Linda L. Thomsen
Worksop, Nottinghamshire, U.K.
Good morning, Linda, and welcome to Vision. and Verse, the Spot for Art and Authors. What have you written?
I have currently just released my 8thbook in a series titled ‘The Missing Shield’. It’s a character-led high fantasy series with epic world building, shady/flawed characters, mystery, magic and darkness. It’s geared towards a mature audience.
What is your favorite genre to write?
I’m fantasy all the way – and to be specific: epic/high fantasy. I do like to mix up the genres a little though so I always write deep stories with characters to explore and elaborate plots. There’s always a story within the story.
Favorite food.
Chinese food. Or Pizza. Or Italian. Or… oh you know what? I just love food, period.
Tea or coffee?
Ehh… both? Coffee before 6pm and green tea after, perhaps with a cuppa tea creeping in earlier in the day.
Pizza or ice cream?
Pizza. Unless it’s nice ice cream. Like I say: I love food!
Wine or beer?
Wine. Red. (Though I do like Peroni and Tuborg).
Where would you like to visit?
All I ever really wanted to do was to travel the world. I’d love to go east: China, Nepal, Vietnam, Australia…
Favorite musical artist.
My favorite music typically involves a lot of guitars, lol. I’m a bit of a rock chick at heart. I love Kasabian, Biffy Clyro, Nephew, FOB, AC/DC…. The list goes on. However, it actually depends on my mood – I like pop and classical as well.
Do you listen to music when you write? What?
I tend to work in silence because I get too hooked on listening to the music or singing along. If I play music during writing, it’ll usually be something epic pulled from YouTube or something classical. If find that kind of music really helps me dig into the mood of characters and scenes. It helps me plot.
What makes you laugh?
My kids (in a good way), comedy (stand-up) and basically anything daft like ‘You’ve Been Framed’. I’m not a fan of practical jokes.
Favorite work of art or sculpture.
My favorite sculpture is ‘Lady of the Sea’ in Fuengirola, Spain. It’s just beautiful. I also like the weirdness of Dali and the colors used by the Skagen Painters, but as in all things to do with preferences, there are many other things I admire.
How old were you when you started writing?
I started playing about with fan fiction when I was around 10 years old. I also really liked to dream up characters and I would type out reams and reams. I never considered writing anything ‘proper’ though. It was not something people ‘did’ – especially for a living. That’s why it was a few decades later before I finally came full circle and re-discovered how much I’d missed writing. I regularly kick myself over the time I’ve ‘wasted’, but then remind myself that life-experience also counts for something!
Do you plan out your book with outlines and notecards? Or just write?
When I first sat down to write ‘something’, I had no idea where to take it or how. So I just wrote what fluttered into my head. This seemed to loosen up the ideas and before I knew what or why, the imagination was racing. That’s when the notebooks came out. I had too many ideas and not enough time to use them – so in that moment, I knew I’d be writing a series. These days, I’ll try to plan roughly what should go into each book but it’s no exact science. My plots constantly develop and sprout side-branches – planning is great for staying on track, but sometimes my plans can alter in a blink. If I’m not sure where to go next, I’ll just sit down and let my thoughts roll out. It may not be what ends up in the next chapter, but writing help me focus and then I plan. It’s kind of a reverse of normal procedures, I suppose.
Describe your perfect evening.
An evening out with friends, laughter, good food and drinks – oh, and also knowing that there’ll be no need for me to get out of bed the following morning, lol.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere. I tend to look the world from a spectator’s point of view sometimes and I like to turn things on their head and imagine ‘what if’. Landscape, art, weather, names, TV, languages, dreams, words, history… and so much more – it all adds to my ideas. For example, I once saw a documentary about Angkor Wat and the reservoirs (baray), and next I had a brand new, made-up name for a dangerous magic condition that is pivotal to my story. It was inspired because I’d already decided that part of this ‘condition’ would mean that the unlucky person was considered cursed with a ‘reservoir’ of magic within them. I altered the spelling and played about with the word (which became Neidar Ba’raie) – but it was like a sweet moment of coincidence.
What do you do when you get a writer's block?
Write. Or procrastinate.
Social media is a menace to the wanna-do-more-writing hardworking author! I fortunately tend to not get writers block, but I do get this burnt out feeling when I get down or when I’ve worked like a demon to finish a project. I lose all love for the book as the editing process takes over, and yet it’s a necessary evil. Incidentally, oddly I do find editing a great way to still work on a WIP even if I’m out of ideas on how to proceed with the main story.
Who is your favorite author?
I admire too many to mention, but my style is largely inspired by fantasy authors such as, Steven Erikson, Robin Hobb, Janny Wurts & Patrick Rothfuss. I also love authors of other genres like, Elizabeth Chadwick, S. J. Parris, Deborah Harkness & Bernard Cornwell.
Best book you ever read.
I genuinely haven’t got one. I’m not in favor of picking just one when I’ve been blown to other places and been on so many great adventures, courtesy of a wealth of authors. If I was to pick an author who has yet to disappoint me, however, I’d go with Robin Hobb or Wilbur Smith.
Last book you read.
I just read a great fantasy book by another indie author. It’s called Reecah’s Flight and is written by Richard H. Stephens. The cover is not great (neither is my own, so I can say that, lol) but I have learnt not to be biased (warning – indie books are usually great but ‘us guys’ don’t have a lot of money to throw away, so it results in less than ideal covers on occasion). I would have missed out on a great many fantastic reads over the last year if I’d not given them a chance.
What would you do for a living if you weren’t a writer?
I always loved horses and would have liked to work with something equine related, but other than that I actually don’t know. I’d never figured that one out before I started writing and I doubt I will now. I guess writing is what I’d want to do if I wasn’t a writer.
Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?
I don’t have one single person to bestow that honor upon – it’s been more of a series of people on my journey through life. At any stage I feel I have met certain people who were able to inspire, influence and guide me – it’s a never-ending process. If we are talking impact, however, I’d definitely have to mention our two children. As for the people who currently influence me, I’d have to mention my fellow authors, from whom I learn lots and with whom I share many thoughts and feelings about authorhood that my family and friends just don’t really understand.
If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?
Da Vinci is an intriguing character and it would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall of his workshop – but really, how about Cleopatra or the hominids who left us the footprints in Olduvai Gorge 3.7 mill years ago? I’d love to know the truths of the world they lived in as they saw it. Who were they really, what were their dreams, hopes, aspirations?
What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?
First, don’t dream – do! Secondly, if you have a real zest to go all the way, I’d recommend doing a couple of ‘how to’ college courses in writing. You needn’t aim for a big and bold diploma but having someone teach you the basics will shave years off the learning process. Also, believe in yourself but stay grounded and prepare to grow a thick skin. When you put work out there, people will criticize. Whether personal or not, you have to learn to appreciate that you cannot please everyone – and that this is just fine. Oh and also, if you have one: don’t give up your day job, lol – out of everyone within the publishing industry, I fear the authors are actually the least ‘appreciated’ when it comes to getting paid for their hard work. People want things for free or at discount – and there’s hefty competition; it doesn’t place the author in a favorable position. Prepare to hunker down and never give up! J
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