Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we interviewed P. B. Lamb about her writing and her recently released debut fantasy, Angels of Light, a fantastic blend of fantasy, romance, and religion. (Read the review here.) She’s a veteran of the USAF, a wife, and a mother to four children. She currently lives in Asheville, NC with her husband and her miniature dachsund.

P.B. Lamb has been writing short stories, fantasy fiction and romantic fiction for almost 20 years. Publishing a novel has always been a bucket list item for her, and now with ‘Angels of Light’ it is a reality.

P.B. Lamb is a veteran of the USAF, a wife, and a mother to four children. She currently lives in Asheville, NC with her husband and her miniature dachsund.

Before becoming a published author P.B. Lamb received an honorable discharge from the military after twelve years of service. She graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies and a minor in Emergency Management. She became a flight attendant and still flies the friendly skies today.

To stay informed of P.B. Lamb’s latest publications, as well as future work, please visit http://www.Pblamb.com.

Twitter: @pblambauthor

IG: @pblamb_author

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pblambauthor/

How often do you base your characters on real people?

I try to base one character in my book on someone real. In Angels of Light it was my grandmother, the cook for the family not only is described the way my grandmother looked, she is even named after her!

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Right now, I have three. Angels of Light: Christian’s Story, The Crystal Bracelet: Book One of the Yi Siblings Trilogy, The Ruby Necklace: Book Two of the Yi Siblings Trilogy

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I used a lot of research in Angels of Light, it started as a dream I woke up from, and I needed to know more about different world religions to incorporate their beliefs into the theme of the book. I used the internet (google was my friend) and books on religions (i.e. Intro to Buddhism). I probably spent more time researching than writing!

How often you read?

I read daily! Sometimes when I get stuck in my writing I will go read books to make the creative vibes start flowing again!

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Don’t worry about rejection – it’s going to happen in all facets of life! I was rejected by the school newspaper on a short story I wrote when I was 16, I still submitted a poem I wrote that was published. I’ve been rejected by major publishing houses, and agents. I keep plugging and trying, so I would tell younger me keep writing, keep trying, you will find your path.

What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? What’s the most difficult thing about writing a novel?

On an Editor!!! I am here to say that editing your own work is the hardest part in my opinion – well maybe second to marketing (I don’t like the marketing part). But the best money spent is on a professional editor to catch all the things you miss.

What are your favorite books?

I am currently a fan of Colleen Hoover books, Neil Gaiman books, and I finished all the Sookie Stackhouse series twice!

What is your favorite childhood book?

I was a huge fan of the Encyclopedia Brown series when I was a kid! My favorite one was when he solved the case because he knew the guy was lying – his car was cold and he let his child stand on the hood. Had he just gotten home then the car would have been hot and burned the child’s feet. I don’t remember the name of the book. (I of course could probably google it!)

Is writer’s block real?

ABSOLUTELY! I had 5 years of writer’s block on Angels of Light! I could not come up with an ending. I would re-read my book and get to the end then want to know what happens! Only I had not written the ending so I would end up frustrated wanting an ending that did not exist!

Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?

So this book started as a dream, literally, I woke up from a dream and knew this could be a good book. I began research on world religions and had this desire to get my message out through art. The message – that no matter what we believe, no matter what religion we practice, we have a basic law to follow: Love one another. That’s it. That’s the message. We have the ability and the power within us to love even when we don’t want to. When someone hurts us or does wrong, we have the choice to love them anyway. It’s a basic concept that I feel we sometimes forget. So I am using art to spread that message.

What’s next for you?

Here is a bit of a teaser, Angels of Light is written from the protagonist’s point of view (Jessica Hanson). Angels of Light: Christian’s Story is written from the antagonist point of view (Christian Wyatt). So book two will expound upon the story in book 1 and give you a full look at both sides of the story and how things really occurred.

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