Ask the Author: Linda Gillard
Answered Questions (3)
Linda Gillard
Hi Carol
Thanks for getting in touch. I was so pleased to hear you're enjoying my books. There are 8 now - I just published a new one, THE TRYSTING TREE.
Do you follow me on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/LindaGillard... There's a lot of information and background to my books on my author page.
CAULDSTANE was my fictional response to the ghastly experience of breast cancer in 2012. ("If you live in fear, you fear to live", right?) If you check out the CAULDSTANE page on my website you can read more about how I used writing that book as a way of processing my fear of cancer returning.
My novels are all different. You've read both my ghost stories. UNTYING THE KNOT is a family story with a lot of comedy and drama, dealing with an ex-soldier hero suffering from PTSD. My award-winner is STAR GAZING which has a blind heroine in her 40s finding love. Most of my books are set in the Scottish Highlands & islands.
Readers often say they find my books hard to put down. I've given a lot of thought to this, because it's a quality every reader looks for in a book and writers know this is the ultimate compliment. I think maybe my books are hard to put down because when I'm writing, very often I do not know what is going to happen. (I've never written a book knowing how it will end. With HOUSE OF SILENCE, I didn't even know which man Gwen was going to end up with.) I write *to find out what happens*. Maybe if I don't know, readers can't guess what will happen, so we all want to know what happens next!
Do please tell your friends about my books. My publisher dropped me after 3 books, then I went indie because I knew my fans would buy my books if I published them myself.
HOUSE OF SILENCE was rejected by my own publisher and by every other UK publisher, but I believed in the story and thought readers would like it. I published it myself and it's proved to be my most successful book. But there's only me, I have no publicist or publicity budget, so I ask readers to spread the word for me. The best recommendation is from a friend who says, "Read this. I think you'll like it." That's how I've built a loyal & enthusiastic following over the years.
Thanks once again for your kind words. The best thing about being a published writer is hearing from happy readers. :-)
Best wishes
Linda
www.lindagillard.co.uk
Thanks for getting in touch. I was so pleased to hear you're enjoying my books. There are 8 now - I just published a new one, THE TRYSTING TREE.
Do you follow me on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/LindaGillard... There's a lot of information and background to my books on my author page.
CAULDSTANE was my fictional response to the ghastly experience of breast cancer in 2012. ("If you live in fear, you fear to live", right?) If you check out the CAULDSTANE page on my website you can read more about how I used writing that book as a way of processing my fear of cancer returning.
My novels are all different. You've read both my ghost stories. UNTYING THE KNOT is a family story with a lot of comedy and drama, dealing with an ex-soldier hero suffering from PTSD. My award-winner is STAR GAZING which has a blind heroine in her 40s finding love. Most of my books are set in the Scottish Highlands & islands.
Readers often say they find my books hard to put down. I've given a lot of thought to this, because it's a quality every reader looks for in a book and writers know this is the ultimate compliment. I think maybe my books are hard to put down because when I'm writing, very often I do not know what is going to happen. (I've never written a book knowing how it will end. With HOUSE OF SILENCE, I didn't even know which man Gwen was going to end up with.) I write *to find out what happens*. Maybe if I don't know, readers can't guess what will happen, so we all want to know what happens next!
Do please tell your friends about my books. My publisher dropped me after 3 books, then I went indie because I knew my fans would buy my books if I published them myself.
HOUSE OF SILENCE was rejected by my own publisher and by every other UK publisher, but I believed in the story and thought readers would like it. I published it myself and it's proved to be my most successful book. But there's only me, I have no publicist or publicity budget, so I ask readers to spread the word for me. The best recommendation is from a friend who says, "Read this. I think you'll like it." That's how I've built a loyal & enthusiastic following over the years.
Thanks once again for your kind words. The best thing about being a published writer is hearing from happy readers. :-)
Best wishes
Linda
www.lindagillard.co.uk
Linda Gillard
Hi Morgannah.
Thanks for getting in touch. I've published 7 novels altogether. There are no more ghost/gothic stories, but I think you would enjoy UNTYING THE KNOT, another romantic family drama set in Scotland. You might also enjoy STAR GAZING which is set on the Isle of Skye and has a 45-year old blind, widowed romantic heroine. That book is my award-winner.
EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY is set on a Hebridean island and the heroine is 47 and bipolar. EG is more literary, as is A LIFETIME BURNING. (Read the reviews of that one first before ordering. The subject matter is dark and challenging and has upset some readers.)
Apart from HOUSE OF SILENCE, my heroines are all in their 40s and there's always a love story and a gorgeous hero!
All my novels are in paperback and you can order them from Amazon. The first 3 were traditionally published and then my publisher dropped me. As I had a loyal and enthusiastic following, I decided to self-publish, with my agent's blessing. Now I'm much more successful as an indie. :-)
Here's the link to my page on Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Gillard/e...
I have a lively Facebook author page where I post all my news. Do come and join me there. https://www.facebook.com/LindaGillard...
I hope to have a new book out for Christmas but it's progressing slowly. My daughter just gave birth to my first grandchild and life is very full. News of a new book will be posted on my FB page and on my website - http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/ If you go to the News page and scroll down, you can read the beginning - http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/news.php
It was lovely to hear from you. I do hope you enjoy the other books. Let me know what you think of them.
Best wishes
Linda Gillard
Thanks for getting in touch. I've published 7 novels altogether. There are no more ghost/gothic stories, but I think you would enjoy UNTYING THE KNOT, another romantic family drama set in Scotland. You might also enjoy STAR GAZING which is set on the Isle of Skye and has a 45-year old blind, widowed romantic heroine. That book is my award-winner.
EMOTIONAL GEOLOGY is set on a Hebridean island and the heroine is 47 and bipolar. EG is more literary, as is A LIFETIME BURNING. (Read the reviews of that one first before ordering. The subject matter is dark and challenging and has upset some readers.)
Apart from HOUSE OF SILENCE, my heroines are all in their 40s and there's always a love story and a gorgeous hero!
All my novels are in paperback and you can order them from Amazon. The first 3 were traditionally published and then my publisher dropped me. As I had a loyal and enthusiastic following, I decided to self-publish, with my agent's blessing. Now I'm much more successful as an indie. :-)
Here's the link to my page on Amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Gillard/e...
I have a lively Facebook author page where I post all my news. Do come and join me there. https://www.facebook.com/LindaGillard...
I hope to have a new book out for Christmas but it's progressing slowly. My daughter just gave birth to my first grandchild and life is very full. News of a new book will be posted on my FB page and on my website - http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/ If you go to the News page and scroll down, you can read the beginning - http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/news.php
It was lovely to hear from you. I do hope you enjoy the other books. Let me know what you think of them.
Best wishes
Linda Gillard
Linda Gillard
Hi Gail. How nice to hear from you. Yours is my first Goodreads Q. :-)
Have you read my other books? A couple of them could be described as gothic. THE GLASS GUARDIAN is a ghost story, but very different from CAULDSTANE. The ghost is the hero in TGG and he's not at all scary.
My 4th novel, HOUSE OF SILENCE has been described as gothic because it's a bit like Mary Stewart & Victoria Holt. An independent young woman goes to spend Christmas in a dilapidated Jacobean mansion with her boyfriend's eccentric family. It's a gothic rom-com, if you can imagine such a thing. I describe it as "REBECCA meets COLD COMFORT FARM" (two of my favourite books.)
You might also like to consider UNTYING THE KNOT which is set in a Scottish tower house. It's not really gothic, but there is a bit of a supernatural element. That one is very much a love story.
I'm halfway through writing a new novel, but this one has no paranormal/gothic element. I think the one after that might be another ghost story. I do feel drawn to them and CAULDSTANE has proved very popular.
Thinking of other authors... Do you know Mary Stewart's novels? You have to read them as period pieces now as they were written in the 60s & 70s, but they are classics of the romantic suspense & gothic romance genres. If you don't know them, start with my favourite, NINE COACHES WAITING which bears a resemblance to JANE EYRE. A governess is looking after a litle boy in a French chateau and she gradually realises that the "accidents" that keep happening are an attempt to kill him.
You might also like Susanna Kearsley's books, though they are more time-slip. Try THE SHADOWY HORSES.
FYI - I have a Facebook author page - https://www.facebook.com/LindaGillard... and I expect you've already found my website - http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/
Happy New Year!
Have you read my other books? A couple of them could be described as gothic. THE GLASS GUARDIAN is a ghost story, but very different from CAULDSTANE. The ghost is the hero in TGG and he's not at all scary.
My 4th novel, HOUSE OF SILENCE has been described as gothic because it's a bit like Mary Stewart & Victoria Holt. An independent young woman goes to spend Christmas in a dilapidated Jacobean mansion with her boyfriend's eccentric family. It's a gothic rom-com, if you can imagine such a thing. I describe it as "REBECCA meets COLD COMFORT FARM" (two of my favourite books.)
You might also like to consider UNTYING THE KNOT which is set in a Scottish tower house. It's not really gothic, but there is a bit of a supernatural element. That one is very much a love story.
I'm halfway through writing a new novel, but this one has no paranormal/gothic element. I think the one after that might be another ghost story. I do feel drawn to them and CAULDSTANE has proved very popular.
Thinking of other authors... Do you know Mary Stewart's novels? You have to read them as period pieces now as they were written in the 60s & 70s, but they are classics of the romantic suspense & gothic romance genres. If you don't know them, start with my favourite, NINE COACHES WAITING which bears a resemblance to JANE EYRE. A governess is looking after a litle boy in a French chateau and she gradually realises that the "accidents" that keep happening are an attempt to kill him.
You might also like Susanna Kearsley's books, though they are more time-slip. Try THE SHADOWY HORSES.
FYI - I have a Facebook author page - https://www.facebook.com/LindaGillard... and I expect you've already found my website - http://www.lindagillard.co.uk/
Happy New Year!
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