Member Spotlight: Leslie J. Lehr

Why is writing important to you and why do you think it’s an important medium for the world? I write to have a voice in the world. It’s important to have a record of how we live and how we think. Once our words are in print, no one can take that away.

What are your tried and tested remedies to cure writer’s block? Read! Take a break from your story. Then start from another angle.

What is your favorite time to write? After a walk on the beach or some exercise, and after my desk is cleared of business. It takes me a while to get going, but I grew the habit of working while my children are at school. Now that they are grown, I don’t have to stop, so I usually write from 11-7.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever received and would like to impart to other writers? Read! Get your butt in the chair. Learn your craft. And have a passion about what you write. That way, you won’t quit. And you can’t fail ‘til you quit.

What excites you most about being a writer in today’s age? A Boob’s Life was picked as a Good Morning America Must-read and People Magazine features it under Best New Books. These traditional outlets help my voice rise above the noise–and yet thanks to social media, I can engage personally with readers to expand my message.

Leslie Lehr’s A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me—and You is out now with Pegasus Books.