Linda Grimes is a new author on the block but made a great impact with her debut novel, In a Fix. Original and unusual, In a Fix, really stood out and it was a brilliant read. The book even won my Monthly Giveaway last month!
Book two, Quick Fix, is on my radar and will certainly be a pre-order for me. I just loved the first book so much that I had to contact the author and ask her on the blog. The following interview is the result of our contact and if you read till the end you can enter the contest and win a copy of the amazing In a Fix!
Enjoy!
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Amber - Welcome to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you here as
a guest! Could you start things off by telling us a little about your debut book, In a Fix?
Linda – It's a pleasure to be here. You have a great blog!
In a Fix is light urban fantasy. It has a contempory setting, is packed with humor (well, I think it's funny, anyway), and has a paranormal aspect in the form of "aura adaptors"--individuals who can project the appearance others by altering their own auras; i.e., the energy that surrounds them. Guess you could call them human chameleons.
Amber - How did you come up with the idea for the In A Fix? Was it a long process or did it just come to you?
Linda - It came to me while I was in the car on the Fairfax County Parkway. I saw a vanity license plate with the name "Ciel" on it, and the character popped into my mind pretty much exactly how she is in the book. She started talking to me right away. I think the story must have been in my head somewhere all along, just waiting for the right trigger to release it.
Amber - How do you pick the names for the characters? Do they have any special meanings?
Linda - See above. Sometimes they just fall into my path. *grin* But mostly, for me, characters come with names, which they tell me in their own good time. They are who they are.
I found out after the fact that Ciel means "sky" in French. I didn't have a clue at the time – I'd never heard of the name before. The other names in the book (Billy, Mark, Thomas, Nils, Laura, etc.) don't really have any special meaning. Those are just the names the characters already had when they showed up in my head.
Amber - What kind of research did you have to do for In A Fix? Anything interesting or is the research boring?
Amber - When will there be a sequel to In A Fix? Can you tell us anything about it?
Linda - Quick Fix (Book 2 of the series) is coming out next summer (2013). You'll get to meet more of Ciel's family—her other brothers, parents, aunts and uncles. Plus, there's a baby orangutan integral to the plot. That's about all I can tell you without spoilers.
Amber - Did you always wanted to be an author? Why did you pick the Urban Fantasy genre?
Linda - I've wanted to write since I was a kid (wrote my first "novel" when I was ten – highly embarrassing Trixie Belden fan fiction), but got sidetracked in high school by theater. It was a great creative outlet for many years, but I finally returned to my first love--rearranging words on the page. All that "drama" wasn't wasted, though – everything I learned about acting comes in handy when I'm writing different characters.
I didn't consciously decide to write urban fantasy – that's just the way the story unwound.
Amber - I am sure that being an author has its ups and downs. What experiences have you had so far?
Linda - Boy, does it! It's a regular roller coaster ride. But you know what? The downs (writing slumps, rejections, things like that) are what make the ups (completing a book, finding an agent, selling a book) so much more special. Life is about contrasts. Without them, I think even the good stuff would start to feel ho-hum after a while.
Amber - I am a huge Kindle fan. Do you have an e-reader yourself? What are your views on E-books?
Linda - I love my Kindle! Didn't think I would -- paper books are such a great sensory experience that I couldn't imagine wanting to read any other way -- but the convenience of an e-reader won me over. You can carry a whole library with you wherever you go! What could be better than that?
Amber - A lot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music that influenced In A Fix?
Linda - The opening of In a Fix always puts steel drums – island music -- in my head, so I guess that could be considered a soundtrack of sorts, even though I don't listen to music while I write. I need quiet to concentrate. Quick Fix was probably more influenced by music, one song in particular. But I can't tell you what it is -- that would be too much of a spoiler.
Amber - What have you been watching lately? Any recommendations?
Linda - I recently caught up with all the back seasons of Supernatural on Netflix. Wow! I don't know how I missed that for so many years -- it's fantastic. I also watched a series called Life, about a detective who spent twelve years in jail after being wrongfully accused of murder. Sadly, it only lasted two seasons. It's a real gem, in my opinion. And when my husband is at work, I've been known to sneak in some old episodes of Charmed.
Amber - What books do you enjoy reading? Do you have any favourite authors/series?
Linda - I will devour anything by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series), Vicki Pettersson (Signs of the Zodiac series and her new Celestial Blues series), Harlan Coben (especially the Myron Bolitar mysteries), Jim Butcher (the Dresden Files series – I have a literary crush on his wizard, Harry Dresden), Kristan Higgins (delicious rom-coms), and Tawna Fenske (hilariously fun and sensual rom-coms). To name only a few. I'm sure I'll think of a bunch more as soon as this interview goes live.
Amber - What's your favorite paranormal movie of all time?
Linda - Oh, gosh...it's so hard to narrow it down. Let's see…one that really gave me chills, in spite of not being terribly violent, is The Changeling. The one from 1980, starring George C. Scott. Reeeally spooky. I've never been so afraid of a bouncing ball. Oh, and I like The Sixth Sense, too. I guess I prefer the psychologically scary stuff to the graphic stuff.
Amber - So if you could shapeshift into anyone and live their life for a while, who would you choose?
Linda – Anybody who can sing. Just once I would love to be able to belt out a tune without making listeners cringe.
Amber - Thank you for being a guest! I hope to you will be back soon! ;)
Linda - Thank you for inviting me! I'd be happy to come back anytime. :)
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Contest Time!
Linda is giving away a copy of IN A FIX to one lucky entrant!
You must live in the US or Canada to enter!
How To Enter
Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter the contest.
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Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners you must claim your prize within 7 days of the winner being announced!
17 comments:
I would be some sort of magic wielding cat.
I'm not entering the contest because I've read the book. I just want to say that it's a unique and different story and I really enjoyed it. I think it would be fun to shift into a man, seeing what Ciel experienced was hilarious and it would really give me a better idea of what men are like and what they go through.
Hi Amber! Thank you again for inviting me here to your blog. I'm glad you liked IN A FIX, and hope you'll enjoy QUICK FIX, too. :)
book sounds interesting. I'd love to shapeshift into a dragon.
If it's just for a day or two, I'd like to shapeshift into someone who's filthy rich (but not famous, I don't want to be harassed by photographers, etc.). Just for a little while, I'd like to see how the other half lives.
Love wolf shifters so I choose a wolf!!!
In A Fix is straight up my new favorite book!!!!!!!! And I generally don't play favorites. ;)
I'd choose a cat
I would love to be able to look like Angelina Jolie... yeah, I'm crazy but I think she's got the body I should have been born with. LOL
This book sounds interesting. I would love to shapeshift into some who is rich to see what it is like to live that way.
I'm not sure who i'd shape shift into.
Someone 'bendier' than I am. I'd love to be able to do yoga fabulously.
A dragon for sure! Beautiful and they can fly.. Thanks for the giveaway and the book sounds awesome.
mlawson17
Bella from Twilight. That way I could be close to Edward. Thanks for the giveaway. Please enter me. Tore923@aol.com
Oh I love Linda's answer!!! I never thought of changing into a singer, what a great idea. Since that is now taken, I would like to change into a martial arts master - how cool would that be :) Thank you for sharing with us and for this lovely giveaway opportunity.
OOPs forgot to leave this in the above comment LOL
dz59001
I would change into the shape of a Porsche. Elegant, fast, sleek.
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