Terrie Leigh Relf: What kind of writing do you focus on ?
Luci Lampe: I write nonfiction inspirational and self-development content.
Terrie Leigh Relf: What are your areas of expertise?
Luci Lampe: My areas of expertise are women’s health & fitness, postnatal fitness, women’s sexuality, and parenting.
Terrie Leigh Relf: How do you create time to write?
Luci Lampe: I do a lot of counter-balancing. Having a family to raise, a business to run, and clients to train means I have a lot to juggle. Since time on one thing is time away from another thing, I manage to make progress without losing my mind by prioritizing strategically. I love my creative work, and it brings me life. I’ve found that blocking out time consistently (even if it’s sometimes interrupted by crying babies) makes all the difference!
Terrie Leigh Relf: What inspires you to write?
Luci Lampe: To me, the creative process is a bit unpredictable. I never know when inspiration will strike, so I always have to be ready to take down my ideas, even for those 2:00 am moments. I get a lot of ideas from something as simple as a conversation with my kids or my personal “aha” moments, all of which I can’t exactly plan in advance. When I’m feeling highly inspired or compelled to write (or create in general), I respect that feeling, and take advantage of it while it’s present. If I don’t feel motivated and a particular project is priority, I have to use a little more self-discipline to feel the feeling and do it anyway.
Terrie Leigh Relf: Where have you been published? Upcoming publications?
Luci Lampe: Thus far, my works are being published by my business, Sexy Mama Movement. I have several ideas stewing for the next few books in the Sexy Mama series. I’ve started working on outlines for the next two books, one of which will ideally be ready to publish in late 2017.
Terrie Leigh Relf: What challenges have you faced as a writer?
Luci Lampe: My biggest challenge, by far, is disciplining myself to write when I have the opportunity, while not allowing my creative work to consume me around the clock. I have to be able to switch modes instantly. Within the span of one day, I switch between mommy mode, personal trainer mode, beast workout mode, creative mode, business mode, networking mode, and sexy wife mode. You know, covering all my bases!
Terrie Leigh Relf: Are you a plotter or a discovery writer?
Luci Lampe: I tend to combine both plotting and discovery. As much as I love to plan in advance, my creativity doesn’t always get the memo!
Terrie Leigh Relf: Are you currently a writing mentor? Your thoughts on mentoring?
Luci Lampe: I am not currently a writing mentor. I can hardly believe I am a writer myself, ha ha! Finally publishing my book feels very surreal. I absolutely love the concept of mentoring–both being mentored and being a mentor. I believe there is incredible value in mentoring, and learning from those who have been or currently are where we want to go. Why waste time trying to figure things out on our own if we can be guided down a proven path?
Terrie Leigh Relf: Are you in a group for writers? Your thoughts on writing groups?
Luci Lampe: Yes, I have been in one writer’s group: The OB Writer’s group! They are a fantastic bunch. However, I haven’t made it out to the group lately due to carefully scheduling my time to build my business and write my book while being there for my family. I think having the camaraderie of other writers is fun and exciting, and I often leave with valuable nuggets of wisdom.
Terrie Leigh Relf: What are your marketing and promotional strategies?
Luci Lampe: In complete candor, I’m learning new promotional and marketing strategies as I go along. From my experience in the entertainment and music industry, I know how crucial it is to connect with other likeminded people, and network strategically. I’m relying a lot on my existing followers to help build excitement and momentum for my books through word of mouth, business collaborations, and social media.
Terrie Leigh Relf: Your thoughts on having an agent?
Luci Lampe: Having had an acting agent and multiple music managers, I’m very familiar with how the process and professional relationship of representation works. If the contract is beneficial and makes sense at the particular stage I’m in, representation would be a good option. Having an acting agent made a life changing difference for me. Sure–working completely independently, I’d keep 100%; but 100% of zero is still zero. Having an agent paid off big-time in acting. I don’t yet know how beneficial a literary agent would be for my career as a writer, but I imagine it could be just as incredible.
Terrie Leigh Relf: What do you think about self-publishing?
Luci Lampe: It’s amazing the options authors have today. Self-publishing has never been easier. I can’t believe I almost put my book idea aside (yet again) because I was afraid to self-publish! Up until early October, I was completely daunted by the process of self-publishing, since I’d never done it before. Thanks to the help of friends who have successfully self-published #1 bestsellers, I’ve been able to navigate the process of self-publishing without too much frustration or confusion. Without them, I’d still be pulling my hair out!
Terrie Leigh Relf: What are your current goals and mission?
Luci Lampe: Empowering other moms is absolutely thrilling to me. I believe moms have the power to change the world, as we discover our incredible worth and show our kids something positive to model. When I was personally in need of content geared toward self-love and self-development specifically for moms, I couldn’t find much, so I committed to creating it. My vision is to make the Sexy Mama Movement the go-to source for any mom who’s ready to live the life she is worthy of, in a body she absolutely loves.
Terrie Leigh Relf: Thank you for creating time for this interview, Luci. Please visit her website! You can purchase her books here.
Terrie Leigh Relf: Author, Workshop Facilitator & Writing Coach 