Lori Soard

Lori lives in a small town in Southern Indiana, where she crafts Christian romances and cozy mysteries. Kentuckiana Authors Who are you? Who? Who? Who? Who? I’m Lori Soard, a small-town romance author who lives in Henryville, Indiana — where the sweet tea flows, the porches creak just right, and people know more about you than you know about yourself. I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years: author, editor, designer, homeschool mom, and amateur chef. At the heart of everything I do is storytelling — especially tales about faith, second chances, and falling in love in the kind of town where everybody knows your name and has your back. Who are you and where did you come from? I’m a born and bred Hoosier. I’ve always had one foot in the real world and the other in a storybook. Even as a little girl, I’d scribble out stories in my journals, dreaming up characters who lived in quaint towns where matchmakers meet at the diner and miracles sometimes bloom in the garden. I never really left that world. I just put it into words. Obviously, you’re a writer, what is the name of your latest book and the general plot? My latest book is Dandelion Serenade, book #4 in the Dogwood Creek Matchmakers series. It’s a Christian small-town romance set in the Smoky Mountains and full of faith, second chances, and the kind of love that overcomes anything. It follows Lauren Juniper, a florist with a gift for helping people through flowers, and Nathan Brickner, her childhood best friend who returns home to replace the town’s historic bridge. There's tension, history, dandelion wish, and a group of matchmakers who take their job very seriously. Where did you come up with the idea? My dear friend, JoAnn Durgin, and I wanted to do a multiple author series. We met a couple of times and brainstormed, coming up with the town, the matchmakers and the basic premise of the series. Something that I love about this series is that we each came to the table with authors we wanted to invite. We prayed about who to include. You know when God is in something, because it just flows. We asked our top picks and every single one said yes. That’s unheard of with any project. We’ve felt from the start that each author is meant to be in the series and that God has a purpose for every single story. Which of your characters do you like the most and why? That’s like asking which pie is best at the church potluck — they’re all good for different reasons! But if I had to choose, it’d be Lauren. She’s resilient, kind, and she’s perfectly okay on her own. I come from a long line of fierce women. Lauren reminds me of several of them. Love is a bonus but she’s also going to be just fine if it’s only her. Plus, she’s not afraid to stand up for what she thinks is important. Which one do you hate the most and why? Hate is a pretty strong word. I do have a bone to pick with one of the characters from Meringue Melody. She’s inspired by the “sea witch” figure (minus the witch part) in my Little Mermaid–inspired Christian historical romance, and let’s just say she’s the type who’d steal your voice and blame it on your jewelry. You’re stranded on an island, and you are granted three things: An iPod with only three songs loaded — what are they? 1. “Bring on the Rain” by Jo Dee Messina as a nod to the strong women in my life 2. “You Say” by Lauren Daigle to remind me Whose I am 3. “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton because I love her and you need a good, strong beat to dance around to A book with the last chapter missing — what is it and who wrote it? Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Hear me out. LOVED the series. HATED that she killed off Tris. The series is essentially a love story and you just don’t DO that. You don’t kill the hero or heroine. I was so angry that I rewrote the ending anyway. I also swore off ever reading another book of hers, although, I will admit she inspired a whole lot of emotion in me over that. LOL A lunchbox with a sandwich and a full thermos — what are they? Ham and Swiss with a thermos of sweet tea. The lunchbox probably has flowers on it because I like pretty things. What is the biggest mistake you have made in your life? Not writing or publishing mistake – any mistake. Even if it happened in 3rd grade, I wanna know about it. I feel like I didn’t see other people hurting as a teen. In the last decade, I’ve chatted with friends form high school. One I love dearly. We went through school together from elementary to graduation day. I never realized she felt so utterly alone while we were in high school. It was a big school. I just didn’t know because I would have made sure she didn’t feel that way. At the same time, why didn’t I SEE it? I really wish I had. The other girl was in my friend group but told me she HATED high school because people were mean to her. Again, I had no idea. I would have stood up for her. Again, why didn’t I SEE it? I do believe I’ve grown over the years and am much more likely to notice if someone is struggling or feeling sad. No one should ever feel alone. What would you do for a Klondike bar? Not much. I don’t particularly like chocolate. Now, give me something sour, like a slice of lemon cake and there is no telling what I might do. You’re still stranded on that island and two people show up, the character you love the most, and the one you hate the most, and they both know what you said about them. What do you do? First, I’d probably be happy to have people to help me build a boat to escape the island, even if one of them is giving me hateful looks and probably plotting a takeover of my coconut stash. I'd call a truce and remind the villain about the redeeming qualities I shared that every character has room for growth—even my villain. But, honestly? I’m keeping Lauren by my side to pick flowers and talk about girl stuff while I send the sea “witch” off to scope out the other side of the island. Flash round favorites: Color: Pink and purple Sound: My grandchildren laughing Season: Summer Animal: Dachshund Smell: Roses Food: Pizza Place to visit: Italy Place to live: Right where I am. Indiana is home. Movie: Beauty and the Beast (books, love, a strong heroine) Alien: Alf Number: 7 Writing spot: My back room with a view of the woods Texture: Soft fuzzy blankets Planet: Earth—I rather like it And last of all, favorite memory: My granddaughter being born on Mother’s Day and again another one born in October a few years later. There is nothing quite as wonderful as being Nana to these two girls. My husband says we should have skipped kids and went right to the grandkids. LOL Anything else you would like to add? If you love small-town stories with heart, humor, and a dusting of grace, I’d love to welcome you to my world. You can find my books on my website (https://lorisoard.com) and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. And if you ever visit Henryville, wave hello — I’ll be the one sipping sweet tea on the porch, plotting my next story.