Interview Linda M. Orlando

by

Nancy Arant Williams

Today, I have the privilege of interviewing Linda M. Orlando, whose book, Island Boy, is now available through Wings ePress.

1.                  Tell us, Linda, how long you’ve been writing, and what inspired you to choose the Young Adult arena?

I have been writing most of my life. I still have the very first complete story I ever wrote, which was written just for fun when I was in fifth grade. I have written a lot of romance, especially romantic suspense. In Island Boy, my main character, Dannie is struggling to build a relationship with his stepfather, and also is caught up in a web of mystery on the island that has just become his home. There is also a budding relationship between Dannie and one of the girls from the island, the no-nonsense Emily Rogers.

I have always read a lot, and as a teenager these were the types of stories I enjoyed. However, it always seemed like the main character was the girl. So I decided to do it a little differently, blending the romance that teenage girls enjoy with the mystery and suspense that might attract boys to the book.

2.                  What would you like to share with us that will help us get to know Linda M. Orlando as a person?

My favorite song is Sarah Evans’ “I Keep Looking”. I tell people that is my theme song.

3.               What is your favorite part of the writing process?

My favorite part of the writing process is telling the story/getting it down on paper for the first time. Once that is done, I’m ready to move on to the next project, the next story. But of course, there is still the drudgery of editing that needs to be taken care of.

4.                   Who was the inspiration for the young boy in your story, Island Boy, if there was one?

I based Dannie on my own teenage son, who many times demonstrated the same attitude and self-centered approach to life. I think maybe it’s a stage we all go through on the way to finding ourselves.

5.                  What are the characteristics of an unforgettable character from your point of view?

An unforgettable character is one who draws you into his or her world, makes you care what happens, makes you feel like he or she is almost real. They are flawed, make mistakes, and struggle with the right choices. Many of the books I have read more than once contain unforgettable, life-like characters.

6.                  Do you have a favorite character in your book?

It’s hard to choose just one character to call the favorite. I guess I like Frank Henry the most. He is kind, good-hearted, and it is through his sometimes rambling stories that Dannie gets to see his stepfather as a real person. My own grandfather was a lot like Frank, telling stories that taught lessons--and you didn’t even realize you were learning something.

7.                  How many hours a day do you spend writing?

I know all of the advice columns say that writers should write every day. I just don’t seem to get around to it. That doesn’t mean I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my story. I create the characters in my head, beginning my story that way. Then I write in bursts, usually twenty-five to fifty pages at a time.

8.                  Do you have a ‘day job’ as we writers so fondly describe it?

I have more than one ‘day job’. I am a Certified Public Accountant. I don’t work with a firm, instead choosing to take temporary ‘project’ assignments. I also teach at a local college. My schedule changes every eight weeks, allowing me a lot of flexibility. However, at the times I wrote my two published novels, I was working full time as a Finance Director for a non-profit agency, and teaching on the side. I’m not sure how I managed to complete my books, but it seems the more I have to do, the more I get done.

9.                  Do you use an outline to write or are you a ‘seat of the pants’ writer?

When I begin a story, I have an initial outline, but I allow the story and characters to develop as the book progresses. The finished product is usually quite different from what I originally thought it would be.

10.              Describe your writing space for us. What kind of favorite things do you surround yourself with?

I get a lot of writing done during Sunday drives to visit my mother, which is like a sixty-mile drive. My husband drives, while I write pages and pages of text. I even have an auto power supply so I can bring my laptop in the truck instead of having to write using paper and pencil. (PS. My truck of one of my favorite places anyway.) In my home office, I have a recliner and shelves full of books. I can either sit in my recliner, or at my desk and type on my computer.