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:
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Lee-Kane/e/B00OAO6QMS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Her Publisher Page: http://www.blackopalbooks.com/author-bios/bio-lindaleekane
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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now for some legal stuff: Copyright 2016 by S.J. Francis. Opinions expressed
here are solely those of the author, S. J. Francis and the guest author and are
meant to entertain, inform and enlighten, and intend to offend no one.
