Ask Leslie Lehr discussion

I am so excited about my new release, What a Mother Knows. I would love to discuss it with you!

What was the inspiration for this book? Did a moment just click for you where you were intrigued by an particular idea and characters came to life? Did you visualize scenes in your mind before you got them to paper? (I ask this because you are a also a screenwriter too so I wonder if a visual element inspires you to write a scene as if you are watching it on a screen?) What is a difficult scene to write for you? Good luck on your launching! I wish I lived near you so I could meet you! All the best, Caroline

Hi Caroline, great questions! There were quite a few things that inspired this book and they lingered in my mind for months before I committed to working them into a story. Books take a lot of time, so I like to be sure I won't get bored with the idea. In this case, my daughter was crying at night and I was worried about her, then I had a stint on jury duty on a case with moms who had lost their boys. So I thought about what could happen - and how I could set it right.
And yes, like you, I do have to visualize each scene before I can write it. It's fun, right?
I wish you lived close too, because it would be great to meet you and talk about writing in person.
Let me know how you like the book!
Warm regards,
Leslie

Hi Leslie and congrats on your new release! I love to travel and there are many wonderful locations in the story. What inspired you to choose those locations?

Who doesn't love to go to Hawaii? I surprised my kids one year with tickets in their stockings and we left three ours later. We had such a blast snorkeling and seeing turtles that I knew any character in my story would be drawn to it as well. My aunt owns the Curry Mansion in Key West, so that was a no-brainer -it's a really cool old-fashioned inn with a piano player. And NYC has a lot of film business going on, t that was easy as well. I love traveling and thinking of how you could have story there. Try it, you'll see!

Key West has always been on my list of places to see and now I know where I will visit! Thanks!! Love your book so much!

You will love it! Don't forget sunscreen!