Meet Lory Jones | Novelist and artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lory Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lory, what role has risk played in your life or career?
If I hadn’t left my familiarities in Southern California to pursue my career goals in Washington, D.C., I would have never written my first book, “My Interview with Beethoven.”

And if I hadn’t been in a relationship a few years ago, and broken it off, I would have never written, “It Happened One Morning…”, my current work which is due out this Fall.

I’ve found that comfortable moments in my life do not push me to where I’m supposed to go and what I’m to create, the way trauma has. Beethoven discovered this as well. His iconic works which perfectly showcase his personality and struggles, would have never come to be if he had not suffered deafness.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
So, unlike most writers that I know, I actually was hired and paid to write for about 2/3rds of my career in what can be termed now as corporate communications. Forty-plus years in corporate turned me from an inelegant, inexperienced newbie to a professional with more than 200 articles in my portfolio and 125 public speeches. Through corporations, I learned how to be more financially savvy, how to handle difficult personalities, when to pick your battles, and how to communicate without ruffling feathers too much. This would have never happened had I not been rigorously trained, decade after decade.

I also got laid off a lot, which taught me how to land on my feet and jump back into the employment fray.

So, writing-wise, I began as an editorial assistant at Lockheed Corporation (before they merged with Martin Marietta in the 1990s). Then I moved on my own to DC, where the real action was for young communicators like myself. Ended up working at Gannett, then back to Lockheed with Lockheed Martin IMS (later was acquired by Affiliated Computer Services in Dallas).

But I’m a West Coast girl and always will be. Tired of the cold nor’easters and getting nowhere, I moved to Vegas, found an apartment, and soon after bought my first condo. Opportunities opened up like they never did before. I was hired by MGM Mirage as a communications consultant, then later was hired by a government contractor that manages the Nevada National Security Site (once the Nevada Test Site). All of this involved public relations-type work, so I stayed true to my goals. Not many writers can say that. After 12 years, I took early retirement and now write what I want, not what I’m told to.

Throughout my career, I promoted myself. Stayed on a job 5 to 8 years, then moved on, gaining more experience, advanced my skills, worked with some really great people, and earned more.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Are you kidding? It’s Vegas, baby! I let them pick (it’ll usually be the Strip).

But I’ve also taken them to Red Rock Canyon, Red Rock Casino Resort, Summerlin, Lake Las Vegas and some of my favorite places like Maggiano’s on the Strip, Bellagio, the Venetian, and Resorts World.

Eateries: Besides Maggiano’s, there’s Bear’s Best golf club (named after Jack Nicholson), Lindo Michoacán, and T-bones at RR Resort. And there’s In n Out just down the street from me.

Another must is the Pioneer Saloon out at Goodsprings. It has that old West feel (being an original stopping post for travelers since 1913) and it’s allegedly haunted. Got some good grub and live music, too. A lot of bikers and vets hang out there. A great place to chill.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Leading up to my Beethoven book, I had no support, mentor, love/encouragement to get it going. What I experienced in Washington was alienation. This brought on illnesses I never experienced before. The only thing that cured me, if you can call it that, was classical music. And the only music that returned me to my original, confident self was Beethoven’s. Because of him, I studied his life and music to where he inspired me to write his story through the eyes of my fictional character, George Thompson. You could say that “My Interview with Beethoven” is a thank you/love letter to the maestro.

When I moved back to the West to Las Vegas, I found my tribe of writers, the Henderson Writers Group and later, Sin City Writers Group. Both helped tremendously with my current book, “It Happened One Morning…”

I also credit my many Toastmasters clubs in Vegas. Toastmasters is incredible in that it not only helped shape my public speaking and leadership skills, it also honed my writing skills for me to be the best storyteller I can be.

And that’s what I truly am: a storyteller.

Website: https://www.lahiderjones.com

Instagram: lahider.jones.56

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/la.hiderjones.923

Other: lahiderjones@gmail.com

Image Credits
Lory Jones
Ruth Zakarian