Saturday, October 29, 2016

Welcome Suspense & Children's Author & Educator Linda Kane!

    
     Hello one and all! How are you today? I'm back and hope everyone is doing well and happy! It’s so great to be with all of you again. Welcome back to my writing blog page where I try to share whatever I think may interest you. Of course, by now you all know how very much I love promoting other authors. Today I interview another fellow writer. With me this time is Multi-Published author Linda Kane, as she discusses writing and her latest book, a Young Adult novel, Chilled to the Bones, which was released on October 3, 2016 from Krullstone Publishing.


      Linda L. Kane is the author of the Black Madonna, Matty’s Adventures in Numberland, Icelandia, Katterina Ballerina, and Cowboy Jack and Buddy Save Santa. Her upcoming novels are the Dex and Dealer Mysteries, and Daisy Murphy Mystery. She lives with her husband and three dogs in California.

     Welcome Linda! Thanks so much for joining us here. Shall we begin to learn more about you and your writing?

                                             
 Author Linda Kane.


 

    SJ: Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Teacher. School Psychologist. Author. And Horses, too.

    Linda: I’ve certainly led a diversified life, so many things attract, and excite me. I am now a retired School Psychologist, learning disability specialist, counselor, and teacher. This gives me time to explore new adventures; such as writing and riding horses.

 

     SJ: How fascinating. I couldn’t help noticing that you have written a suspense novel as well as children’s books. That is quite a varied experience. Can you tell us a little bit of how the idea evolved for each one?

     Linda: I enjoy mysteries, adventures, France, and the Knights Templar which evolved into The Black Madonna. I enjoyed my job as a school psychologist and although I’m not directly helping children with learning so I wrote books to help with self-esteem, difficulty in math, and creativity. I just released a new book, Chilled to the Bones for YA readers which is a thrilling adventure ride with a sequel coming soon.

 

     SJ: Good for you, Linda. Now, please tell us about your suspense release, The Black Madonna. The blurb sounds utterly fascinating to read….

     Linda: The Black Madonna is historical speculative history about the Cathars, a religious order that was far ahead of its time, women could be the leaders of their religion, and the Cathars did not take money from the rich or poor. The Cathars were supposedly given the Holy Grail for safe- keeping. A young professor is in a race to discover the lost secrets before The Order, a secret society within the Catholic Church destroys them.

                                     


 

     SJ: Whoa, Linda! That is quite a plot to throw into a book. It certainly has intrigued me, and I just love your book cover. How extensive was your research for The Black Madonna? How much fact and fiction did you roll into this book?

     Linda: I researched The Black Madonna over two years before I decided to write about what I had learned. So many documents were lost back then due to fires, weather, and different factions destroying documents. Some documents were found in 1945 at Nag Hammadi. This is when I began to conceive the idea of a woman flying to unknown parts to save precious documents at her own peril.

 

     SJ: Do you miss teaching? Has teaching influenced your books in any way? If so, how?

    Linda: I still teach four classes in writing and art, I do enjoy still being able to teach, it was a passion of mine. I would have to say that yes, wanting someone to take something they learned from my books that they have read, appeals to me. I guess will always want to impart something I’ve learned to someone else.

 

      SJ: What do you love most about being a writer? Least?

      Linda: I love getting into the heads of my characters, becoming that individual for just a little bit, become something outside myself. The thing I dislike the most is editing.

                                              


      SJ:  What writer inspired you most and how?

      Linda: I think that when I was growing up Agatha Christie was the author that most inspired me. She took me and my imagination to different parts of the world, with fascinating characters, and droplets of clues for me to solve her mystery story.

 

      SJ: If you could give just one piece of important writing advice to an aspiring writer, what would it be?

      Linda: Don’t wait for the’ best time’ to write, because there never really is, just write and create. Carry a notepad with you, observe people, their conversations, their body language, and never give up.

 

      SJ: What is a favorite book you enjoyed reading and would recommend without hesitation? Why?

      Linda: I enjoyed The Historian, it is well written. Every word, every phrase is carefully planned. It was a true pleasure to read.

 

      SJ: Wonderful, Linda. Thanks to your visit here today, I now have to add three more books to my never-ending books to read. In closing, and without giving too much away, do you have any more projects in the immediate future? We’d love to hear about it.

      Linda: I am working on a sequel to Chilled to the Bones about Witches, and I have begun to outline another speculative historical fiction book about the U. S. Indian Nation.               

      Thanks so much, Linda for participating. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you so much for allowing us to take some time out of your busy schedule and interview you. Thank you all for stopping by. Readers, take note you may purchase a copy of Linda’s books through her publisher or at online retailers and independent booksellers.

      But before we go, we can’t depart without sharing a bit of Linda’s books with you.

      First, here is the synopsis for The Black Madonna, a book that I can’t wait to read:

                  As the 13th-century dawns, the Christian world is in a spiritual upheaval. In Rome, Pope Innocent III plots to crush a popular new heresy sweeping Europe. In the Holy Land, crusading monks make a shocking discovery about Jesus of Nazareth. In southern France, minstrels sing occult versus claiming salvation through the intercession of a worthy lady.

       In the foothills of the French Pyrenees, a noble woman will defy the most powerful pontiff in history and escape the slaughter of the remaining Cathars at Montsegur and take with her an ancient artifact that could change the course of Christianity. One day, her ancestor, Luci de Foix discovers the little known but true account of one of the most fascinating women in history and goes on a heroic quest to discover a guarded secret- long hidden. Against overwhelming odds, Luci evokes the legendary defiance of the Jews against the Roman legions at Masada and escapes to finally bring to light the last spoken by Jesus.

 

      And the synopsis for her latest release, Chilled to the Bones, another book that has piqued my interest:

      "What's up, man?" Joe hollered. "Something in your way?" "Yeah, there's something in my way all right. I've uncovered a pile of bones." "Bones? What kind of bones?" "Bones, human bones with a skull." "Oh, my God!" the workers yelled in unison as they scrambled off their paint buckets and slid down the embankment of the hole Warren was peering into. "Should we move them?" Joe asked. "Well, I can't dig with them there," was all Warren could muster. Trevor picked up a long tree root and nudged the skull. It rolled over, and empty sockets stared back, vacant and weathered by time. The backhoe had cast the rest of the bones adrift in the dirt. They were a strange dirty tan color, and the hinges of the arms and legs were bulbous. He leaned down to investigate them more closely. Several hundred years and the right soil conditions for the fungus that had settled in the buried bones propagated a walking terror. Trevor was chosen as the new host for that terror. What was left of the other workers’ bodies was disposed of, and darkness fell.

   And just in time for the Christmas holidays is Linda’s children’s book below, which was released last year. Cowboy Jack & Buddy Save Christmas:
 
An original Christmas story.



             “A holiday adventure that will live on in your child's memory for years to come! For the first time that anyone can remember, Christmas is in trouble! Santa knows it and so do two young enterprising lads who live far away from the North Pole. Cowboy Jack, crime fighter and general whiz kid, collaborates with his ingenious cousin Buddy to help Santa save Christmas. This swashbuckling adventure gives each of us a glimpse into Santa's Toyland and concludes with a surprise way to save Christmas, an addition to Santa's team of reindeer, and a memorable Christmas tale! It's a story every child will want to read throughout the Christmas season and is sure to become a favorite for Christmas Eve! Beautiful Hardcover with Dust Jacket Edition!”

 

      Feel free to learn more and connect with Linda Kane at one of the below web sites:


       Website: http://www.lindaleekane8.com    

 

     Thank you all for visiting with us. It’s always a pleasure to meet readers and authors. Until next month, every one please stay safe. Smile. Be happy. Show compassion. Be nice to others. Put a little love into your heart. Please speak up for those without a voice, whether it be a dog, cat, elephant or monkey. One person, one voice can make a difference. Read a book and pass it on. Leave a review. Reviews are important for authors. Believe me. I know. Thank you!

Regards,

S. J. Francis, Writing Is My Passion, but animals are my world.

Advocate for the underdog, and cat, and supporting writers, et al.

In Shattered Lies: "It's All About Family." Available now from Black Opal Books and for sale at all on-line retailers and independent booksellers.

                     Shattered Lies is a 2016 Reader's Favorite Honorable Mention in the Fiction - Women’s category. 

                     Shattered Lies was a Finalist in the 10th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards.

                     Shattered Lies was chosen as General Fiction Official Selection in the 2015 New Apple Book Awards.

                     Did you know that the first, original book cover design for Shattered Lies was a semi-finalist in the 2015 Authors dB Best Cover Contest?

 

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