Ianne Lei Lauren

Tell us more about yourself:
      I am someone who tends to have a world of my own especially when I am alone (in other words, may pagka-autistic, hehe). I am the homebody type, I’m the kind who likes to chat with friends in a coffee shop rather than go to parties or clubs. Super ma-chika ako pero with people I’m feeling comfy with. I am really friendly pero when my shyness takes over, napapagkamalan akong suplada.

What do you usually do on your free time? Any hobbies?
     Ang pinaka-hobby ko is writing and its only then that I can let go of myself and really enjoy my time. If I don’t write then I just stay at home, watch DVD’s or read novels (in short, a certified couch potato, hahaha).

What are the places that you would want to visit in the future?
     El Nido, Europe (just to experience the snow and see the structures written in the Regency Novels I read).

Three things that you’re addicted to:
     Books, surfing the internet, day dreaming

Five things you tend to splurge on
     Clothes, clothes, clothes, shoes, and books.

What book/s are you reading right now?
     There are four books in line for me to read. First on my list: The Choice of Nicholas Sparks, The Da Vinci Code of Dan Brown,Sense and Sensibility of Jane Austen and Wish You Well of David Baldacci. By the way, binabalik-balikan ko pa rin until now ang Twilight Series ni Stephenie Meyer kahit matagal ko ng tapos silang lahat. (Can’t really help it, I have completely fallen in love with the characters of Bella, Edward and of course, Alice.)

What is your favorite color? I’m partial to the shades of blue, violets, and pinks especially the darker shades.
What’s your favorite midnight snack? No favorites, really. Whatever my taste buds feel like eating.
What are some of your favorite vacation spots? Will tell you when I found it.
Favorite ice cream flavors: I like chocolate flavored ice cream especially when it has nuts in it. I also like mango.
Favorite pizza toppings: Any meat toppings basta may mushroom at maraming cheese
Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Iced tea (lemon or red tea)
Favorite alcoholic drink: None
Favorite things in your bedroom: Soft bed with lots and lots of pillows, even on a hot weather, kahit tingnan ko lang, basta maraming pillows.
Favorite fruits: Watermelon, mangoes, bananas, peaches, grapes
Favorite holiday: Christmas (except when the inaanaks start knocking at our door, hehe)
Favorite song as of now: I looked through my baul, I’m now playing ‘Beautiful Liar’ of Beyonce and Shakira over and over again.
Favorite street food: None
Favorite comfort foods: chocolates with almonds

What’s your status right now? Are you single, married, or it’s complicated?
     Single
Love is like….?
     A plant that needs tending and caring. Hehe, hindi original. Pero I think that’s true. Love needs a lot of time,a lot of effort, and a lot of heart to make it strong and lasting.
Love makes the world….?
     A little crazy. But the kind of craziness people can’t live without
What’s the one thing you won’t do for love?
     I don’t know yet. I sure hope not to lose myself, my principles, my dignity as a woman for someone else.
Do you believe that everyone has a soulmate?
     Yes, I do. It just sucks when we are given a really hard time looking for him/her. It sucks a lot more when the soulmate is just right under our noses and our gaze is across the horizons.
Roses and Chocolates….Romantic or Corny?
     Romantic
Long-distance relationships….Go for it or Run away from it?
     Go for it. Love is a gamble, anyway. Why not take the risk?
Muscular men in tight fitting shirt and jeans….Sexy or Nasty?
     Not nasty really, but just not my type. I like the tall, lanky ones, hehehe.
Isang Linggong Pag-ibig….True love or Kabaliwan?
     Kabaliwan. Not if you’re from Pluto but then Pluto has been proven not a planet.

What made you decide to write romance?
     Because I am a romantic person (hindi man halata), ma-drama din. I want to put the ka-dramahan and ka-romantic-an in to words. So, here I am.
Where do you usually get your inspiration….in writing sex/sexy scenes? Do you use your OWN experiences?
     ? Reading, researching, observing. Some parts I get from my own experiences, some on the experience of others.
What’s your writing process like? Where do you get ideas? How many hours a day (or days? Months? Years?) Do you work on a single manuscript?
     I try to make an outline so I can plan out my story although a lot of times, I don’t follow the it because some ideas just pop right into my head while I am writing lalo na when the idea is much better than the planned one. I also keep a bio of my major characters. My ideas are from the commercials and cartoon series I see on TV or the movies I watch or the novels or magazines I read. As to the period of time on writing a manuscript. I guess, it varies. For people like me who has a day job, writing tends to go as long as months to a year.
Who is your favorite author? Would you say that your writing style is similar to him/her?
     Favorite authors: J.K. Rowling for creating the world of Harry Potter, Stephenie Meyer because of Edward Cullen, Bella Swan and Alice Cullen, Dan Brown because of the intricate and well researched plot and Nicholas Sparks for the tear-jerker novels. Pero my writing similar to them?!! Naka!! Madami pa akong kakaining bigas!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
     Try to make an outline on the onset of your project. It helps.
What piece of advice would you give to aspiring romance writers out there? (There are millions, I tell you!)
     Never give up. If you wan it and want it real bad, go for it, study the ways of it. Always believe that dreams really do come true. Aspiring romance writers can be romance writers. All you need is just do the first step. That is to write. It doesn’t matter if it takes too long, just don’t give up. Kaya go. Write. Now.
In all honesty, what are the joys of writing romance novels?
     Basically to be able to create a world of my own. To be able to dream, and then put into words, then after a few months, see words bounded and shelved on the bookstores. What’s great pa is, in the novels I created, I’m its goddess. At least I have become a goddess, di ba?

Ang paborito kong bad word ay….?
     Shunga! Bwisit!
Madali kong magustuhan ang mga taong….?
     Mabait sa akin.
Ayaw ko sa mga taong mahilig sa….?
     Back stabbers, mga tsismosa, mga mapang-husga
Hindi masarap ang hamburger kapag walang…?
     Ka-partner na fries at iced tea
Hindi kumpleto ang araw ko kapag walang….?
     Kape
Hindi masaya ang party kapag walang….?
     Music at tao
Ang pamilya ay walang kwenta kapag….?
     Hindi magkasundo ang lahat lalo na sa mga hindi importante o materyal na dahilan lang.
Masarap manood ng sine kapag….?
     May ka-date
Iiyak ako kapag nawala….?
     Ang mga importanteng tao sa buhay ko
Masarap maging lalaki kasi….?
     Walang monthly menstruation? O mas malakas ang loob nilang manligaw ng girls?
Boring ang buhay kapag….?
     Routinary
Masakit magmahal kapag….?
     Hindi ka mahal ng taong mahal mo.
Masarap magbasa ng My Special Valentine pocketbooks kapag ako ay nasa….?
     Loob ng aking kuwarto at walang asungot na mang-aabala sa aking pagbabasa.