That’s because Lynn rocks and
she is incredibly generous with
her time. So let’s get to it.
Lynn is the author of several
fine tracts, including her
standalones
Heartsong and One-Love.
She’s also the author of the
Kate and Jay series, including
titles The
Price of Fame, The Cost of
Commitment, and the Value of
Valor.
source for all three: lynnames.com
And soon, Lynn’s latest book,
the WWII tale Eyes on the
Stars, is due out in
October.
source: Phoenix Rising Press
Lynn is an award-winning former broadcast journalist, a former press secretary to the New York state senate minority leader, former public information officer for the nation’s third largest prison system, and a former editor of a national art magazine. She’s also a nationally recognized speaker and a CEO of a public relations firm with a particular expertise in image, crisis communications planning, and crisis management. And if you thought that didn’t keep her busy enough, Lynn is also the founder of Phoenix Rising Press. Good gracious. I’m having a Wayne’s World moment. . .”I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!”
So apparently, Lynn doesn’t sleep and that’s why she was able to join us at Women and Words. Nevertheless, I’m extremely pleased and honored that she agreed to have a chat with me and spend some time with all of us here at Women and Words. So without further ado, let’s get this party started!
ANDI: Hi, Lynn. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us here at Women and Words. Much appreciated. You have quite a background across an array of fields. What brought you first, to writing novels and second, to writing in the genre that you do?
LYNN: Thanks for having me. Actually, I wrote my first novel when I was ten years old, so that desire has been there as long as I can remember. In terms of writing lesbian fiction—in early 2003, I showed two friends the first chapter of a mainstream novel I had begun writing in 1991. They pestered me for six months before I finally acquiesced and turned my nascent mainstream novel into a lesbian action/adventure/romance that you might recognize as the Kate and Jay trilogy.
ANDI: Very cool. So along those lines, and because I’m just godawful nosy, I’m always interested in how artists (whatever medium) find that initial inspiration that sets them down their art paths. Was there a particular book or author you read that inspired your work? Or perhaps it wasn’t something literary and instead, was something in a different art medium. Care to share?
LYNN: As a young child and teenager, I loved getting lost in books, movies, and plays. The stories, the characters, and the settings…they afforded me another world into which I could disappear. I was so young at the time I decided I wanted to be a novelist (eight years old), I can’t really remember what the impetus was; I only knew that writing books was what I wanted to do.
ANDI: So how about now? What things inspire you now to write the stories you do? This is about author process, because I’m always interested (and, yes, curious and nosy) in how different authors approach the work they do. Is there something in particular you do or read or think about that helps you write?
LYNN: Gosh, there are so many things that inspire me, and different types of things spark the flame depending on the subgenre. For instance, in terms of writing thrillers, my inspiration often comes from a news item or some world/political event (and, often, it’s a somewhat obscure item). I’ll read something or see something and think, “What if…” What if that wasn’t really what happened, what if this happened instead? In terms of romances, those seem to spring organically from my being. I can’t really explain it. I just hope it never deserts me.
ANDI: A little bit more about your process. Do you keep a schedule for writing? And do you have a particular space in which you do it? A lot of authors listen to music as they write. Are you one of those? Outline or no outline? How do you organize a project?
LYNN: Schedule: I don’t keep a schedule for writing, but I’ve come to understand my rhythms over time. For instance, I know that if I make myself sit down in the morning to write, I’ll be wasting my time and frustrating myself. My feeling is that if I’m not inspired to write it, why would the reader be inspired to read it? So I only write when I’m feeling so moved or if I think I can cajole myself into being moved once I get going. My peak hours of creativity start anywhere around one o’clock in the afternoon onward and last until I reach a natural stopping point. Ironically (and fortunately), I become more creative and productive the closer I get to the editorial deadline.
Writing Space: If I am writing at home, I’m either sitting at my desk in my office or sitting in a big, comfy chair in my family room. In either case, the television is probably on and tuned to some sporting event with the sound off. I can’t write to anything but sports or I get sucked in. LOL. At least twice a week, I write at one of a couple of favorite haunts, just to have a change of scenery. I sit at the bar and write while the bartender keeps the Diet Coke coming and feeds me a honey balsamic salad with grilled chicken or some Yaki tacos. Yum. For some reason, I write really well in these environments, despite the fact that the music is loud and there are multiple ball games on multiple screens. Go figure.
Outline or no outline and organization: No outline. Ever. Generally, I know three or four main things that are going to happen in the book. Everything else is as much a surprise to me as it is to the reader. I like it that way, since if I haven’t figured out the twists until they happen, neither can the reader. Plot points and bits of character come to me at odd times, like when I’m driving, in which case I call someone and say, “Quick, write this down before I forget it!” Why? Because if I don’t jot it down when it occurs to me, I really will forget what I was thinking. If I’m writing a book, I’m constantly developing it in my mind. I’m a VERY linear writer, so I start at the very beginning and write until THE END. If I get stuck somewhere, I’m stuck until I solve it.
ANDI: I know how that is, writing in a crowded environment like that. I think I’m able to do it because it has to do with focus, y’know? I have to really focus to block out an environment like that, so yeah, I’m able to focus on writing and tune it all out. All right, so suppose someone is not familiar with your work, but she tells you she enjoys reading the genre that you write and she can only afford one book that particular day. Which one do you suggest she buy to get a taste of your work?
LYNN: Oy. This is like asking if you have a favorite child out of the seven to whom you’ve given birth.
ANDI: Okay, so how about this: “Hi, Lynn. Wow, I have to catch a plane to Taiwan tomorrow. Can I grab one of your books for the ride?” Or “Hi, Lynn. What’s the deal with your books? Which one should I start with?”
LYNN: Because I write in several different genres, the answer varies. I also try to assess the enquiring individual so that I can tailor my suggestion to her. If she likes thrillers, I automatically point her to The Value of Valor. If romance is more her style, I’ll suggest Heartsong, or now Eyes on the Stars.
ANDI: And speaking of that (good segue, Lynn!)–you’re about to release Eyes on the Stars, which is a historical romance/fiction. That’s a bit different than your other work. How did you come to write this book, and how was the process different?
LYNN: I always write what’s in my heart at any given moment, and my heart can be fickle , as is evidenced by my body of work—Action/Adventure Romance, Thriller, Traditional Contemporary Romance, and now Historical Romance. I hope that if I’m passionate about whatever I’m writing, readers will be passionate about it too. So I’m hard to stick neatly in a single category. Eyes on the Stars was the product of a night of insomnia. LOL. It was one o’clock in the morning and I was wide-awake, so I thought I’d catch up on my DVR list. I watched an episode of Cold Case in which some construction workers drained a lake and unearthed a World War II-vintage airplane with the female pilot still inside. It was the first I’d ever heard of the WASPs—Women Airforce Service Pilots—and I was intrigued. So I did some research to discover more about these unsung heroes. These were extraordinary women! I surmised that, out of a group of 1,074 fearless women, there had to be at least a few lesbians. That led me to wonder what it would’ve been like to be two women in love in that era. The rest, as they say, is history.
Although I didn’t approach this project any differently than the others, it was much more research-intensive. The actual history was easy enough to piece together, but the social aspects of the time were far more challenging. Plus, the book spans seventy years, so it was important to me to get the speech patterns, the ambiance, the style of dress, etc., right. It was a lot of work!
ANDI: I love that you wrote this book about the WASP. I’m a historian (as some folks know) and one of my secret buff history things is World War II history and the history of women in aviation. I am totally stoked!
Okay. Readers often enjoy knowing a little bit more about the authors they read. I know, from comments you’ve made and via your website that you have dogs in your life. A dog shares my life, as well, and she’s often the reason I’m able to get through rough patches. Have you always had dogs in your life? Do other animal companions share your household, as well?
LYNN: I got my first dog when I was eight, and I’ve had dogs ever since. I love all animals, but I’m deathly allergic to cats, and my house isn’t big enough for a horse, so for now it’s just me and my golden retriever, Parker, who is such a light and a joy.
ANDI: Dogs rock. Animals rock. Now tell us something about yourself that no one would ever suspect. Unless you’d have to kill us, that is. In which case, don’t tell us. But anyway, for example, a lot of people don’t know that I play piano and drums (they do now, obviously). And I recently discovered that author Ellen Hart was a chef. Care to share something like that about yourself? (please don’t kill us)
LYNN: Hmm…what to tell you that won’t require killing you afterward… Okay, since the U.S. Open tennis tournament starts this week, this is appropriate: I’ve played competitive tennis against two U.S. Open Women’s Singles Champions. They are both members of the Tennis Hall of Fame. Want to guess which ones? Give up? As a young teenager, I played against Tracy Austin. I was ranked as a junior at the time. That was before injuries derailed my future professional tennis career. But then, if I’d gone pro, I probably wouldn’t be writing novels now, and I never would have met all of you. Everything happens for a reason. I also played against Billie Jean King in an exhibition mixed doubles match to promote World Team Tennis. My partner that day thought he could ace her. Pffft.
ANDI: OMG. THAT IS SO COOL! Wow! Y’all, how about THAT for cool secrets that we don’t have to die for? Lynn, that is truly cool. Truly. Thanks! Whew. Must calm down after that coolness. Whew. Okay. I often watch tennis when it’s on, and I’ve always wanted to check out the grass courts at Wimbledon. I mean, seriously. What the heck do they use to cut that grass? Nail clippers? Anyway, I love to travel, and I think that plays into my obsession with settings when I write. I also have certain places that I return to because I love them. Do you have favorite places and could you tell us about one or two of those?
LYNN: I do have favorite places. Like you, I love to travel and explore. I loved West Africa for what the people there taught me about life. I loved New Zealand for its sheer beauty. I loved St. John for its beaches. I love Sedona, Arizona for its incredible energy and the breathtaking red rocks. I loved the Grand Tetons for their majesty…Want me to go on?
ANDI: Yes, please. But I know you have things to do, people to see, other places to go…what’s next on the writing horizon for you?
LYNN: Excellent question. I wish I knew. LOL. I’m planning to revisit some projects I set aside to write Eyes on the Stars. One is the screenplay for The Value of Valor, and another is a mainstream thriller featuring a strong female protagonist who is part of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team. Other than that, I’ll wait for the next inspiration to strike.
ANDI:
Screenplay. Yowza! That’s some
rockin’ stuff there. Next time I
talk to you, I want to know who
will play your characters.
All right, thanks a bunch for taking the time to chat with us, Lynn. Good luck to you in all your ventures and I hope to speak with you again. Cheers!
LYNN: Thanks for inviting me to chat, and thanks for the awesome, thought-provoking questions! Cheers.
Remember all, you can find Lynn at her website. And don’t forget to stop by Phoenix Rising Press.