What was your most embarrassing moment?
At one of the first writing talks I ever gave for #SCBWI, I didn't realize until I got to the conference that I had two different white shoes on. I was panicked, afraid everyone would notice once I stood in front of the audience. So while listening to other speakers, I made a list of things I could do, including going barefoot, sneaking out during lunch to a nearby mall to buy new shoes, or just announcing it was "mismatched shoes" day and how come I was the only one cool enough to wear two different shoes? When it came time to speak, I admitted my error, then read off my list -- and everyone laughed. It turned into one my best talks ever.
What advice do you wish you could give to your younger self?
Not to be so insecure and needy when it came to relationships, also to take more time for education instead of jumping into marriage-work-life. But mostly I'd just tell myself to believe in myself and trust all my intuition, and that things that seemed impossible (like a happy marriage, great kids, living in the country, selling my writing) would come true.
What's one question you wish interviewers would ask?
Since SPIRITED is an anthology, it might be nice to share that I was 14 years old when I submitted my first short stories to a magazine. I didn't have any writing classes so my father, who was a little interested in writing himself, took a writing class at a local college. He came home with information on how to submit professionally and taught me about double spacing, salutations, etc. I never sold any of these stories but still have a very encouraging rejection letter which I have shown to kids when I speak at schools. The rejection made me feel like a real writer.
About the Story
Psychic Sabine Rose from THE SEER series has solved mysteries of tragic ghosts, toxic spirits and malevolent magicians. But now she’s faced with new challenges—convincing her boyfriend Dominic to take her to the prom and banishing an angry ghost from a castle. With the help of good friends and her spirit guide, Opal, she enters a creepy castle in search of answers—and the ghost of a killer.
About the Author
Linda Joy Singleton is the author of more than thirty-five books, including THE SEER series, DEAD GIRL trilogy, and BURIED: Goth Girl Mystery. Free short stories, a contest, book excerpts, and writing advice, can be found at her website. Click here for a story, The Dark Lifer's Revenge: A Short Story, by Linda Joy. It's free for a short time.*
And if you'd like to know a few more secrets about Linda Joy, read some early posts on the Spirited Facebook page and Leap Books blog. Anyone who posts a link to one of those secrets will be entered in a drawing for a free book. You may leave a comment or question for each author for an additional entry for a print copy of Spirited.
One winner will be drawn after all 13 blogs about the authors are posted. Enter as often as you'd like by linking to author secrets or leaving comments or questions.
* Click on the title for another free story, this one by Kitty Keswick, My Prom Date's a Vampire.
And for a limited time get the Spirited ebook
Regularly $8.99
On sale for $.99
Until April 8, 2012
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