Thank you for joining us for part three of our author interview with Linda Paulson Adams. If you’d like to read part one or two, click on these links.
Linda, we’ve been discussing your End Times novels. I wonder, do you have other novels planned for the future?
Yes, a few. I have both a fantasy novel and a mainstream women’s fiction manuscript on my back burner. I’ll always be writing something. But as a storyteller, I’m interested in exploring all the various mediums–short stories, novels, plays, songs, film. I expect my work to evolve over time, both in content and form, especially as my children grow up and my day-to-day responsibilities change.
You are a poet and artist as well as a novelist. Can you tell us more about that?
Yes. I can tell you that, unless you’re very lucky, if you’re born with a creative mind, you’d better have something to fall back on! There is so much more legwork, self-promotion, PR, and sheer luck that goes into the business end of this career than I realized when I first started. It can yank the creativity right out of you. It’s hard to shift focus away from your work to consider marketing, advertising, target audiences, and so forth. But if you don’t do it, you’ll drown. I believe that’s true for anyone in a creative field today, from acting to painting to pottery.
All right, that’s not quite the answer to your question, is it?
Here you go. Until I wrote “Prodigal Journey,” the longest thing I’d ever written was a short story–5,000 words, max. I didn’t know I could write anything this long. Even my poetry is short. If you follow the Poem of the Week on my website, you’ll know that.
I’ve had a number of poems and short stories published in various journals, the first in 1999. But it’s a labor of love. The pay is infinitesimally small–usually it’s only a copy of the journal in which the poem appears. I love poetry, and I wish it wasn’t a dying art. But that’s the way it is. If a poet is all you are, you may as well plan to starve now.
I’ve published a handful of my illustrations and line drawings, too, but I hesitate to label myself a visual artist. That’s one of those areas where my desire far outweighs any God-given talent.
Songwriting is a different story, though. That’s been a semi-secret first love ever since my early teens, when I would sit at the piano and create melodies and lyrics. I struggle to get what my fingers play on the keyboard translated into fully arranged sheet music. So until recently, I haven’t done much with it besides entertain myself. But the beauty of lead sheets (chords with melody lines) is that I don’t need a complete score to go to a studio and record my songs. I plan to do a little of that in the future, as well. Hey, if Kirby Heyborne can cross over into music, why not? I could out-sing him on American Idol any day of the week. (–Just teasing, Kirby. You know our whole family loves you!)
But don’t panic! Volume three is at the top of the priority list. If I did anything else first, my fans might riot.
Being one of your fans, I happen to know that you have quite a fan base, don’t you?
I do. I’m very blessed that way. Readers fall in love with Alyssa. I have fans who have stuck with me through all the publishing setbacks, even though it’s taken years longer to complete than I ever expected.
Last year, I put an online forum on my website, for my fans to talk to each other and talk about the books. I have a couple of weekly, easy-to-play word games out there where winners can earn a free book. It’s fun. I love hearing from my fans, and I always try to write a personal note back.
We’ll continue our talk with author Linda Paulson Adams on Monday. Sorry to make you wait all weekend, but there you have it. In the meantime, check out her website.
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