Spotlight on Lisa Lickel!

* guest post by COTT Senior Editor, April W Gardner



The lovely Lisa Lickel has stopped by today to talk about her frigid Wisconsin winters, her 1830’s ship’s captain house, and her growing list of published novels. Join us!

Lisa is a Wisconsin writer who lives with her husband in a hundred and fifty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she is a multi-published novelist, has written dozens of feature newspaper stories, magazine articles, radio theater, and edits two magazines: Creative Wisconsin and OtherSheep. She is also the senior editor at Reflections in Hindsight.

Lisa is the author of A Summer in Oakville, co-authored with Shellie Neumeier, Meander Scar, Healing Grace, and The Gold Standard.

Wisconsin. Brrr! What's the coldest weather you've endured?

Lisa: The thermometers read in the negative thirties. The temp has to be at least twenty below, not just wind chill, to call off school. Once it’s minus ten or colder, it doesn’t really feel much different because you still have to bundle up the same.




Negative thirties? It was 24 over the weekend here in Georgia. You should have heard the complaining! LOL I hope you have a warm house. Speaking of which, does your 160 year ship captain's house actually sit on the lake shore? Which of the Great Lakes would that be?

Lisa: Where we live is inland from Lake Michigan about fifteen or so miles from Port Washington. It’s midway-ish between Green Bay and the current state line. The LaCrafts came to Wisconsin in the late 1830s and bought land as soon as the surveys were registered. I’m not sure exactly what they did or where they lived before this house was built in 1853, but I know that afterward he gave up his ship, which I’m guessing was a steamer or clipper with a merchant run between New York where they were from and Port Washington. Abraham Lincoln stopped at Port and speechified once, ya know.




Sounds like Captain LaCraft had a rather long and frigid buggy ride back and forth to his ship! Since you have such long, cold winters it’s a good thing your job doesn’t take you outside the home (much). How did your writing career get kicked off? 

Lisa: I was a church secretary knowing my kids were leaving home for adulthood and my job wouldn’t last forever I took the very expensive Christian Writers Guild apprentice course. I began writing for my tiny little local newspaper, features and government meetings, etc., which was excellent practice for “write tight.” Meanwhile a novel I wrote for the guild’s very first First Novel contest under Jerry Jenkins did pretty well, I wrote a cozy mystery for Barbour and signed with an agent from the guild about the same time, fall of 2007. And so forth.




Ooh, I’ve always wanted to take one of the Christian Writers Guild’s courses. Good for you for taking plunge, despite the cost!

I hear you love to travel. Do you have any funny travel misadventures you're brave enough to share?

Lisa: Okay–my husband likes these travel books called “Moon Guides.” You should look them up – they’re fun. Sometimes a little out of date, as we discovered on one journey when we stopped at what was supposed to be a mineral springs spa in the middle of – wherever we were. The motel had just changed hands and the proud grandfatherly owner showed us around, leading the way down this huge scary hallway with, I KID YOU NOT, stained ceiling tiles drooping with insulation showing, rather actively inhabited cobwebs, just totally gross, to the last two rooms in the place which he had fixed up. Out comes a very happy smiling couple from one of the rooms, exclaiming their delight with the place; he opens the last door with a flourish to a very mildew smelling room, air conditioner running full blast and a bed with an obvious droop. I wondered…well never mind. Hubby felt sorta bad about leaving, but, I mean, really…would you?




You bet I would have left! Nope, no guilt there. And it’s too funny that the other couple were gushing over the place. I wonder if he paid his neighbors to say that? LOL

You've been on staff at Clash of the Titles since its birth. Which aspect the site do you enjoy most?

Lisa: Working with you, of course. (Aw! Thanks, sweetie. And, ditto!) Meeting all the fantastic authors and finding out behind-the-scenes things to do with their work. And what I truly find fascinating is exploring books from all the different angles, such as “Best Romantic Moment,” “Best Back Cover Blurb,” “Most Delectable Hero,” – okay, made that last one up, but…something in the future?

Hey, that’s not a bad idea! Raise your hand if you want to see a Most Delectable Hero clash! 

How many of your books have been published, and which one have you gotten most positive reader feedback on?

Lisa: That’s a nice way to put it, April. As soon as The Map Quilt releases in April, that will make full length novel number five; my first book, MQ’s prequel, is re-releasing later on. I received some nice comments on The Gold Standard, the first book, and I have the most reviews and intriguing public comments on Meander Scar, an unusual romance I did in 2010.

Congratulations on the upcoming releases! Whoo hoo!! Each book an author finishes whether it’s ever published or not is a massive accomplishment. And I LOVED Meander Scar. I think I read it in one sitting, and I’ve never done that before. Ever. 

So tell us about this book you have coming?

The Map Quilt releases in April of this year.

Just how high a price does a family secret command?

Death in rural Wisconsin is only the beginning to new chaos in Robertsville. What do a stolen piece of revolutionary agricultural equipment, a long-buried skeleton in the yard, and an old quilt with secrets have in common? Hart and Judy Wingate, who met in The Gold Standard, are back to solve the mystery of The Map Quilt. Hart’s new battery design could forever change the farm implement industry. But after the death of Hart’s most confrontational colleague in a fire that destroys Hart’s workshop, the battery is missing.

Throw in a guest speaker invited to Judy’s elementary classroom who insists she owns the land under Hart’s chief competitor’s corporate headquarters, and a police chief who’s making eyes at Hart’s widowed mother, it’s no wonder Hart is under a ton of pressure to make sure his adventurous pregnant wife stays safe while trying to preserve his company and his reputation.

It sounds like a lot of fun. You're a talented author, Lisa, and COTT is privileged to call you its own!


Learn more about the talented Lisa Lickel at her site: http://www.lisalickel.com/.

"What if" stories with a twist of grace

Thank you for inviting me here, today, Anne.

A hopping good story involves a protagonist (the main character, either male or female or both) and the opposing character, also known as the antagonist. The antagonist is the adversary or opponent. We naturally want to make characters we write or read about into good guys or bad girls. But does the main character always have to be the good guy? Most markets will say yes. Readers want to cheer for the good character and revile the bad guy.

To create a fully developed character, we want to delve into his or her psyche. What influences caused him to make those negative choices? Does he really have a choice about the way he reacts in a given situation? Can she change even on the death bed? Hope is always a writer’s best friend.

In my book, Meander Scar, the “bad” guys are people who truly believe they are making the right choices. Ann’s mother-in-law wanted the best for her son. Ann’s son never believed his father was dead and could not accept a new love interest in his mother’s life. They thwart the protagonists, Ann and Mark, at nearly every turn.

How bad is bad? Does your antagonist have a grudge? Legitimate wounds and no other choice in his or her mind to act the way he does?

How do we portray a character’s wounds without doing an “aside” and dumping a load of information (AKA “telling”) the reader why she turned out the way she did? Let’s analyze a couple of stories. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell, who accuses Tom Robinson of rape, is a sad character. She is described as having no friends and being poor. But how much of what happened to her was her choice? Her upbringing in highly prejudicial circumstances? How about Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, the 1962 psychological horror flick where sisters Blanche and Jane are not who the reader thinks they are (book Henry Farrell, 1960)?

We can flesh out our characters by giving them a defeating quirk and letting them unravel in front of the main character. He might be gifted in math, or have some sort of learning disorder that was ridiculed or misdiagnosed. She might have come from a dysfunctional family but still visits her mother. He might believe abortion is the ultimate evil but have no trouble committing murder in an effort to stop the practice. She might exist in a fantasy place in order to stay in control. Working out of fear, whether real or imagined, is always a good motivation, but must not become cliché. Blackmail with a new twist could be intriguing. The Robin Hood theme is another cliché that if used properly could add a redeeming layer to humanity to your antagonist. Munchausen’s Syndrome, where a captive develops feelings for her captor, can also be intriguing.

Who do you cheer for in Gone With the Wind? What makes Scarlett, Ashley, Melanie, and Rhett so fascinating? While you might have favorites, think carefully about which camp you assign them. Did Ashley, even accidentally, lead Scarlett on? Did Scarlett ultimately act in the best interest of her family? The layers of each character came out slowly throughout the story.

Of course, a villain can transform. Nanny McPhee is not a villain, but she does act like one as she works to better the lives of her charges. Her character represents transformation as the circumstances change. She’s not the one who needs redemption, but others can see the affects of their actions. Her character also doesn’t need to be loved or admired, so she’s a bit both good guy and bad guy in one.

In Meander Scar, one of the main antagonists (yes, there are more than one) Ann’s mother in law suffered the tragic loss of her husband while she was expecting her second child, who was born mentally challenged. Ann and Mark uncover reasons for her actions as they unravel her web of deceit. They, and the reader, learn to forgive her in light of her suffering, and hope for her redemption. However, the real antagonist in the book sneaks up on the reader in all its subtlety. It’s not even a person…but I’ll let you find out for yourself.

Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin writer who lives with her husband in a hundred and fifty-year-old house built by a Great Lakes ship captain. Surrounded by books and dragons, she has written dozens of feature newspaper stories, magazine articles, and written and performed radio theater. Her novels to date include the cozy mystery The Gold Standard, inspirational intrigue Healing Grace, and a romance with a twist, Meander Scar. She is the editor of Creative Wisconsin magazine, loves to encourage new authors, and will be teaching an on-line course The Nuts and Bolts of Submission in 2011 for American Christian Fiction Writers.

Visit http://lisalickel.com to read more about her books and find great writing tips.