LitPick welcomes author Linda Palmer for Six Minutes with an Author today! Linda is the author of several books including Somewhere in the Middle and Sidekicks. A list of Linda’s full-length YA novels is included after the interview. How did you get started writing? I think writers are born and not made. We march to a different drummer than everyone else. That doesnt mean you cant perfect your craft or learn to be a better writer. It means you either feel the urge to express yourself in words or you dont. I always did, and began writing for pleasure in the third grade, mostly poetry at that time. Later I moved on to short stories and full-length novels. My teachers always encouraged me, bragged on me, and even wrote my parents letters predicting that Id be a writer. Having written forty books and too many novellas and short stories to count, Im pretty sure everything turned out the way it was supposed to. Who influenced you? The people who influenced me most were writers I loved. Always an avid reader, in grade school I inhaled the series written by Lois Lenski, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Jerry West, as well as random biographies and mysteries. My church had a summer reading program, and I always participated. From there I moved on to gothic romances with my favorite authors being Victoria Holt, Madeleine Brent, Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, Daphne Du Maurier, and Charlotte Bronte. I also enjoyed some of the books my daddy read, in particular Erle Stanley Gardner/A.A. Fair and Zane Grey. Now I read Janet Evanovich, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, and Stephenie Meyer to name a few. My Kindle is packed, and subject matter ranges from serial killers to teen romance. I can say with complete honesty that I learned something about writing from every book Ive ever read (even if it was what not to do)--new words, clever ways to describe characters/locations without stopping the story to do it, pacing techniques, and may other tricks of the trade. I dont think you can be a writer without first being a reader. Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting? Of my own books, my favorite is usually the one Im writing. I tend to like sassy, independent heroines and troubled heroes. Currently Im focused on paranormal themes and plots--shapeshifters, psychics, witches, ghosts. In most of my books theres an older house (usually Victorian) with a lot of nooks and crannies, and I can guarantee that therell be some stormy weather, because Im a rainy-day girl. So I guess my likes and dislikes influence what I write, which is why there will often be forests, mountains, and secluded cabins, as well. As far as other books go, my all-time favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Jane is such a modern woman for her time, and I loved the settings, which went from an orphanage to an English manor to the moors. A favorite series of mine is The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larrson, which features another tough heroine, Lisbeth Salander. What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author? Read, read, read. Learn to spell. Pay attention when your English teacher talks about grammar and punctuation. It doesnt matter how unique and amazing your story is if you cant write it down in a way that invites readers to invest their time. In addition, no editor will read a book thats a mess. Why bother, when there are so many good books out there? Study, study, study. Ive read so, so many books about writing. The most helpful were Techniques of the Selling Writer by Dwight V. Swain and Writing Novels that Sell by Jack Bickham. Any book by Gary Provost is good, especially Making Your Words Work. Write, write, write. Practice makes perfect. Where is your favorite place to write? To actually put words to paper, I have to be at my computer, which is in a room filled with things I love. As far as plotting goes, I can be anywhere since I usually start every book using pen and paper. (Currently Im brainstorming in those black-and-white striped composition books. Theyre all over the house.) Plotting is the hard part for me. Writing is a breeze. But I cant write without a plot, so Ive found some methods that get me going. My ideal situation for creativity is to be sitting on my bed, pen and notebook in hand, with a favorite movie--one Ive seen a zillion times--playing on the TV in the background. This seems to open my mind so that I can focus on getting from point A to point B. What else would you like to tell us? Im very flattered to be interviewed. I think LitPick is a wonderful idea. I hope that every reader who has ever wanted to be a writer will follow that dream. Linda thank you so much for joining LitPick for six minutes! Facebook me at Linda Varner Palmer Twitter@lvarnerpalmer lindavpalmer Recent and upcoming releases: Sidekicks by Linda Palmer (Uncial Press) Mia Tagliaro was born with the ability to communicate with the dead, the reason her parents sent her to a weekend camp for kids with similar talents. With the help of seasoned clairvoyants, she learned that she wasnt a freak at all. There were lots of other people just like her, in particular a boy camper her age named TC, who got vibes from the living and the dead. By the end of their stay, Mia and TC had shared more than just secrets about their sidekicks, their nickname for psychic abilities. They shared a first kiss and a vow theyd never lose touch. That was then. Now eighteen, Mia is quite comfortable in her skin and frequently passes along messages to the living from departed friends and family. She also helps the police with missing persons cases, loving the rush she gets when the lost are found. Though she hasnt heard from her first crush, TC, for nearly a decade, Mia still thinks of him. So its quite a shock when they run into each other at a school dance. TC, who calls himself Cooper now, seems just as amazing as she remembers. Then he tells her that his sidekicks deserted him years ago and actually uses the word freak when talking about them. Even worse, he lies when he says they can be friends again. Just when Mia is ready to give up on him, the ghost of Coopers dad begs her to try a little harder. But how can she reach a guy who not only thinks shes a freak but deliberately keeps his distance? Somewhere in the Middle by Linda Palmer (Uncial Press--release date June 2014) Though Everly Sayers makes every effort to be friendly to new student Roone Thorsen, he doesnt actually acknowledge her until he needs help with physics. Tall and a little on the teddy-bear side physically speaking, Roone falls somewhere in the middle when it come to the guys in her senior class, words actually imprinted on the black cause bracelet he wears. Turns out they have more than seventh period study hall in common. Theyre both avoiding dating if for different reasons. Since the best way to deter wannabe suitors is to be involved in a real relationship, they decide to fake one even if it means theyll have to show up at the Christmas dance as a couple. That night is an eye opener for Everly on several levels. With a flick of a finger, Roone mysteriously maneuvers a rogue chandelier that crashes to the crowded floor, saving a lot of dancers in the process. Or did he? Not quite believing her eyes, which suddenly have hearts in them, Everly is reluctant to admit that Roone is not only as far from somewhere in the middle as possible, he just might be out of this world. Full-length YA novels by Linda Palmer: Jaguar Moon Storm Swept My Wolf Wolf Run Wolf Way Wolf Crazy His Wolf Blood Wolf Operation Normal (Uncial Press) Nightmare, Interrupted The Cinderella Swap Double Vision (co-written with Julie Kimbrell) Snat Wars (co-written with Julie Kimbrell) Sidekicks (Uncial Press) Coming June 2014 - Somewhere in the Middle (Uncial Press)
Posted on: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 14:02:53 +0000
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