Fellow Creatives: Leslee Horner

This series is called Fellow Creatives. These posts are my
chance to get to know other creative of all kinds: Writers, Visual Artists,
Musicians, and others may be popping by too. If you call yourself a creative
and want to participate, submit your link in the Fellow Creatives link list on
the right side menu.

Fellow Creatives Interview: Leslee Horner

Can you briefly tell
us a bit about yourself?

I’m Leslee Horner, author of the young adult novel, SUMMER
OF STARS and it’s follow-up, AN UNREQUITED FALL. I live
in Tallahassee, Florida with my husband and two young daughters. Ten years ago,
I left my teaching career to be a stay-at-home-mom. During that time, I found
my way back to writing. Along with being a novelist, I am also a blogger for
the website, Owning Pink (www.owningpink.com).

What three movies or
books best resonate with your outlook on life and why?

If I had to choose three books and/or movies that best
resonate with my outlook on life, I’d choose THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
because it’s all about overcoming obstacles and looking out for the underdog. I
appreciated the respect and love between the characters. I’d choose the HARRY
POTTER series (can’t pick just one book) because an important theme is trusting
yourself and doing what is right even if it’s not easy, or even if it’s against
the rules. Finally, I loved the movie ABOUT TIME because of its message about
living in the moment and soaking up everything that is here and now.

Being that the title
of this blog is Anything Imagined, it seems appropriate to first ask how you
get inspired and what boosts your imagination?

I get inspired by the topics and issues I’m passionate
about. It’s the stuff that gets me excited, happy, or angry that I put in my
writing. I love all things paranormal and tend to put paranormal elements into
my stories. I’m also using my current book series (THE PAST LIVES OF LOLA RAY)
to cover injustices and tragedies throughout history, which is another subject
that fuels my fire. I find that if I maintain a regular meditation practice (20
minutes a day sitting in silence), I am able to keep a strong connection to
this inspiration and it definitely boosts my imagination.

If you could imagine
a new species, what would it be?

If I could imagine a new species it would have to be a more
sensitive and empathetic human species. I think our human packaging is quite
fabulous, but it would be great if we could be more in tune to one another. If
we could truly understand the way our actions affect others, it might shift our
world a bit for the better. So my new species would definitely be able to tune
in more deeply to others and live from the heart.

What has been your
favorite project as an author?

My favorite project is the book series I’m writing now. It
is about a girl who turns fifteen and begins flashing back to her past lives.
In each of the four books she visits a different past life and learns how it
relates to her current life. I love the idea of reincarnation and that we have
soul connections with other people. These books cover that topic as well as
shining a light on dark times in our human history.

What is a dream
project that you’d like the opportunity to work on?

I’d love to write a novel that includes parallel universes!
I was a big fan of the TV show, FRINGE, which is what first introduced me to
the concept and piqued my interest. Another dream project would be to write a
script for a movie or TV show.

What would you say
has been the biggest challenge for you as a creative? Have you overcome the
challenge and what would you say to someone else facing the same struggles?

My biggest challenge as a creative is marketing and
self-promotion. I’m always trying to find the right balance so people know my
book is available but aren’t annoyed by how often I mention it. As for
overcoming the challenge, I try to take some small step every day to get myself
out there. (Today, I’m answering Emilyann’s interview questions!)

Can you tell us about
your current or most recent project?

My current project is the young adult novel, AN UNREQUITED
FALL, which I mentioned earlier. It is book two in my series, THE PAST LIVES OF
LOLA RAY. Falling in love hasn’t been
simple for Lola Ray. Not in this life or her past lives. In this life, she’s
fallen for her best friend, Ian. When she finally summons the courage to tell
him how she feels, he introduces her to the new girl, Quinn. It doesn’t take long to realize Quinn wants
Lola out of the picture and Ian all to herself. In this follow-up to SUMMER OF
STARS, Lola struggles to keep her friendship with Ian intact while flashing to
another past life. This time it’s a Georgia plantation where a forbidden love
blossoms. What will she experience this time? Will seeing the past change the present?

Where can we find you
and where are your works available online?

My books are available on Amazon in print and kindle
editions. You can also find a link to buy signed copies of my books directly
from me on my personal website: www.lesleehorner.com

Amazon

Leslee, I’m so excited to have a fellow Tallahassee native visiting here on the blog. Harry Potter would be
a pick for me too and for many of the same reasons. The strong friendship theme
also resonates with me. I love that you mentioned meditation as an imagination
booster. I don’t think that’s been mentioned by anyone in this series before,
but it’s a great point. The new more empathetic human species is also a first
in this series. I can tell you’re very compassionate and I’d love to meet a
member of your new species =-)

Thanks everyone for getting to know Leslee today and for visiting my blog. Have an awesome week 🙂

Thank you for visiting the blog and website of Young Adult
Fantasy Author, Emilyann Girdner. Please feel free to browse, check out her
publications or reach out to her with questions or concerns at
emilyann@thelabyrinthwall.com.