COVER STORY
What do you do when you’re not writing? When I write, I fit it in between everything, or sometimes my brain can’t turn off and I write through the night! Mac is always with me wherever I write. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing a book? I learned about myself mostly. By writing the trilogy, I realized that I hate prejudice of any kind and people need to know all the horror that people of other races have suffered at the hands of us - the white people, since time began. My trilogy only covers 150 years of their history. We need to apologize to God and the world, thinking we own the world. school, there was a volunteer program to work in our town hospital and “If I did not write, I would be nursing seniors or working in hospitals and long-term care homes. I started at the age of 15, through high I loved it!” -L.A. Champagne
my head and had to get it on paper! My grandson River is my inspiration. Usually how long does it take from start to finish? From start to finish took me from 2007 to 2021. Six years of writing and 10 years to publish all 3 books in my trilogy. Describe to us a typical day for Lorri-Ann. I wake up and I have an extraordinarily large but funny cat, named Mac (short for McCartney) beside my bed, who informs me it is time to give him breakfast. So after that I get myself, bedroom and clothes ready for the day. My P.S.W. comes to perform a bed bath on me because there are now parts of my body I can’t reach, due to my Spina Bifida and they can do it for me. Then Mac and I go back to bed and get up before lunch. Of course he tells me it’s his lunch time at noon. My afternoons mostly consists of doing email and messages. Then I do jigsaw puzzles and memory games on-line, to keep my mind strong. I do go out sometimes with my sister to play bingo, and other senior events. Often we drive to our dad and step- moms place and we play cards (mostly Eucher) for the afternoon. Dad is 90 and still my personal hero. When I get home in afternoons, I prepare supper for my partner of 30 years. I can still stand up and walk around the kitchen. I don’t like anyone in my kitchen when I’m there; because I love to cook! Bill does the dishes for me. After supper we watch TV, mostly old shows or British comedies and all season we watch every MLB Toronto Blue Jays baseball games!!
What do you think makes a good story? Anything you believe in and as long as you know the subject...or don’t mind months and months of research! Does writing energize or exhaust you? Why or why not? Energized! When I’m done writing for a while and when I get up I’m happy and excited, mostly when the writing involves happy story-lines. But, for example, when I have to kill off one of my characters...I can spend hours to overnight, crying! What one thing would you give up to become a better writer? I’m satisfied and I would give up nothing. What is the most challenging part of your artistic process? I have never believed I had an artistic process! Does your family support your career as a writer? You bet they do! Every last one of them, I think?! If you had to do something differently as a child or teenager to become a better writer as an adult, what would you do? If I did not write, I would be nursing seniors or working in hospitals and long- term care homes. I started at the age of 15, through high school, there was a volunteer program to work in our town hospital and I loved it! That’s how I got started on the nursing bug. How long on average does it take you to write a book? I have only written the three books, my trilogy! I am writing a book on my life, and all the miracles that have brought me to the age of 61. I’m not worried how long it takes. I go at my own speed! EC
EC Magazines | London-L.A. Edition 2023 44
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