My experiences and the people I come in contact with figure
heavily in my books … as influences but not copied. There is a saying among
authors, “Why waste an experience when you can put it into a book?” Often I
will extrapolate from my experiences … particularly the emotion … when my
character experiences a plot event. I don’t believe we need to be verbatim.
These parts of ourselves will often flow subconsciously into our works.
What is the quirkiest
thing you have ever done?
This is a difficult questions … to pick one particular episode
in my quirky life is hard. I’ve always been a little bit odd, to be honest. I
don’t follow rules very well, and I have had to struggle my whole life to
conform when conformity was required. I am rebellious by nature. When I was in
grade school, I spent a lot of time in detention for being late … I’d daydream.
To me, the system seemed bent on quelling my nature to think outside the box. When
I became an adult, the system tried even harder to purge me of independent
thought. God in His wisdom, knew one day, He’d call me to be a writer. And so He
preserved that special nature … even though I struggled against him. Many years
later, I see His hand in my pruning, so that my creativity could bloom to His
glory, not my own.
I’m with you on that.
When did you first discover that you were a writer?
Like most writers, the instinct has been with me since I
could hold a pencil. I think I became aware of this desire to be a storyteller
in early elementary school. How I loved making stories up. Sometimes, my
teacher would have me read my stories to other classrooms, and I have always
had an interest in the written word. I put aside my dream to raise a family
until one day God called me to step into the journey He had planned for me so
many years ago.
Tell us the range of
the kinds of books you enjoy reading.
I am not a genre writer, nor am I a genre reader. I enjoy
reading all kinds of books … that are well written. I like to be challenged
intellectually and loved books by C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity and The
Screwtape Letters, among my favorites. I love flights of fantasy and
enjoyed Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
I enjoy books by Jodi Picoult, recently reading A Change of Heart. Another favorite author is Sue Monk Kidd. I like
stories that stir the heartstrings, such as The
Lovely Bones. Of course, as an
editor and author, I am tuned in to craft. For enjoyment, I do not want to be
jarred by poorly crafted books.
How do you keep your
sanity in our run, run, run world?
When I was younger, I let deadlines and other peoples
expectations hold me captive to the point of impairing my creative spirit. In
the human services realm, there were three types of priorities: urgent, more
urgent, and most urgent. I learned I could never satisfy the demands for my
attention. I had to choose. Accepting this truth, helps me choose more wisely
and to be less anxious. In my senior years, I realize I have to take frequent
breaks from my work. I take walks, do the Wii, or simply rest and watch
television. Most importantly, prayer is my constant resource. I depend on the
Lord to order my steps.
How do you choose
your characters’ names?
Choosing a name has many variables. Sometimes, I choose a
name simply because I like the name. Sometimes, I choose the name based on
another character’s name, especially in romance. Sometimes, a character’s name
is symbolic. Sometimes, I may choose a name that was popular in the year my
character would have been born. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong name,
per se. However, where would Gone With
The Wind be without Scarlett O’Hara?
What is the
accomplishment that you are most proud of?
As to my writing career, I think my soon to be published
nonfiction book is the one I hold dearest … a project five or more years in the
making. I took a year to make notes, then over the years, I wrote snippets. I
have finally taken all this hodgepodge of research and have crafted a
contracted work … Who Put the Vinegar in
the Salt. God has prodded me and kept me going on this project. In my
heart, I wanted to write something to remind believers how precious they were
in God’s sight … salt. We were not saved to be like the vinegar in the world.
God has a higher, more precious standard for us.
If you were an
animal, which one would you be, and why?
I think perhaps a giraffe. According to scientist, the
giraffe defies logic, and there is no way the animal should be able to survive.
Its neck is too long to support its body, and its cardiovascular and digestive
systems should not function according to the giraffe’s physiology. I admire a species
that defies the odds.
What is your favorite
food?
Chocolate anything, except if it contains coconut. My idea
of a perfect meal, however, is chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes and
gravy, and broccoli, with chocolate cake for dessert. This is what I always
asked for my birthday dinner when I was growing up.
What is the problem
with writing that was your greatest roadblock, and how did you overcome it?
I don’t think I’ve ever overcome the feeling of failure. I’m
a literary writer and consequently, I don’t sell a lot of books. I’m a horrible
marketer and don’t have the resources to hire help. I’m fortunate to have a
publisher who continues to believe in me even though my sales are less than
stellar. I cope with these feelings by remembering who is in control. I
surrender my craft to God’s sovereignty, and do my best at promotion despite my
limitations. He reminds me there are pastors of huge churches and pastors of
small congregations. He has placed me within the small for His purposes. I don’t
need to understand, I just need to trust. I keep writing because God commands
me to keep going. He pushes the self-doubts out of my head in order for me to
continue.
Tell us about the
featured book.
I wanted to write a book dedicated to the preservation of
marriage. I’ve seen too many fall apart because either one or both of the union
gave up wanting to preserve the marriage. In Second Helpings, Jocelyn
Johnson, a radio show host, has decided to begin an extramarital affair.
However, her children’s needs have interfered with those plans. She meets an
older Christian woman who she is drawn to and invites her to dinner, one that
is sure to be the epitome of chaotic. The whole story occurs in first person
present over the course of Jocelynn’s 45th birthday.
Please give us the
first page of the book.
“Happy Birthday,” my husband says, donned for peak
efficiency in his dark brown sport coat, yellow oxford shirt, and paisley tie …
not rich-looking enough to upset his clients but sufficiently stylish to
impress the blue-collar working man. He hands me my morning coffee.
For twenty-two years, Larsen has handed me my coffee,
complete with his poster-boy calendar grin, too preppy for Abercrombie and
Fitch but perfect for The Businessman’s Fashion Model of the Year. His smile rarely
changes, much like the man himself. He even has the same haircut as the day we
met at Bridget Tooley’s wedding. I suppose any man looks like a movie star in a
rented tuxedo.
Larsen hands me the card Jordan made yesterday since his
bedtime came before my party last night. Jordan is our afterthought. Larsen didn’t
want any more than four children. After Link was born, Larsen set up a
long-term financial plan to make certain each child had sufficient higher-education
funds. When Jordan came along, all our carefully crafted ambitions went haywire,
including my run for a doctorate, the one area I’d hoped would put me on an
equal footing with Larsen.
I glance at Jordan ’s
handiwork. The card features a drawing of a silver police badge with a
three-inch “45” printed in bold red. I trace over the numbers in Jordan ’s
typical backward scrawl. That much he had done himself. For the badge portion
of the drawing, he most likely had been helped by his older brother, Link. I
recognize the graphic artistry of my second oldest son.
Only three, well almost four, Jordan can write most of the
alphabet. And, of course, Larsen takes the credit for Jordan ’s precociousness, reminding
all his doctor friends that Miriam Foster’s three-year-old can barely count.
How can readers find
you on the Internet?
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Linda-Wood-Rondeau/e/B006FNG1BI?
All Author: https://allauthor.com/author/lindawoodrondeau/
Website: www.lindarondeau.com
Elk Lake Publishing House Inc: https://www.elklakepublishinginc.com/linda-wood-rondeau/
Facebook Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/lindawoodrondeau/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lwrondeau
Pinteresthttps://twitter.com/lwrondeau
Thank you, Linda, for
sharing this new book with my blog readers and me. I’m eager to read it.
Readers, here are links to the book.
Second Helpings: A Humorous Contemporary Novel - PaperbackSecond Helpings: A Humorous Contemporary Novel - Kindle
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book.
You must follow these instructions to be in the drawing. Please tell us
where you live, at least the state or territory or country if outside North America . (Comments containing links may be subject
to removal by blog owner.)
Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the
number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of
eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any
pertaining local/federal/international laws.
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on
this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You
will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
If you’re reading this on Goodreads, Feedblitz, Facebook,
Twitter, Linkedin, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment
if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link:
Thanks for the interview! I look forward to any questions from the reader.
ReplyDeleteWhat advice would you give a newlywed?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. Sounds like a great read. Blessings from WV.
ReplyDeleteLucy,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by.
Sounds good FL
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book and Linda, I would love to be at your birthday dinner. The menu sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteConnie from Kentucky
cps1950(at)Gmail(dot)com
Thanks for stoppingby.
ReplyDeleteEnter me in your awesome giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteConway SC.