her agony when seeing Jesse. 





Rad-Reader:  How did you come up with the idea of her getting locked out of her house with the only towel on?



Liv:  I’m naturally a clumsy person where a lot of unfortunate things happen to me. Although I haven’t experienced this, it’s my worst nightmare, so I thought it would be a funny scenario. 





Rad-Reader:  Did you always have the scene with her falling into the hedges or did you come up with that one later?




Liv:  Yes, I always had the scene whether it’s falling into the hedges or bushes, to heighten the situation. 





Rad-Reader:  Had you or someone you have known tried the balance on an upturned pot plant and a pile of bricks or did you just come up with that idea?



Liv:  When I was younger, I used to try to balance everything. From shelves to be able to reach food at the top of the fridge, to a pile of bricks/pot plants to talk to the neighbors. 





Rad-Reader:  I noticed during their time together after he gets her door open, Juliet is not saying anything nice to him or is that just the way she talks to him?




Liv:   They’ve been bickering for years, so they’re always trolling each other. It’s their type of relationship. 





Rad-Reader:  Was this book always going to be a short, story?



Liv:  Yes. The call from my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, was for a shorter story. With that, it had to move at a fast pace and since the story’s a romance, the two leads need to have already known each other. 





Rad-Reader:  Follow up question – have you thought about going back to these characters for a more in-depth story?




Liv:  I have had people requesting that they wanted more from these characters. Was thinking maybe a Christmas novella, but need to think of an idea to have the same spark and banter as Law & Disorder. 





Rad-Reader:   You had a lot of different personalities in this story, but you also showed how people are always, not who or what you think they may be – with the two lead characters and Dr. Mendes, was that intentional?




Liv:  Not at first. Originally Dr. Mendes was only going to be a character that was a standoffish neighbor. But you never know what someone else is going through and that is so important when talking to people. 





Rad-Reader:  Was there any reason that we don’t get any version of the two of them from Jesse’s POV?




Liv:  I’m better at writing the female POV, plus since this is a shorter story, it made more sense to keep it in one. 





Rad-Reader:  Is it difficult to write a shorter story than a longer story?



Liv:  I started off getting short stories placed in competition or included in anthologies. This taught me a lot about pacing. These days I’m only working on novels and it is tough work to keep thinking of more storylines, chapter by chapter. 





Rad-Reader:  Was Dr. Mendes always part of your original story or did you decide to add that character?




Liv:   I wanted a story that’s part of a neighborhood community. I’ve watched the TV show Neighbors since I was a child. I used to come home from school, get changed, have a snack then sit down and watch. I love the community behind the storylines and the more light-hearted moments. So, I thought it would be a fun idea to have the heroine and hero as neighbors, but spice things up a little.





Rad-Reader:  If your book was made into a movie who would want to play…


Juliet:  Morena Baccarin

Jesse:  Jai Courtney



Liv:  Those are good ideas. I like them and wouldn’t have thought of that. I didn’t have anyone in mind when writing them but maybe the below. 


Jesse:  Young Robert Downey Jr or 
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403353710363404562/

Antonio Banderas or 
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/237916792787545287/

Antonio Sabato Jr. 




Rad-Reader:  What song or songs best describes your couple or your book as a whole and the story of them?

“Kelly Rowland – Kisses Down Low”


“Bob Seger – Horizontal Bop”



Liv:  That’s a hard one. I’ll have to think about it, but I love your ideas.



Rad-Reader:  What is your favorite genre to read?



Liv:  Romance. I love being swept away in the chemistry of the characters and the swoon-worthy men.

I started writing romance because my husband plays computer games all night. I thought ‘why not invent my own book boyfriend’. I used to read out romance passages to him to give him a gentle nudge.

I read all types of genres though – young adult, thriller, murder mystery, fantasy, etc.





Rad-Reader:  What other genres would you like to write that besides this one?



Liv:  I’m currently working on a YA Fantasy novel with a murder mystery storyline. 





Rad-Reader:  How long did it take to get your first book published?



Liv:  I wrote Law & Disorder within a few weeks and The Wild Press was the only publisher I sent my manuscript to. I heard back in 1.5 months.

But my writing journey, in general, was different. I never thought a traditional book contract would ever happen for me. I believed it was equivalent to movie or record deals. The odds are so highly stacked against you and people are often discouraging.

I networked with authors through social media and started a blog where I interviewed successful writers – I still do this. I learned so many amazing tips such as building my online presence, elevator pitches and being persistent.

Initially, I received multiple rejections from publishers. Sometimes with detailed feedback and requests for a revise and resubmit. I gotta admit, this stung every time. I wondered what I was doing wrong and if I was even any good at writing.

But so many author friends told me to keep persisting. So, I kept working on my craft, took on feedback and experimented with different story ideas.

I also followed a lot of publishers’ Facebook page. Sometimes they post about the type of stories they wanted to read. That’s when I saw a call out from The Wild Rose Press.





Rad-Reader:  Do you write fulltime?



Liv:  No, I have a day job. I’m hoping to write full time in a few years. Working full-time, I get so tired and must force myself not to watch TV or go to bed as soon as I’m home. So, I give myself incentives to write – ice-cream or junk food whenever I finish a page, or I reward myself with reading a chapter of a book.





Rad-Reader:  What is your next project and when is it coming out?



Liv:  I have a novel contracted with The Wild Rose Press called Etched in Stone. It’s a contemporary romance with a financial crime storyline. It should be out roughly late this year.
Here’s a little something about it:

Vanessa Lang is thrilled when she lands her dream job at an investment company, Stone Corp. But when her kleptomaniac mother is caught shoplifting and faces a criminal record, Vanessa accepts a deal to find evidence of insider trading at Stone Corp.

On her first day, in walks the handsome Sebastian Stone, CEO and the man of her dreams. Determined to save her mom, however, she spies and gathers information about the company. But there’s one small problem—she starts to fall in love with Sebastian.

How far you would go to protect the people you love? Who will Vanessa choose, her family or her soulmate?





Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers buy your books?  Links








Rad-Reader:  Where can our readers find you on the Web?  Links









Liv,
Thanks so much for being with us.  It has been our pleasure to be able to help you promote your very first book.  It was fun, fast, and one I do recommend.  Thanks again and remember us when the next book is ready to come out. 
Pat & Char

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