Author Bio:
As a child, I was mesmerized by storytellers and my mother always made sure I had a supply of books close at hand while I was growing up. Sitting on her lap and listening to her read to me is one of my earliest memories. I remember drawing pictures and then making up stories to go with them, and as I got older, my stories became longer and more fanciful. At age ten, I began to write them down, and when I was twelve, I wrote my first “book,” all handwritten. I wrote during rainy days in gym class when we all had to stay in the locker room and sit on benches. I had a small cult following of friends who waited for me to finish each page which I would then pass down the row. When I got a typewriter for my thirteenth birthday, I typed up my “masterpiece” and put it in a 3-ring binder then hid it away. The story was actually quite silly. Having a typewriter, however, made it possible for me to write even more, which I did on almost a daily basis.
But, as happens to many young, aspiring writers, reality grabbed me and when I graduated from high school and headed to college then into the workforce, the dream of becoming an author washed away. It wasn’t until I turned 62 and experienced my 3rd job layoff that I decided to try and make my writing dream come true.
Writing has since become an addiction to me, and I’m finding that ideas for numerous scenarios and characters keep flooding my brain, with the characters screaming, “Write about me! Write about me!”
And, that’s what I intend to do.
What inspires you to write?
Mostly, my loyal readers and followers inspire me to write. I don't have thousands of them or anything, maybe just a couple hundred. But I post excerpts of a new book I'm writing on my FB Author Page and get encouragement and feedback from that. I also sometimes get e-mails from people around the world who have read my books on Wattpad where I have quite a few followers who send me encouraging (and sometimes flattering) messages. I like having my work on Wattpad because I can engage my readers better. They ask questions or make comments and I enjoy responding. My husband of 50 years also encourages and inspires me to keep writing and he makes sure I have a nice, quiet space without interruptions.
Tell us about your writing process.
I wrote one book, a dark romance, from an outline and hated it. It originally came from a dream that played in my head like a movie all night long. I was sick with a high fever at the time. I later wrote an outline of the dream and put it away but the story kept niggling at my brain so 2 years later, I broke down and wrote it ("The Harpist"). It was almost as if I felt I had to write the darn thing for some purpose that I still don't know.
All of my other books (the original 6-book "The Necklace" series) and the 2nd "Necklace" series (I'm on book #2) just flow out of my head onto the page. There are times when I'm stumped for a right word to use and when that happens, I stop for an hour or maybe a day. There are other times, the words just flow nonstop. When I'm on a roll, 5,000+ words a day is no problem.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
First off…I'm glad to know I'm not alone! I almost feel as if my characters are the ones writing my books and not me. Sometimes I will write for an hour, the words and dialog just coming out of my head onto the page and I don't even know what I wrote until I go back and read it. My characters sometimes annoy me getting themselves into a fix or situation where I get frustrated with them. When that happens, I take a break, sometimes up to a week, before the characters start invading my head again, telling me to come back. At times, this feels very odd but I just let it happen.
Who are your favorite authors?
My favorite author is Georgette Heyer. I've read all of her books multiple times and never get tired of them. In the same genre (Regency Romance), I also love Amanda Quick, Claire Darcy, and Mary Balough. In the more contemporary genres, I like Janet Evanovich (humorous mystery) and Lilian Jackson Braun (The "Cat Who" mystery series). For historical fiction, I like Philippa Gregory. Two books that I haven't been able to forget are, "The Mirror" by Marlys Millhiser and "Those Who Save Us" by Jenna Blum.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
While I was writing my first book, a friend of mine who had used Create Space to publish her mystery novels, met with me for lunch. I quizzed her for a couple of hours and she referred me to her contact at Create Space. I already had other friends on Facebook who had read my first few chapters and were pushing me not only to keep writing but to consider publishing my work. After I finished the book, I decided to just go for it and self-publish with Create Space.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I believe self-publishing is the way of the future. Speaking to other authors who are traditionally published has made me decide to not go that route. Traditional publishers, unless you are already well-established and successful, no longer participate with marketing assistance. They own your work and stick you in a contract with little or no way out. I've heard horror stories of authors trying to get their work back and others who have had their work altered or changed beyond recognition. That's just not for me. I write for the joy of it and think any like-minded author can be a success by self-publishing. There are services that can do great cover designs, format your book, and edit. Amazon and other sites, such as Kobo, Smashwords, and B&N, also make it easy to self-publish.
What genres do you write?
Time-travel Romance, Erotic Romance, Dark Erotic Romance
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print
Website(s)
Linda S Rice Home Page Link
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
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