Lynn Ames: Brains beyond the beauty

by DevenK

By and large, women have the freedom and abundance that evokes empowerment and change; but seldom do most women recognize that, let alone act upon it. I would classify Lynn Ames as one of those women who doesn't just wish for change, but makes it happen.  I first made my e-quaintance with Ms. Ames on a fan forum we're both subscribed to after reading one of her short stories.

Technology is one of the greatest advances of mankind. Whereas before, if we wanted to contact an author to learn more about them, we had to send a snail mail letter to their publisher; and honestly, who really bothered to do that? These days we simply type in a URL, or their name in a search engine, and poof, they're at our disposal 24/7--or at least, they're there on the Internet. I was ready to commit, so I jumped at the chance to visit her website, which unabashedly showcases her public appearances, books, short stories, and (what I especially enjoyed reading) more about the woman herself.

She is not your typical lesbian author, and I'll admit, I think she's a knockout. Once I picked my jaw up off the floor and looked past the outside, I found there was "brains beyond the beauty". She was once "spokesperson for the nation's third largest prison system", and "press secretary to the New York State Senate Minority Leader." But it doesn't stop there; these days, Ms. Ames is a "nationally recognized speaker and public relations professional with a particular expertise in image, crisis communications planning, and crisis management." Are you in love yet? She's also the author of 4 best-selling, critically acclaimed novels ( The Price of Fame, The Cost of Commitment, The Value of Valor, and upcoming, The Flip Side of Desire). She is also a  contributing author to several anthologies: Romance for LIFE (of which the proceeds from the sale will go towards breast cancer research), Call of The Dark: Erotic Lesbian Tales of the Supernatural (a personal favorite), Telltale Kisses,  (twenty lesbian romance stories whose  purpose is to raise money for a children's sports program in need), Stolen Moments: Erotic Interludes 2, and Infinite Pleasures (a benefit project to raise funds for the Golden Crown Literary Society [GCLS]). Whew! Does the woman fight for her causes or what?

Ok, before I scare her into believing I'm about to propose, let's move on to the interview. Enjoy. 

 detfig: Who is Lynn Ames?

LA:  Her therapist has been asking the same question for years. (Just kidding, really) 

Lynn Ames is someone who cares about a lot of things deeply, lives her life passionately, always strives for perfection, loves bringing people joy, and is, most surprisingly, an introvert. She’s a conundrum, a quixotic pragmatist, which gives you an idea just how confusing it can be to live in her head—a scary place, indeed.

detfig: I've come to the conclusion you're nowhere near reaching your peak as a novelist, and I'm sure there are many more novels to come. How has your writing evolved over the years?

LA: First, let me say I hope you’re right—I’d hate to peak too early <g>. Perhaps others would be more qualified to answer this question than I, but I’ll give it my best shot.

I hope with each new novel I continue to learn, grow, and refine my technique. Certainly I would say that my writing has gotten tighter and I’ve become more comfortable in my writing “skin” over time. I’ve always been a storyteller. I suppose the biggest difference is that I’ve learned to be more technically adept at telling the tales.

detfig:  You've traveled a lot, what's your favorite place to visit? 

LA:  This is a tough question. There are so many beautiful and interesting places in the world. West Africa, for instance, was fascinating and taught me lifelong and powerful lessons about attitude, the human spirit, and never taking our advantages for granted. New Zealand was a glorious place and the Kiwis were wonderful, welcoming people. In the United States, the Grand Tetons in Wyoming provided spectacular scenery, and the Red Rocks in Sedona were inspiring and humbling. Going abroad again, St. John had sun-washed beaches. Cozumel, Mexico, boasted the bluest, clearest water I’ve ever seen anywhere, Puerto
Vallarta had the best weather,  St. Thomas was home to the finest jewels and jewelry stores (hey, a girl likes her diamonds), Guatemala and Belize featured fascinating ruins and the rain forest…Do you want me to go on? Each place I visit I discover something to love, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.

detfig: If you will, take us back to the very first book of yours and how it felt to learn it was going to be published.

LA:  It was thrilling, exciting, and terrifying all at once. Please understand that I’d been saying that all I ever wanted to do was write books and be left alone from the time I was eight years old. Somehow, however, writing lesbian fiction wasn’t exactly the path I envisioned. LOL.

detfig: Who or what inspires Lynn Ames?

LA:  Gosh, so many things—beauty, intelligence, honesty, integrity, bravery, courage, love, great scenery, the power of nature, kindness, the ability to make a difference.

detfig: We all have our pet peeves, what's one of yours?

LA: Insincerity, disingenuousness, and dishonesty, which while not synonymous, often go hand in hand.

detfig: Just how many dogs do you have? Are there any felines roaming about?

LA: LOL. Sometimes I ask myself the same question; it depends on your definition of “have.” For your purposes, I have two beautiful boys—Alex, a five-year-old golden retriever who’s my miracle boy and always has a ready smile and Parker, Alex’s blood nephew. Parker is a one-and-a-half-year-old affectionate, energetic goofball.

As for felines… Assuming you’re going by the dictionary definition as opposed to slang, I have no felines. I’m allergic to cats. I hope that doesn’t disappoint anyone too much.

detfig: Who's your favorite author and why?

LA: Oh, this is such a tough choice. It’s a tie between Edith Wharton and Charles Dickens.  What can I say? I’m a sucker for the Victorian era. The richness of both of these authors’ worlds blows me away.

detfig:  When you're traveling around the world, do the stories start to form from the experiences, or do these things come to you when you're sitting at home?

LA:  Both. Story ideas for me are largely generated by watching the world around me, experiencing life, and asking the simple question: “What if?” An idea for a plot might be triggered by a story in the media; current events (which may or may not garner media attention); a life experience; something in my “other” professional life, etc.

detfig: If you were stranded on an island, what three items would you wish you had brought with you (no animals, sorry)?

LA:  Well, you didn’t exclude my partner, so she’d be first on my list ;-). I wouldn’t need much else, but I suspect we’d be best served by adding a long-term form of nutritional sustenance and a comprehensive first-aid kit which would, of course, include sunscreen and a lighter with which to create fire. Promise me I’ll get stranded soon? LOL.

detfig: Intaglio Publications sounds like a fascinating place to be a part of. What was it about the company that stood out from the rest and assured you they were the publisher for your work?

LA:  In a name, Kathy Smith, who is the president of Intaglio and StarCrossed Productions, the amazon.com of lesbian fiction. Kathy has more integrity than anyone I know. Everything she does, she does with the best interests of her authors in mind. She’s got an excellent head for business and that gives me confidence in the viability of the company. She’s committed to producing a quality product. All of these things were factors I considered at the outset. Naturally, the other major factor is that my writing style, including novel length, topics, and genre mesh well with Intaglio’s portfolio.

detfig: What types of music are in your collection?

LA:  My collection is a bit eclectic. I have everything from classical (the Romantic period), to jazz, to ballads, pop, some crossover country, oldies, and classic rock. My partner’s been trying to foist heavy metal on me, but so far I’ve resisted successfully.

detfig: How much of Lynn is in her characters?

LA: I guess that depends on the character. There are elements of Lynn in some of each of the main characters I’ve written, but there is no single character you could point to and say, “That’s Lynn.” Sometimes the similarity might be a personality quirk or trait and other times it could be that a character shares a professional background with Lynn. In terms of secondary characters, many times there’s no resemblance whatsoever (see David Breathwaite in the Kate and Jay trilogy. LOL).

detfig:  I asked Jane Fletcher about this, and I'm curious (since you got your beginnings in a similar way), how do you think women who write FanFic, that are now published authors, have affected the [lesbian] genre?

LA:  In general, I believe we are riding the next wave or experiencing the next incarnation of lesbian fiction. The plots are richer, more elaborate, and intricate than ever, the characters are more fully actualized, complicated and stronger, the number of writers, and the breadth of talent in the pool of authors is ever-expanding.

How much of this shift is due to the popularity of FanFic and Über and how much is due to sociological changes in the lesbian culture and society at large is for someone far more schooled in objective statistical analysis than I to interpret. But I think it is safe to say that FanFic has encouraged many writers who might otherwise have sat on the sidelines to write fiction, hone their skills, and, in some cases, become published authors. Certainly the number of authors and publishers of lesbian fiction with roots in FanFic or Über is significant.

detfig:  Was the transition from FanFic writer to lesbian novelist easy? Or do you consider the two the same? Clarify if you will.

LA:  LOL. I don’t know, as I never had that transition to make. LOL. I’ve never written a piece of fan fiction, although I’ve read and admired many wonderful FanFic stories and writers. And, before I go any further, let’s clarify what we’re talking about here.

By definition FanFic involves taking existing characters and creating new adventures for those actual characters. Über fiction exists when a writer takes the essence of existing characters, i.e. Xena and Gabrielle or Captain Janeway and Seven-of-Nine and pours that essence into new characters in new worlds or settings. Original lesbian fiction is, well, original and so are the characters <g>.

Whew, okay. Glad we’re on the same page now, so to speak (sorry, that was an awful pun).

Since I’m pretty sure you’re talking about the origins of my characters Katherine Kyle and Jamison Parker, the protagonists of The Price of Fame, The Cost of Commitment, and The Value of Valor, I’ll answer with them in mind.

Katherine Kyle was a character I invented in 1991 for a “straight” novel I had tentatively titled, Correct Me If I’m Wrong (awful, I know). In that book we never see a love interest for Kate, as the book begins with her husband, David, having been killed in a supposed accident that Kate knows to be revenge aimed at her. Time and circumstances conspired against me and I never got further than writing the prologue and the first chapter plus of that book, but I think you and your readers will find the opening paragraph of Correct Me If I’m Wrong of particular interest. I’ve never shared it on a wide public scale anywhere before and I hope you’ll ignore the questionable prose <g>:

The day dawned bright and clear, a typically crisp early fall day in Vermont.  The sun peeking up over the mountains and treetops bathed the solitary figure in a golden light.  Long, raven hair neatly held back in a French braid, piercing blue eyes focused intently on the road ahead, and long, lean body eating up the ground with effortless ease, Katherine Ann Kyle smiled to herself; this was her favorite time of day.

Obviously, there is a striking physical similarity between my Katherine Kyle and a certain warrior princess. As a result, when I showed the fledgling Correct Me If I’m Wrong manuscript to two Xenite friends of mine ten years after I wrote it, they began working on me to turn my no-doubt best-selling straight thriller <g> into a piece of Über fiction. I resisted. They persisted. Still, I resisted. After six months, I realized that resistance was futile *wink*, but I couldn’t see how the transition could be made. After all, Kate had a dead husband whom she was mourning. In order to create something Über I would have to make Kate a lesbian and invent a love interest for her. And thus Jay and a pseudo-Über was born as a nod to my friends. I say pseudo-Über because, beyond their physical likenesses, there really isn’t anything Über about Kate and Jay. I guess I did what we’d call in the modern lexicon “opting in.”

Now aren’t you glad you asked the question? LOL.

detfig: In all of the photos of your appearances, your intelligent eyes are sparkling with mirth or you're laughing, and you always greet your fans with a kind smile. Does humor play a large part in your writing? What are the "must have" ingredients when you put pen to paper?

LA:  Now you’ve made me blush.

Humor plays a large part in my life since life’s too short not to laugh a little. So yes, humor has a place in my writing when it is in character and appropriate for a given situation.

The only “must have” ingredient for me when I sit down to write is inspiration (hey, if I’m not inspired at that moment to write it, why on earth would you be inspired to read it?). 

detfig:  Tell us how your characters are born. Do they sit and stew in your head until a feasible story develops or do they jump out and hit the ground running? 

LA:  My characters, much like the plots and twists, themselves, bash me over the head with a two by four. The only problem is, if I don’t at least jot down some notes while I’m getting whacked in the noggin the idea will go in one ear and out the other where it will disappear into the ether never to be recaptured. Short-term memory loss—a sure sign of aging.

detfig:  What type of story do you enjoy writing the most?

LA:  I just finished writing an emotion-based book—The Flip Side of Desire. It’s undoubtedly the closest I will ever come to writing a classic romance. I like to test my limits, explore different types of stories—a traditional romance was something I’d never written before. What I learned from this latest project is that I much prefer the machinations of a good thriller. I love having to puzzle out the plot—it lets me indulge my diabolical side ::evil laughter:: So my next book will be another thriller.

Oh, and every now and again I enjoy penning a romantic or erotic short story just to keep things interesting.

detfig: Which authors haven't you met that you'd love to?

LA:  Since you didn’t say they had to be living—I would’ve loved to have met Edith Wharton, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain. I’d also love to meet Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Nora Roberts.

detfig: While we're on the subject of adoration, which authors are fans of yours?

LA:  Are you familiar with the expression “Nice girls don’t kiss and tell?” This is a little like that. I’m very proud to say that I have a collection of authors with whom I have a mutual admiration society.

detfig: Would you ever co-author a novel or short story with another writer?

LA:  I try never to say never. After all, there are many co-authored books and stories that I admire. However, that kind of co-creativity boggles my mind. I could see myself sharing a book in that I might write a novella or a series of short stories and another author would do the same for the same book, but I can’t seem to wrap my mind around sharing co-authorship of the same story.

detfig: Tell us more about the woman behind the author. What do you do when you're not writing and attending book signings/readings?

LA:  I’m a problem-solver by vocation and avocation, so I spend a lot of time doing that. In my capacity as a public relations expert it’s my job to help companies and individuals be who they say they want to be. But I suspect you were more interested in what I do for fun, eh?

I work out and play sports, I watch sports, I go to the movies and read books, I enjoy the theater, I play with the dogs, I hike, I try to find something to enjoy about every day.

detfig: What is one of your goals that you haven't reached yet?

LA:  LOL. I want to train killer whales, but I suspect that will have to wait for my next lifetime.

On a serious note, I want to do something that enriches the lives of others. I think that’s an ongoing as opposed to a static goal, though.

detfig: You're obviously a "Woman of many skills", but can you cook?

LA:  As a friend of mine says, I make great reservations. Actually, I can cook, but mostly I choose not to.

detfig: You have a new book coming out soon, The Flip Side of Desire, would you tease us and tell us a little about it that we won't read on the website or in a review? 

LA:  Hmm…what can I tell you that won’t give too much away? The Flip Side of Desire is the first and only book I’ve ever written to go with the book cover. My cover designer, the very talented Valerie Hayken, sent me an image last summer. She said, “I’ve created this great book cover. Now you have to write me the book.” I think we should examine why I always feel a need to do what I’m told. LOL. I created the plot for the book to match the mood of the cover. Let me just say, “Never again.”

detfig: I'd like to thank you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to sit down and answer these questions and I'll close this interview as I always do: Is there anything you'd like to leave us with? Quotes of inspiration? Things we may not know about Lynn Ames?

LA:  Thank you for the opportunity. I can’t remember the last time my brain was given such a good workout.

I wake up everyday asking myself how I can make a difference—well, that’s right after I think about why it is the dogs feel a need to have an all-star wrestling match in the bedroom at 5:45 every morning. <g>