Laurel Houck

When did you first start writing? What made you want to be a writer?
At six years of age I picked up a fat yellow pencil and lined notebook paper and wrote Crawls the Caterpillar. Although it’s been lost in the mists of time, the passion for words continued to grow. Although not professionally for years—life intervened—I never stopped. Writing and reading in tandem are the true expressions of inner lives, joys, struggles, and triumphs. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
What inspired you to write your book?
I know a young woman who has eyes that change color, from blue, to gray, to green. Fascinating. She is actually on the cover of The Girl With Chameleon Eyes, enhanced by cover art magic. I saw the story in her eyes.
Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I’m a hybrid—in many ways. I know the bones of the story when the idea first hits and set out to write to that vision, often with a title as my guide. From there, however, I let the characters and their circumstances move it forward. This, in true pantser fashion, ends up with books that have complex plots in mixed genres.
Do you have any writing rituals or special processes you complete before sitting down to write?
Nothing superstitious. But I do like to have a cup of hot, black tea—with honey—by my side. And a few cashews don’t hurt…
What authors inspire you?
Is it wrong to say all of them? Knowing the labor of love that is birthing a book, I am inspired by all those who push through to bring their stories to life. I do love Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity), who leaves me at the end of her book saying, “Oh…now I get it.” Katheryn Otoshi has perfected the picture book in One. And Kristin Harmel (The Paris Daughter) weaves historical fiction with accuracy and steady pacing.
If you could only write in one genre for the rest of your career, what genre would you choose? Why?
Romance. Not because that’s the “right” answer for a romance publisher, but because love is the basis of all stories. It may look different from situation to situation, but it is always there.
Which of the characters in your current release is your favorite? Why?
Searching for Home, not your classic romance, has two strong main characters. But perhaps my favorite is a more peripheral one, Torque. He has a specific something to accomplish and must endure much to try and make that happen. His perseverance, tough love, and compassion are a real mirror of his true identity.
Are any of your characters modeled after real people? If so, which ones?
Yes, loosely. Searching for Home is set in the homeless camps. I have met many people doing medical outreach on the streets and they were prototypes of my characters. Main character Selah is based on a similar story I heard, and Will is based on those who work tirelessly to help our homeless neighbors.
What music was on your playlist while writing your novel?
Although I don’t listen to music while writing, my inspirational playlist mainly consisted of contemporary Christian music. A fave you may want to check out: The Breakup Song sung by Francesca Battistelli.
Morning person or grumpy bear?
Morning—once I’m up. I think 9:00 AM is a respectable time to rise. Not too early, not too decadently late.
Tell us one thing it would surprise us to know about you?
I travel the world as a medical missionary.
What is next for you?
I have several projects in the works, from an alternate history novel to a memoir.
Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what?
I can wiggle my ears. It’s pretty cool. At least to toddlers.
If I were to look in your closet right now, would I find frills and lace or denim and tees?
Not a spot of lace to be found. Love my denim and t-shirts!
At six years of age I picked up a fat yellow pencil and lined notebook paper and wrote Crawls the Caterpillar. Although it’s been lost in the mists of time, the passion for words continued to grow. Although not professionally for years—life intervened—I never stopped. Writing and reading in tandem are the true expressions of inner lives, joys, struggles, and triumphs. Who wouldn’t want to do that?
What inspired you to write your book?
I know a young woman who has eyes that change color, from blue, to gray, to green. Fascinating. She is actually on the cover of The Girl With Chameleon Eyes, enhanced by cover art magic. I saw the story in her eyes.
Are you a pantser or a plotter?
I’m a hybrid—in many ways. I know the bones of the story when the idea first hits and set out to write to that vision, often with a title as my guide. From there, however, I let the characters and their circumstances move it forward. This, in true pantser fashion, ends up with books that have complex plots in mixed genres.
Do you have any writing rituals or special processes you complete before sitting down to write?
Nothing superstitious. But I do like to have a cup of hot, black tea—with honey—by my side. And a few cashews don’t hurt…
What authors inspire you?
Is it wrong to say all of them? Knowing the labor of love that is birthing a book, I am inspired by all those who push through to bring their stories to life. I do love Elizabeth Wein (Code Name Verity), who leaves me at the end of her book saying, “Oh…now I get it.” Katheryn Otoshi has perfected the picture book in One. And Kristin Harmel (The Paris Daughter) weaves historical fiction with accuracy and steady pacing.
If you could only write in one genre for the rest of your career, what genre would you choose? Why?
Romance. Not because that’s the “right” answer for a romance publisher, but because love is the basis of all stories. It may look different from situation to situation, but it is always there.
Which of the characters in your current release is your favorite? Why?
Searching for Home, not your classic romance, has two strong main characters. But perhaps my favorite is a more peripheral one, Torque. He has a specific something to accomplish and must endure much to try and make that happen. His perseverance, tough love, and compassion are a real mirror of his true identity.
Are any of your characters modeled after real people? If so, which ones?
Yes, loosely. Searching for Home is set in the homeless camps. I have met many people doing medical outreach on the streets and they were prototypes of my characters. Main character Selah is based on a similar story I heard, and Will is based on those who work tirelessly to help our homeless neighbors.
What music was on your playlist while writing your novel?
Although I don’t listen to music while writing, my inspirational playlist mainly consisted of contemporary Christian music. A fave you may want to check out: The Breakup Song sung by Francesca Battistelli.
Morning person or grumpy bear?
Morning—once I’m up. I think 9:00 AM is a respectable time to rise. Not too early, not too decadently late.
Tell us one thing it would surprise us to know about you?
I travel the world as a medical missionary.
What is next for you?
I have several projects in the works, from an alternate history novel to a memoir.
Do you have any unique skills or talents? If so, what?
I can wiggle my ears. It’s pretty cool. At least to toddlers.
If I were to look in your closet right now, would I find frills and lace or denim and tees?
Not a spot of lace to be found. Love my denim and t-shirts!

Tell us about your latest release:
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDCMCVQZ
KOBO- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/searching-for-home-22
BN- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/searching-for-home-laurel-houck/1146182562
APPLE- https://books.apple.com/us/book/searching-for-home/id6642655098
Blurb:
Life on the streets is hard but it’s deadly when a young woman battles addiction…
Where is home…when you’re homeless?
Selah gets through life using lies, sex, and faux concern as a veneer to forget the past and to achieve personal gain. She barely tolerates her job bringing medicine to the streets. Will is the only man who has refused her body. She resents that his God stands between them.
Will pastors the homeless no matter who or where they are. He conceals a past that is anything but pure. His biggest temptation is his love for Selah. But he refuses to compromise his faith.
When Selah’s deceased husband appears to her—more dangerous in death than in life—the careful control she has used to cope slips away. Evil takes control as she falls far from the life she had carefully planned. And then farther still.
Selah must make a radical choice as an epic spiritual battle rages. Because she has finally found a love worth protecting at all costs.
Is there redemption at the intersection of brutal reality and saving grace?
Searching For Home is a gripping and too-real tale of love, addiction, and redemption; written by the one woman, Laurel Houck, who has championed salvation for hundreds of people. This amazing tale will have you brushing tears from your cheeks and will show you a hidden world our eyes have skipped over as we travel through big cities and small. Fans of realistic fiction like Ruby (Between the Cracks, #1) by P.D. Workman and Broke(n) by S.T. Jones will love Searching for Home.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit homeless outreach, Light In My City,
www.lightinmycity.org
EXCERPT
I don’t give a crap about your name came to Selah’s mind, but she managed a smile. “God help me, that’s why I asked. But you don’t have to tell me.”
He shrugged and pulled up one sleeve to display a crude tattoo of a wrench. “Torque.” After surveying her for a moment he added, “Do you always ask God to help you? And does he?”
“Just a figure of speech. No real meaning. I always refer God questions to the pastor over there.” She gestured toward Will; his arms loaded with a stack of take-out boxes he added to a pile already on a bench beside his SUV. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
“Cool.” Torque touched Selah’s hand.
“Thanks." Selah pulled back from him.
“Oh, got it. No touching.”
“It’s just…” Selah reached out and clasped his hand with a firm grasp.
Her palm tingled, a mixture of fire and ice that shot tremors up her arm. She wanted to let go but she couldn’t. Her eyes focused on his fingernails, encrusted with dirt and grease, red lesions on his knuckles—scabies perhaps—and frayed cuffs of a flannel shirt peeking out from under the sleeves of a dirty brown Carhartt jacket.
The sight, familiar. The feeling, unknown. Electric. But not sexual. How was that even possible?
Torque let go first. “I’m hungry.”
“Oh. Of course. Follow me.” They walked together toward the packaged meals. “How old are you?”
“Want to guess?” Torque stopped and gestured up and down his six-plus feet.
Selah figured he wouldn’t be honest, but took a shot. “Eighteen?”
“Close enough.”
Which meant he might be younger and not want to get involved with juvenile agencies. In spite of his strength and appearance, he didn’t seem all that ready for street life. “Maybe we can get you connected to some people. Help you find your way home.”
BUY LINKS:
AMAZON- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDCMCVQZ
KOBO- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/searching-for-home-22
BN- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/searching-for-home-laurel-houck/1146182562
APPLE- https://books.apple.com/us/book/searching-for-home/id6642655098
Blurb:
Life on the streets is hard but it’s deadly when a young woman battles addiction…
Where is home…when you’re homeless?
Selah gets through life using lies, sex, and faux concern as a veneer to forget the past and to achieve personal gain. She barely tolerates her job bringing medicine to the streets. Will is the only man who has refused her body. She resents that his God stands between them.
Will pastors the homeless no matter who or where they are. He conceals a past that is anything but pure. His biggest temptation is his love for Selah. But he refuses to compromise his faith.
When Selah’s deceased husband appears to her—more dangerous in death than in life—the careful control she has used to cope slips away. Evil takes control as she falls far from the life she had carefully planned. And then farther still.
Selah must make a radical choice as an epic spiritual battle rages. Because she has finally found a love worth protecting at all costs.
Is there redemption at the intersection of brutal reality and saving grace?
Searching For Home is a gripping and too-real tale of love, addiction, and redemption; written by the one woman, Laurel Houck, who has championed salvation for hundreds of people. This amazing tale will have you brushing tears from your cheeks and will show you a hidden world our eyes have skipped over as we travel through big cities and small. Fans of realistic fiction like Ruby (Between the Cracks, #1) by P.D. Workman and Broke(n) by S.T. Jones will love Searching for Home.
All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit homeless outreach, Light In My City,
www.lightinmycity.org
EXCERPT
I don’t give a crap about your name came to Selah’s mind, but she managed a smile. “God help me, that’s why I asked. But you don’t have to tell me.”
He shrugged and pulled up one sleeve to display a crude tattoo of a wrench. “Torque.” After surveying her for a moment he added, “Do you always ask God to help you? And does he?”
“Just a figure of speech. No real meaning. I always refer God questions to the pastor over there.” She gestured toward Will; his arms loaded with a stack of take-out boxes he added to a pile already on a bench beside his SUV. “Let’s get you something to eat.”
“Cool.” Torque touched Selah’s hand.
“Thanks." Selah pulled back from him.
“Oh, got it. No touching.”
“It’s just…” Selah reached out and clasped his hand with a firm grasp.
Her palm tingled, a mixture of fire and ice that shot tremors up her arm. She wanted to let go but she couldn’t. Her eyes focused on his fingernails, encrusted with dirt and grease, red lesions on his knuckles—scabies perhaps—and frayed cuffs of a flannel shirt peeking out from under the sleeves of a dirty brown Carhartt jacket.
The sight, familiar. The feeling, unknown. Electric. But not sexual. How was that even possible?
Torque let go first. “I’m hungry.”
“Oh. Of course. Follow me.” They walked together toward the packaged meals. “How old are you?”
“Want to guess?” Torque stopped and gestured up and down his six-plus feet.
Selah figured he wouldn’t be honest, but took a shot. “Eighteen?”
“Close enough.”
Which meant he might be younger and not want to get involved with juvenile agencies. In spite of his strength and appearance, he didn’t seem all that ready for street life. “Maybe we can get you connected to some people. Help you find your way home.”