Author interview with Iona Morrison
Hello Iona
Tell us about you and your books.
Do you plot or let your story unfold as you write?
I’m not a plotter. I let my characters tell me where they want
the story to go. If I go a certain direction contrary to their
personalities, they seem to let me know it’s not working. It works best
when the lead the way.
Are your characters based on real people?
Some are. One is based on a
custodian at the church where I worked as an office manager. On the
first day I went to work there she told me a story
about their church ghost. Her story was the basis of my first book, The
Harvest Club. She is in most of the books after she told me you can
write me into your book. Melinda is the character lovingly called Red in
my books. Sadly, she died before the book was
published. Her family loved the book, and I dedicated it in her memory.
Radar the bloodhound is in all my books and he is based on a real dog
and his handler.
When did you decide to become an author?
I came to write later in life. I took a writing class called Breaking into Print.
I thought when I started the class that I wanted to write
non-fiction, but soon found out I loved writing fiction. The teacher
encouraged me to try my hand at writing a novel because my stories had
legs. My first attempt at it was The Harvest Club. That
was a little over six years ago. My favorite so far is Key To The Past,
it’s a blast from my past.
Who is the biggest influence on your writing?
My teacher Mary
Rosenblum. She had a way of critiquing me while making me laugh the
entire time. She was killed in a plane crash two years
ago. I miss her and her steady guidance. I still can hear her voice
inside my head when I head hop or don’t give it my best shot.
Is there a message in your novels that you want readers to grasp?
I do
write about subjects that are important to me, like human trafficking,
or organ harvesting. But the big take away
from each of my books is love always wins.
and to get a little personal…
Who do you see as a heroine in your life?
My mother will always be my heroine. She is the one who taught me
the love of reading. She also was one of the kindest people I know.
Have you ever found true love?
I can answer with an emphatic yes to
this question. He was a hippie
and I was a straight girl when we met at a protest rally. We went on
our first date on April 12, engaged by May 15, and married three months
and five days later. His big, blue eyes, and his smile won my heart. I
still love him forty-eight years later.
What makes you cry?
True stories about people, some happy and some sad. I’m an equal story crier.
This pandemic has intensified that.
What makes you laugh?
I love to laugh and I’m never quite sure what
will set it off. Hanging with family and friends is when it happens
most. Sometimes I simply laugh at myself. As the
saying goes, ‘blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they’ll
never cease to be entertained’.
Do you laugh at your own jokes?
I’m sure I probably do, especially if I
found the joke extremely funny. I can’t usually get through telling one
to the punch line without breaking down in
laughter.
Where can we find you online?
Website:
http://ionamorrison.com/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Iona-Morrison-Author-534319506628681/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ionacrv
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/ionammorrison/boards/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/morrison.iona/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8605155.Iona_Morrison
Bookbub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/iona-morrison
Download Key To The Past on Amazon and other online retailers
https://www.amazon.com/Iona-Morrison/e/B00N39NJIA?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000
