By Linda Lovely
My author dreams don’t involve fame and wealth. Those
“dreams” are better described as wild fantasies. While I’ve published seven
books and been delighted by many of the reviews, the most important dreams I’ve
fulfilled as an author simply require me to commit to writing the books I want to
write.
I now write what I love to read—genre fiction. I spent most
of my career writing PR and ad copy. It paid well and, for the most part, I
enjoyed it. But I’ve always been a mystery/ suspense/ thriller fan and wanted to
try my hand at creating the types of books I most enjoy. For me, that translates
into books with likable heroines, who are smart, independent, and have a
sense of humor. Of course, the books must include at least one murder (more is
preferable). And the story must end with the villains getting their just
desserts. I belong to a book club, which means I’m regularly exposed to
“literary” fiction. While I appreciate its virtues, it’s not the escapist, fun
reading I truly love—mysteries or thrillers with sides of humor and romance.
My second dream come true involves the creation process.
Research alone provides plenty of laughs. Recently, fact-finding endeavors have
prompted me to join a goat yoga session, sample a variety of moonshine flavors,
and test how long it would take me to pull up my pants and fully-loaded duty
belt if I were a police officer who received an emergency call while visiting a
restroom. My critique partners also make even the more painful parts of the
creation process fun with their good humor. When they suspect one of my
plots has gone off the rails, they’re kind about pointing out improbabilities.
Finally, my writing allows me to indulge in a bit of
harmless secret revenge regarding the people I find most annoying. No, I don’t
make them characters in my books. My villains are truly fictional. In fact,
when I’m creating the physical appearance, background, and even the gender of
my bad actors, I work very hard to ensure my characters in no way resemble the
selfish, arrogant people who’ve inspired them. However, I draw heavily on the
flaws and personalities of these individuals, who in real life often seem to face no consequences for hurting others. In my books, their virtual stand-ins pay
the price. What a pleasure!
Linda's newest release from Henery Press is PICKED OFF, a humorous mystery with plenty of romance and, of course, the villians pay!
4 comments:
Love the cover on Picked Off. Looks like a fun read and knowing you, a great mystery-mayhem story. Laughed at the image of pulling pants up, etc. at WPA. The sober side is how important that seemingly innocuous task is to officers in real life.
I really appreciate these little bits of information you share that shows the depth of detail and real-life situations and consequences for our law enforcement people.
Thanks, Judith. This was my sixth year attending the Writers' Police Academy and every year I learn something new and gain an even greater appreciation for the challenges law enforcement officers face.
Great post, Linda. I'm curious about the goat yoga as research. :-)
Hi, Lynn, my humorous Brie Hooker mysteries (with romance) are set on a goat farm in Upstate SC. Lucky for me, there's a goat farm (Split Creek Goat Dairy) nearby for me to visit, and they do have goat yoga sessions. I've attended twice. In the spring, they let the baby goats play with you. Not sure how much yoga gets accomplished but it's a hoot. I'm working on revisions now for the third book in the series, which includes a goat yoga session.
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