It was worth negotiating the perilous, narrow streets of York, in my oversized car, to meet with lovely Lynda Stacey. At the Merchant Taylors’ Hall, Lynda greeted me with a warm smile. When I mentioned Books in my Handbag, she beamed at me. We stood next to the glowing warm fire to chat about Lynda’s new novel. Lynda has a special place in my heart, as she is one of the very first authors to present a book in a handbag at the beginning of my journey.
Jessie: What a pleasure to finally meet with you, Lynda. Your dress looks stunning. Thanks so much for inviting me, a humble blogger and indie author, to the RNA Tea.
Lynda: Jessie you’re so very welcome, and I hope you’ll feel at home. We started this event three years ago to ensure there was an RNA event in the North. I really wanted to create a friendly, informal event where everyone could get together, catch up and have some lovely food. Before we begin, here’s a glass of wine. I’d like to raise a toast to my lovely readers.
Jessie: A little tweet tells me you just released your new novel, Fake Date. It’s a dramatic title. What’s the novel about?
Lynda: Ella finds herself beaten and broken, yet somehow, she finds the strength to survive. Determined to put the past behind her, she vows to find the person responsible for hurting her, no matter how difficult that might be, but during the novel she meets Will Taylor, an editor for a rival newspaper. He’s moved into the house next door and Ella finds herself becoming more and more attached to her cheeky neighbour, while all the time searching for the person who attacked her.
Jessie: It sounds like a gripping and powerful novel. Your books are grip lit and seem to be love with a gritty edge. Why do you write in this genre?
Lynda : I love the gritty side of things. I really don’t think that everyone has a straight forward, lovely life and I’m positive that there’s always someone out there trying to ruin your day…. And okay, I don’t think most people live with serial killers, or people who are trying to murder them, but I do think it happens and I do think it gives the book the gritty edge that I love.
Jessie: How have the reviewers responded to your latest book?
Lynda: I have been absolutely blown away with the reviews. Anne has just stopped me to tell me she liked the book, I could seriously bounce around the room with happiness. Reviews like this mean so much to me – she is such a well-respected blogger and her opinion means such a lot.
‘I’ve read and enjoyed all the books Lynda Stacey has written, but this really is the one I’ve been waiting for – the one I always believed she could write.’
Welsh Annie
‘This is a great psychological thriller and one where I thought I knew what was going on and then the plot thickens, and I started doubting myself! I would thoroughly recommend this book as it certainly keeps you on your toes from start to finish!’ Boons Book Case
‘From the start to the end I was gripped, in fact I couldn’t put the book down and read it in a day.’ Mrs C Isle
Jessie: What great reviews, Lynda. Now, I’m intrigued. Can you read me an extract?
Lynda:
Nine hours and eleven minutes …
That’s how long it’s been since Ella Hope was beaten and left for dead. She lies, unable to move and praying for somebody to find her, as she counts down the minutes and wonders who could have hated her so much to have hurt her so badly.
Jessie: How did you feel when you had finished writing your book, and did you miss any of the characters?
I always go through a roller-coaster of emotions. I’m relieved that I finally got to the end, and albeit they’ll always be with me, I get a little disappointed that my characters won’t be a part of my daily life anymore.
Jessie: I know exactly what you mean. I missed my characters, but they’ve started to hassle me with other tales. I’m ignoring them for now. Who would you like to read your book and why? This could be another author, someone famous, a friend or a member of your family.
Lynda: I’d love for my mum to read my books. We lost her quite several years ago, but I’m just certain that she’d have been my biggest fan.
Jessie: It’s such a shame your mum didn’t get to enjoy your books. Did she know you intended to write them, and what do you think she’d say about your books?
Lynda: She’d always been aware that becoming an author was a dream for me. She was the one that had to sit and listen to the sound of my typewriter tapping away for hours and hours and now that I am published, she’d most probably drive everyone nuts by continually talking about the books.
Jessie: Why should I keep your book in my handbag?
Because it has a really pretty cover lol..! Besides, I’d like to think that you’d need to keep it close by, purely because you wanted to keep reading until it was finished.
Jessie: That’s a great response and you know how to tempt me with a book. What is the last sentence written in your writer’s notebook?
I don’t tend to keep a notebook. But if I did, it would probably say, ‘Go back to the beginning of the story and double check all your research’
Jessie: Have you started to write the next book? If yes, are there any words you can share with us. I won’t tell anyone.
Lynda: My next novel is based in my home town of Doncaster and has the backdrop of the famous Sand House. A house that had been carved out of sandstone in the late 1800’s. But it wasn’t the house that people were most interested in, it was the catacombs that were carved and led off from the house. The tunnels were vast and had the most intricate of carvings which are now ‘in reality’ lost forever. But being a Doncaster girl, I want to preserve their memory, bring them back… and allow the world to see The Elephant and his Mahout, the most famous of the carvings.
Jessie: What is the biggest challenge for an author?
Lynda: My biggest challenge is to make the next book better than the last. I’m always striving to do better, to get more 5 star reviews and to ensure that the reader takes a great journey.
Jessie: What is the best advice that you have received as a writer?
Lynda: To never give up writing. To keep going, even when times are tough and to believe in yourself. There are a lot of days when you could easily stop. But then, something happens, something lovely like an unexpected email from a reader, or just a lovely comment from another author. It’s on those days that you sit back, you smile, you take the advice, and you get to work.
Jessie: How do you feel about being an author?
I’ve always loved getting lost in a story, my childhood was spent in libraries. So, to find myself writing my own books and getting consumed by my own stories, is like a dream come true. I never, ever thought I’d be in a position to call myself an author and still look at, stroke and smell my books with a look of disbelief all over my face.
I received a warm welcome from Lynda and her modesty charmed me to download her novel. The invitation to the RNA York Tea made me fall in love with the Romantic Novelists Association. Like Lynda, the people I met were kind, generous and fun.
More about the Author:
Lynda grew up in the mining village of Bentley, Doncaster, in South Yorkshire. Her own chaotic life story, along with varied career choices helps Lynda to create stories of romantic suspense, with challenging and unpredictable plots, along with (as in all romances) very happy endings. She now lives in a small hamlet, near Doncaster with her hero at home husband, Haydn.
Lynda’s contact details:
Twitter: @Lyndastacey
Facebook: Lynda Stacey Author
Web: www.Lyndastacey.co.uk
Please see all my authors’ interviews at My Guests and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.
Alexa and Rosie are presented via a first person narrative, and this insight plays tricks with the reader’s mind – one questions whose ‘game’ is dominant. The contrasting characters are presented using animal imagery of the cat and the mouse. Careful choice of verbs indicates who is ‘ambushing’ the friendship.
Before reaching the crisis point, Alexa wears a mask of control like a cat waiting to pounce. Rosie, is forced to confront her vulnerability. She learns how ‘empathetic skills’ are viewed as weakness by some, if not ‘managed’. Rosie’s language flows, driven by emotions, and she explains:
The long sentence and outpouring of emotions amplify the sense of vulnerability. But the ‘sweet and sour’ characters begin to shift, as the dichotomy is not fixed. If one deconstructs the manipulator’s ‘game’ it is possible to fight back. However, Alexa becomes isolated, vulnerable and needs support. I was intrigued with the way that this story manipulated my emotions.
Leuschel cracks open the fragility of the human psyche in an artful manner, and clues about the characters’ vulnerabilities are woven into the text. This brutal, haunting story of the human psyche arms the reader with some survival tactics. Despite an uneasy feeling, one finds empathy for the manipulator. Perhaps, this novella will lead to a novel examining what shaped the manipulator’s behaviour, and what happens next.
