Author Interview: Laura L. Morgan

                                                         

Laura L. Morgan is a middle school English Language Arts teacher in Lewiston, Idaho. She has been married to her fellow adventurer, Trent, for thirty-three years, and has three daughters, three sons-in-law, and six grandchildren. She loves family adventures in God's beautiful creation: hiking, boating, hunting, camping, and fishing. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and photography. She lives on a semi-farm with many animals, rabbits being her favorite, and enjoys the time she is able to spend in the last frontier of Alaska.

Author Laura L. Morgan is on my blog today for an interview.


Welcome to my blog, Laura!

Could you tell us a little about yourself?

 I am a high school English teacher and have been in education for thirty-six years. My husband and fellow adventurer, Trent, and I have been married for thirty-seven years. We have three married daughters and nine grandchildren. We just found out another is on the way! My favorite activities are reading and writing, but I also really enjoy photography. We live on a semi-farm and rabbits are my favorite pets. Seeing whales in Alaska makes my day. Being active in ministry is something important to us. I grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and love adventures and the outdoors.

What do you enjoy most about writing?

I love the creative process and holding my very own book in my hands is an amazing experience. I also love alluding to some fun or tough events from my family’s experiences in my stories. I have had a lot of fun meeting people from all over the country through my book events.

How did you first pursue writing as a whole?

I have loved reading and writing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I wrote stories and made my own books. I journaled extensively and penned many poems as well as a few short stories. I had the idea for the plot of my first novel for many years. I started writing it four or five times, but it was never what I wanted it to be. Then, while teaching realistic fiction to my seventh graders, I wrote a scene in one semester and another the next semester. Lightbulb moment! These became two chapters. I then went back and started writing the story from the beginning. It all finally came together!

You’re the author of a series called, The Adventures of Rogan Chaffey. How did it all come together? Could you describe the writing process and story inspiration for the series?

 I realized I wanted to set my stories on an island in southeast Alaska. We had been visiting there for about fifteen years and my oldest daughter met her husband there, married, and had kids. We built a cabin next to their house and visit every summer. It is such a unique lifestyle up there and I felt it was perfect for adventure novels. My next task was to come up with the theme. I wrestled with this but settled on, “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” for the first novel. I felt it was a universal question, and it helped me work through my mother’s death after a long and painful battle with cancer. I have trouble coming up with perfect names for my characters— probably because I am a teacher and have pre-conceived ideas about names and their connected personalities.

What is your newest book #3 about in the series?

Truth at Crossbones Pass deals with how important truth is in our lives. There’s a lot of relativity out there and the implications of believing a lie are consequential. Of course, my main character, Rogan, and his friends have all kinds of Alaskan adventures along the way.

Can you share any details surrounding your next project?

Book #4 in the Adventures of Rogan Chaffey series is at the swirling-around-in-my-head-while- life-is-too-busy stage. I’ve started doing some initial research. The theme will be about God’s promises and provisions. I’m centering it around my favorite Bible verse, John 14:27 and the idea of peace. Rogan will have to wrestle with his lack of peace and his challenged trust in God.

There are many great Bible verses out there, but which of these apply to your journey in life?

Hebrews 10:35-39 is significant to me. “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised…But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” God is always faithful, and even when we feel like life is too hard or things aren’t working out the way they should, God is in complete control.

Laura, have any closing thoughts, writing tips, or advice to share with us?

I hope writing isn’t a dying art, especially with AI now on the scene. I would encourage anyone with interest in it to be a lifelong learner, use the creative brain you were gifted with, and write! Develop that writing muscle. Not everything will be your favorite piece of work, but it will be a glittering tile in the mosaic you create.

Randomly Fun Questions:

What is your most favorite color and why?

Blue! Not sure why- maybe growing up under a Colorado Rocky Mountain blue sky.

Would you rather go to outer space or the bottom of the ocean?

The bottom of the ocean- except for the fact of being under all that water, ha ha. Under the water is very peaceful and calm, and I love the beauty of the plants and animals. Trent and I are certified scuba divers and enjoyed diving when we were younger.

If you could sit down with any author, who would it be?

That’s a tough one. I like Gary Paulsen’s style of writing. My debut into reading Christian romantic suspense was Dee Henderson with the O’Malley series. Those would probably be my top two picks.

How can my readers best get in contact with you or follow you on social media?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauramorganauthor/  https://www.facebook.com/laural.morganauthor/ 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauralmorganauthor/ 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laural.morganauthor3709 
Website: https://www.lauralmorganauthor.com/ 
Email: LauraLMorganAuthor@gmail.com

Thank you for stopping by, Laura! 


Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson