Today I talk to romance author, Linda Nielsen about how she writes her characters in this complex genre.
Linda Nielsen worked as a model in Chicago, founded California Contemporaries in Monterey, and served as a military representative with the Monterey Peninsula before writing her first book. Her unique position allowed her to get to know and learn from a variety of individuals who would later influence her characters. She is now retired and lives on the top of a mountain in the Sierra Foothills with her husband and seven furry critters.

Tell  us about yourself.

I worked in Chicago as a model and appeared in television commercials early in my life. Later, I felt the call of the West coast and moved to Monterey, California where I founded California Contemporaries, a temporary employment agency. I met the man of my dreams in Carmel and, when we retired, we moved to the Sierra Foothills,high above the old gold mining town of Sonora. Here we share our home with seven furry  critters.

We enjoy watching an array of prettily colored birds, as well as a family of squirrels and keep our distance from the occasional possum and a couple of skunks. The bob cat and the bear are rarely seen and the deer eye my flowers from the other side of the fence where we keep a large bucket of water for them. I enjoy my gardens and a bubbling fountain, a wrought iron picnic table and sweeping mountain vistas.

How long did it take to write “Because I’m Worth It?”
Hard to believe this started life as an inspiration story with angels trying to guide the families to do what was right but when I showed it to another author and a college professor, their opinion was about the same. “Huh? So, you’re going to do this again?”

My first book, Lasso The Stars, was published in 2012 under L. L. Nielsen. When I started Because I’m Worth It, and it had angels, even though they were humorous angels, it was suggested that I take them out and put in something that would turn heads, not hearts. So, I removed the angels, tinkered with the characters and set them loose to interact with each other and see how they’d behave.

Naturally, the first draft of the story was revised many times as more consideration was given to continuity, plot, characters and locations.

Where did the idea come from?
Bits and pieces would surface every so often about a baby left on a door step and I decided to take a few notes and see what would happen. Having no idea where it would go, I let it simmer for a while until a grandmother appeared and then a son and an irate bride-to- be. Things started to pop and I realized I had something going on. It wasn’t a very scientific approach but it all fell into place.

What’s the biggest lesson you learned while writing this book?
I learned the safety net of a story board to keep track of the plot and the characters. I put it on a wall in the laundry room where no one would bother it because, if someone was in the laundry room, there was always something to do . . . clothes needed to be separated, put in the washer, put in the dryer and folded so, overall, people stayed clear of that room and my story board was undisturbed.

Bullet points kept me focused and stick-em notes helped me navigate the ideas. I kept a separate sheet for each character where I noted their physical traits, favorite expressions and personality peculiarities and I referred to it often. And, oh yes, always put in chapters prior to final edit! I actually did an entire post on this subject.

What advice would you give to other authors in the romantic suspense genre?
Show, don’t tell. I think readers like to feel emotion so select what feelings you want to bring out and really think about it. Then write. If the emotion changes as you get into your work, you’ve made a discovery and need to explore it. Don’t be shy about changing your thoughts.

Which is your favorite character in the book?
It varies. Today it’s Terri Sue Ellen because she’s so nasty and ill informed. She has no idea people laugh at her. Writing her character was loads of fun . . . even after putting boundaries on her personality, she still packed a wallop. I think that if an angel was involved Terri Sue Ellen could have been helped, but I’m not sure.

How does the place, the south meets west concept come about?
They’re conceived to be so different that it was easy to insert contrast and conflict as both are needed in a story to grab and hold interest. Plus I know the Big Sur area and I lived close to Chicago when I was younger and have several friends in southern states and we visit often. They were very, very helpful in creating the mother-daughter team in Because I’m Worth It.

When I got into the southern characters, I remembered being ten years old and having a girlfriend from the South come up North to visit her aunt and uncle. This southern Miss was delightful, soft spoken, sweet and manipulative. We were the same age but she could do anything without ever lifting a finger because everyone did it for her.

She remained neat and tidy while the rest of us were generally dirty at the end of the day She was my idol but I could never quite grasp how she accomplished so much by doing so little. She told me she learned how from her mother, who learned from her grandmother, and it was a family secret. But sometimes, if I gave her something, like the rest of my allowance, she’d give me a hint. For instance, for $2.15 I got, “Don’t be talkin’ so loud, quit your movin’ so fast and, Linda, wash your hands, there all sticky.”

I think it’s important to be familiar with the places and people you write about, then exaggerate, tell a story, have fun, remember it’s fiction, it’s entertainment and if you’re having a good time, the chances are your readers will, too.

Who are your own go to authors that you read in this genre and why?
I have several but Nora Robinson, Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt come to mind. They all have characters that are well developed and drive the story forward. They have a flow to their words that makes reading a joy.
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, not in this genre, but brilliant writers, as well as James Patterson and Tom Clancy. I should also mention a most favorite author of mine, Mark Twain, who offered a tip for writers. It remains close to my story board.

“Anyone can have ideas but the difficulty is to express them
without squandering a lot of paper on an idea that ought to be reduced to one glittering
paragraph.”

BECAUSE I’M WORTH IT is now available in print and eformat. You can find out more about Linda here or email her at: authorllnielsen@yahoo.com

Linda is giving away 3 copies of her book as a giveaway on my website. You can enter the giveaway here and get all your friends to sign up for this giveaway! Check out last month’s giveaway winners here.
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