5 Questions with Author Linday Reilly

 

Today I am pleased to bring you our 5 question interview with author Linda Reilly. 

 How did you become an author, was it an overnight event or birth rite?

It definitely wasn’t overnight, but I was fortunate enough to have my first “mini-mystery” accepted by Woman’s World Magazine after only three or four tries. That was back in 1995, and since that time they’ve published over forty of my short mysteries, along with a few romances. Once I decided I wanted to write a mystery novel, it took years of trial and error. I toyed with different themes until the wonderful folks at Five Star Publishing accepted SOME ENCHANTED MURDER for publication late in 2011. It wasn’t released until 2013, and by then I was writing my Deep Fried cozy mystery series for Berkley.

 What or who inspired your writing?  From the beginning it was the Nancy Drew books that inspired my love of reading, but it was Agatha Christie’s brilliant mysteries that were probably my first real inspiration. By the 1970s, Mary Higgins Clark was writing such fabulous suspense novels that I wondered if I could ever write a book like that. Back then, of course, it wasn’t common to see a desktop or laptop computer in every household, so writing consisted of typing on an actual typewriter!

 

How do you keep track of your ideas? Mostly I type them up in Word documents and save them in my computer. Some ideas will never be developed, while others might eventually find their way into proposal form or manuscript format. Once I decide to work with a particular concept, I find that even with all the planning and plotting, fresh ideas will pop into my head as I plow through the story--ideas that result in making it stronger.

 

What is the one thing you need, while writing?  Mostly I need silence, along with coffee and a snack. Since I also need large chunks of uninterrupted time to write, especially when I’m on a deadline, any interruptions really slow down my forward progress.

 

 How would you end this sentence, "Every author should own at least one of these things..." I think every author needs at least one friend or writing partner who’s willing to critique honestly and to brainstorm ideas. I have a fantastic one, and I’m thankful everyday for her!

Thank you so much Linda for joining us today. Learn more about Linda by clicking here for her Facebook Page.

Thank you as well for reading along with us. I hope you will join us tomorrow for more 5 question Author answers.