Lorie Langdon shares about her series Doon, co-written with Carey Corp, in which the tale of Brigadoon is retold in a modern context for teens. Magical bridges, foggy moats, castles, musical theater, big cities and pastoral lands, and romance with handsome Scots make this all fun. I love the enchanted premise and Lorie brings us behind the scenes for key decisions she made with Carey about the story and characters. Lorie also opens up about her own path to resilience through her battle with Crohn’s disease which has taken a great toll on her in the past. She’s so inspiring for teens (and adults too!) and I also talked with her about Gilt Hollow‘s success and her more contemporary thriller side of things.
Dig deeper…
Lorie and I met together in Dayton, Ohio to discuss her books after I read the first when author Sara Ella recommended it to me. Lorie and Carey have created a wonderful, whimsical, fun series for teen girls. When I saw her post about battling Crohn’s disease, and knew I would be in town, I really wanted to meet this woman who shared a love for great fantasy, theater, and had also dealt with chronic health issues, yet wore such a genuine smile. In the video interview I learned so much about working with a writing partner and crafting fun characters with a bit of depth to their challenges, too.
Talking about life, magic, and fantasy…
“It’s all about how we overcome our challenges in life. We wanted to show (this) with our characters, with grace. There is hope, and more your life can become.”
“Teens can feel that life is small. It’s not always going to be that way.”
Lorie used her writing to escape the constant pain of a terrible flare-up of the Crohn’s disease, which is a digestive and auto-immune disease. She didn’t let the disease define her and thankfully now is much better too. Her new release, Gilt Hollow, is a contemporary young adult thriller. Her main character has to decide if her friend is, “a villain, a survivor, or a bit of both.”
I’m so grateful to have met her and will be giving away a copy of Doon with this month’s Amazon giveaway, for people who sign up for the Thorn & Vine blogs and quarterly newsletter.
More about the book
Doon is such a charming and inventive tale that had me speaking in Scottish sayings to my boys and immersed in a wondrous world created by Lorie Langdon and Carey Corp. This is a wonderful romance with some historical elements added for dimension and interest. I love the voices of both main characters and the twist at the end is great. I feel like I know both of the girls and am intrigued to see where the next story goes. The authors have captured that yearning and longing that goes with young love, while creating an inventive and charming story. That the two girls are from our world first makes for many whimsical moments and fun sayings totally in keeping with their point of view. And those brave Scots! Ach, Lassie. Bravo! I’ve traveled to that part of Scotland and their voices are right on point. If you have teenage girls and are looking for a clean read with lots of dimension, fun, action, and beautiful scenery, this is a great choice.
About Lorie Langdon
Lorie Langdon is one half of the author team that writes the best-selling DOON series, a young adult reimagining of the musical Brigadoon. A few years ago, she left her corporate career to satisfy the voices in her head. Now she spends her days tucked into her office, Havanese puppy by her side, working to translate her effusive imagination into the written word.
Lorie has been interviewed on Entertainment Weekly.com and several NPR radio programs, including Lisa Loeb’s national Kid Lit show. The DOON series has been featured on such high profile sites as USAToday.com, Hypable.com, and BroadwayWorld.com. Lorie’s solo debut, GILT HOLLOW, a YA romantic thriller, released September 27th 2016. GILT HOLLOW was recently named by Redbook Magazine as one of the “Books By Women You Must Read This Fall.”
Connect with Lorie HERE and I personally love her Instagram, and her Facebook and Twitter keep me up to date on fun things coming, like her summer abroad coming up in Ireland, teaching writing classes!
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