Today’s Meet the Author is an interview with author Alexis Goring. This author interview was originally shared as part of a blog tour on Library Lady’s Kid Lit.
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About the Author – Alexis Goring
Alexis A. Goring is a writer at heart and journalist by profession.
She loves the storytelling process, including everything from interviewing people for news media and faith-based publications to writing the story, editing the story and publishing the story.
Alexis is an author of Inspirational Romance fiction stories and nonfiction devotionals that inspire the heart. She has written and published three fiction books and her devotionals have appeared in numerous faith-based publications.
Always up for a new adventure, Alexis has traveled to Italy where she explored the culture, food and language with friends. She even moved to Montana (where the air is fresh and the land is beautiful) to take her first big break in Journalism as the Editor and Reporter for a county newspaper!
Photography is another passion that’s close to her heart. Alexis enjoys using her camera to capture the genuine emotions that people naturally display on joyous occasions. She is experienced in natural light photography and photojournalism.
Music is another passion that Alexis has loved forever. Listening to movie soundtracks from her favorite productions feels like a hug for her heart. She loves it when the bridge of a song makes you feel like you’re taking flight!
A total foodie, Alexis not only enjoys eating delicious food at her favorite restaurants, but she’s also a talented baker and chef.
At the end of the day, Alexis hopes that her love for Jesus Christ will shine through all of her creative endeavors. She prays that her writing will warm hearts and point people to God who loves them with all of His Heart!
You can learn more about Alexis as a creative professional by visiting her official website, https://alexisagoring.jimdo.com.
An Interview with Alexis Goring
When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
I knew that I wanted to be an author since age 9. I’ve always loved reading books but didn’t really discover my love of writing until then.
When you are not writing, what other hats do you wear? What do you do for fun?
When not writing, I’m building my editing business (Writer at Heart Editorial Services). When I’m not working, I like to watch movies, shop, spend time with loved ones, eat and cook good food for fun.
What is your favorite genre to read? What about that genre draws you?
My favorite genre of books to read is Contemporary Romance! Watching the true love relationships unfold and going on the adventurous journey with the characters that are seeking the love of their lives is what draws me to that genre.
What is your favorite holiday? And why?
My favorite holiday is Christmas because of the delicious food, time spent with family and gift exchanges with friends!
What historical figure do you admire and why?
Jesus Christ because He died so that you and I may live! But He didn’t stay dead. He rose again and now serves as our Mediator between God and humankind. He’s our Redeemer and Savior! Now as for a more recent historical figure who I admire, I’d say two: Barack and Michelle Obama! They are amazing!
In a library or a bookstore – what section do you head to first?
Always the Christian Fiction section!
Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
My inspiration for Love in Pictures came from my passion for wedding photography and celebrating diversity in love relationships.
Who did you have in mind as you wrote the book?
What an interesting question! Do you mean like a real person? No one.
What research did you do for this book?
I pulled from my memories of traveling to Italy many years ago. But where memories did not suffice, I relied on travel videos about Italy that were available for free viewing on YouTube. I also asked a few of my wedding photographer friends from real life about their job. They were very instrumental in helping me keep Michelle’s character real as I told her story about her blossoming career as a wedding photographer!
What is your current WIP? What can you tell us about it?
I’m working on my first nonfiction project: a devotional book! It is scheduled to release in Spring 2020.
Because I am a K-12 school librarian I have to ask – what is your favorite children’s book?
My favorite children’s book is Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.
Every year I organize a Young Authors Day for the kids at our school. What advice would you give to a child who wants to be a writer?
What a wonderful thing to do for the kids! My advice: Never give up! If writing is a dream that God has placed on your heart then pursue it and overcome all of the hurdles – because there will be hurdles – in your way!
Thank you so much for joining me today, Alexis. It is always fun to get a glimpse into an author’s life.
More from Alexis Goring
My book, Love in Pictures, was born out of my love for wedding photography!
A dream of my heart as an adult (not before then) was to be a wedding photographer. I’d always enjoyed taking pictures but it wasn’t until my college years when friends started telling me, based on my pictures, that they’re going to hire me to be their wedding photographer when they get married. These requests sparked the dream within me. After college, I formed friendships with wedding photographers through the blog world.
I’d spend hours browsing through their professional portfolios and reading their photography blogs, completely amazed at the gorgeousness of their pictures. I admired their skills and enjoyed reading their client stories.
After graduating from college, I received requests from my college friends to photograph weddings. However, I could not afford the photography equipment and I’d never actually photographed a wedding. So I kindly turned down those offers and referred my friends to photographers who had years of experience specializing in wedding photography.
Love in Pictures was a wonderful way for me to safely explore my passion for wedding photography through my story’s heroine Michelle. It was fun to showcase her photography studio in a beautiful town, travel with her to one of the world’s most romantic destinations (Italy) where she was hired to shoot her first international wedding, “eat” all the delicious food that she enjoyed, and it was really fun to introduce the possibility of Michelle’s own happily ever after by inserting Logan into her life.
When the reader meets Logan, they will see his passion for running and they will learn of his heartbreak from a previous relationship. As the reader gets to know Logan, they’ll learn that he is a successful print journalist who dreams of greater success on TV as a broadcast journalist. As they turn the pages of Love in Pictures, they will discover that Logan suffers from a personal struggle that threatens to derail his dreams.
I drew on my training as a print journalist and real world experiences in the Journalism industry to effectively write Logan’s character. I pulled on my own imagination along with some real life experience to write the scenes where he faithfully wooed and pursued Michelle.
I always said that if I knew I would never fail, I’d be a wedding photographer. But since failure is part of real-life, I explored the industry of capturing love in pictures safely, where failure is not a reality: Writing a fictional story about a wedding photographer!
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