NAACP Image Award–nominated author Lorna Lewis is back with another release that’s sure to tug at your heartstrings. I recently spoke with her about Broken Glass Houses.
Tell me about your latest book.
Broken Glass Houses is a Southern women’s fiction novel with elements of psychological suspense. It’s centered around two best friends, Parker Montgomery and Carmen Doucet.
Parker has built a beautiful life for herself. She has a successful career, a husband and children she loves, and a past she would rather keep buried. But when her estranged mother
unexpectedly reappears and threatens to expose a secret Parker has worked hard to hide, everything begins to unravel. At the same time, Carmen is carrying an unimaginable amount of
grief, and a decision she makes while trying to protect the person she loves sets both women on a path neither of them could have anticipated.
At its heart, Broken Glass Houses is about grief, friendship, family secrets, loyalty, and the things we sometimes do when pain clouds our judgment. One of the ideas that stayed with me while writing it was that decisions made with a grief-filled mind rarely end well.
Why did you decide to write it?
I’m always drawn to stories about complicated women and the secrets families keep. With Broken Glass Houses, I wanted to explore grief from a different angle. Particularly, what can
happen when grief begins influencing the decisions we make.
I was also interested in the question of how far we’re willing to go for the people we love. How far would you go to protect your child? Your parent? Your best friend? And at what point does
protecting someone cross a line?
What’s your favorite place to write?
I’m actually much more productive when I write away from home, especially in a café. Being in a different environment, with a little background noise and activity around me, really helps me
focus and get into the story. But realistically, most of my writing happens at home on my sofa. So I’d say a café is my favorite place to write, but my sofa is definitely where most of the work
gets done.
What’s the nicest thing a reader has ever said to you?
I’ve been fortunate to receive some beautiful messages from readers over the years, but the ones that mean the most to me are when readers tell me that they saw themselves or someone
they love in one of my characters. I write about grief, family, relationships, secrets, and healing, so when someone tells me that a story touched them personally or helped them process
something in their own life, that stays with me.
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Writing has always been my escape. Even when I was younger, I found myself making up stories all the time. The funny thing is, becoming a writer was a career I fought against for years.
I loved writing, but I had absolutely no desire to be a writer. At least not professionally. But God had other plans…as always! LOL!
I realized I wanted to be a writer during the summer of 2008. At the time, I was creating a workbook for my students and writing short stories to include in it. Writing those stories filled me
with so much joy that I didn’t want to stop. That was when I thought, maybe I could try—just try—to write a novel.
That “try” became my first self-published novel, Dirty Little Secrets. And the rest, as they say, is my story. 🙂
What author would you love to meet?
I would have loved to meet Maya Angelou. I truly believe meeting her would have changed me, not only as a writer, but as a woman. There was so much wisdom in the way she spoke about
life, love, pain, courage, and becoming who you are meant to be. I would have loved the opportunity to simply sit with her, listen to her stories, and soak up some of that wisdom. I can
only imagine the kind of impact even one conversation with her would have had on me.
What books have you read lately and loved?
One book I recently read and absolutely loved was Writer in Residence by Rhonda McKnight. I was honored to receive an advance copy and even more honored to write a review that was
included in the book. I loved everything about the story, from the relatable characters to the engaging plot. It was one of those stories that kept me invested from beginning to end.
I also loved Judge Stone by James Patterson and Viola Davis. I listened to the audiobook, and I love when a story is so vivid that I can clearly see it playing out in my head like a movie. That
was definitely the case with this one. I saw Viola Davis as Judge Stone in every way, from her mannerisms to the way she professionally put people in their place. I could visualize every scene, and that made the listening experience even better for me.
What books are at the top of your to-be-read pile?
At the top of my TBR pile right now are The Revelation of Dionne Daphne by Mara Brock Akil and Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson. I’m really looking forward to diving into both of
them. There are always more books on my TBR than I have time to read, but these two are at the top of the list.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on my third traditionally published novel, which is tentatively titled After the Storm and is scheduled for release in fall 2027.
This is another emotionally layered story that explores family, identity, motherhood, secrets, and what happens when the truth you discover about your life changes the way you see everything
and everyone you thought you knew.
Do you have anything you would like to add?
I hope readers will give Broken Glass Houses a chance and allow themselves to experience Parker and Carmen’s story. I hope as they read, they won’t decide too quickly who’s right and
who’s wrong. These are two complicated women carrying very different kinds of pain, and I think part of the experience of reading the book is understanding how grief, love, fear, and loyalty can
shape our choices.
I’m incredibly grateful for every reader who picks up one of my books, recommends it to a friend, shares it with a book club, posts about it online, or simply takes the time to tell me what the story meant to them. Authors can’t do what we do without readers, and I never take that support for granted.
To learn more about Lorna Lewis, NAACP Image Award–nominated author of Southern women’s fiction and author of A Sky Full of Love and Broken Glass Houses, visit her website or connect with her on social media.
Website: lornalewis.com
Instagram: @_authorlalewis
Facebook: @AuthorLALewis