Let’s Chat with California Central Coast Author: Linda Seed
What was your journey to becoming an author and what inspired you to pen your first novel Moonstone Beach?
I’ve always been a writer. I wrote my first full-length book in high school, and I’ve got numerous completed books that never made it out of my desk drawer. It wasn’t until I started writing romance that I really hit my groove. I tried romance because I enjoyed reading the genre and I wanted to do something fun, something that would feel like an escape for me. The book came together so well I decided to publish it, and the response has been wonderful.
The inspiration for Moonstone Beach, specifically, came because I was a frequent visitor to Cambria, California, where the book is set. I was vacationing there regularly, and when I wasn’t there, I missed it terribly. I thought that if I couldn’t be there every day in my real life, I’d be there in my fictional life. I enjoyed writing about the town so much that I’ve set all of my books there. And now, of course, I live in Cambria full-time, which is a dream come true.
Before writing Moonstone Beach what were you doing? Your bio says former journalist, can you share more about this?
I was in journalism for a long time—first as a reporter, then as a copy editor and news editor. My college degree is in journalism. I always wanted to be a novelist—that was my big dream—but I’ve always been practical, and I knew it would be hard to pay the bills as a fiction writer. I went into the news business because I knew it would provide a steady paycheck. And it did, for more than fifteen years. I left the business in the early 2000s to be a stay-at-home mom, well before the collapse of the news business. It was only after my kids were in school full-time and didn’t need me as much anymore that I started turning my attention back to writing fiction.
How do you begin planning, plotting and preparing for your next novel?
The simple answer is, I don’t do any of those things. I’m a classic pantser—I write by intuition. I usually start a book with the two main characters in mind. I know what they do for a living, and I might know how they’ll meet each other. That’s pretty much it. From there, I just go where the story takes me. I’ve tried outlining a novel before writing it, but that has never worked for me. I get bored. Why should I keep writing if I already know how it ends? Where’s the fun in that?
You love to bake? What’s one of your favorite desserts to prepare or eat that makes it feel like the holidays for you?
I do enjoy baking! My favorite holiday recipe is for a cookie we called “snowballs” when I was growing up. We had them every year. Their real name is Russian Tea Cakes, and they’re small spherical cookies with lots of butter and powdered sugar. I like them with walnuts in them. Delicious. I wish I had an original recipe of my own that I could share with you, but I’m not that creative when it comes to baking. I use other people’s time-honored recipes.
What books are on your nightstand right now? Either you are reading or plan to be read?
Right now I’m reading The Ice Storm by Rick Moody. After that, I’m planning to read Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. After that, my to-be-read list is endless.
You have three series you have written (so far), can you tell us about your latest release, FIXER-UPPER, which comes out on December 10th? What do you enjoy about writing a series? I know as a reader, I love getting to learn more about each character and delving into their world and romance.
Fixer-Upper, the third book in the Russo Sisters series, is about Martina Russo, the crunchy, granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing sister. She’s an interior designer, and her new client is Christopher Mills, a multimillionaire we met in my first series, the Main Street Merchants. She enters the picture just as Chris’s relationship with his society girlfriend is imploding. Much drama ensues! I brought back the character of Christopher Mills because several of my readers requested it. In the first book he appears in, Nearly Wild, he’s left kind of sad and lonely at the end. People wanted him to get his happy ending.
The Russo Sisters series features four sisters: Sofia, a kayak instructor; Bianca, a pediatrician; Martina, an interior designer; and Benedetta, a marine biologist. The series, like all of my books, is set in Cambria.
I love writing in series because it gives me a chance to really get to know the characters over the course of several books. By the time I finish one book, I feel like I’m just getting into the characters’ heads, and it’s too soon to say goodbye. I love getting to spend more time with them in the following books. It’s a full immersion you don’t get with just one book. Having said that, all of my books can function as stand-alone. Each one has its own Happily Ever After, with no cliffhangers. So if you want to dip in for just one, that totally works.
Meet: Linda Seed
Explore the world of Linda Seed who writes contemporary romances based in Cambria, California.
Check out her new release FIXER UPPER or check out her catalog of fun romance novels, here.
