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Linda Gillard

Goodreads Author

Born

in Dartford, Kent, UK, The United Kingdom

Website

http://www.lindagillard.co.uk

Genre

Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Member Since

July 2009

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Linda Gillard lives in North Lanarkshire, Scotland and has been an actress, journalist and teacher. She’s the author of ten novels, including STAR GAZING, shortlisted in 2009 for "Romantic Novel of the Year" and the Robin Jenkins Literary Award, for writing that promotes the Scottish landscape.

HOUSE OF SILENCE and THE MEMORY TREE became Kindle bestsellers.

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Popular Answered Questions

Linda, you are my new role model :-) I, too, have re-invented my career self a few times. I just finished Cauldstane and was wondering if you would be doing more gothic novels? I am always on the look out for good books in this genre--so many are so bad! Yours have the complexity and intelligent and spirited heroines that I loved in the works of Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Happy New Year!

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…moreHi 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!(less)

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I read House of Silence, & followed that with The Glass Guardian, then Cauldstane. So basically I am gushing here...all were wonderful, very well written, in that I felt I was IN the story, not just a reader. My favorite of those was Cauldstane..I loved the characters, the feelings they exuded, and the settings as well. You write so very well, I find your books hard to put down. They ask for a ? so, there it is.

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 TRE…moreHi 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 (less)

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Linda Gillard’s books

Average rating: 4.09 · 10,992 ratings · 1,057 reviews · 19 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Memory Tree 4.29 avg rating — 4,310 ratings — published 2016 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	House of Silence 3.76 avg rating — 2,177 ratings — published 2011 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Star Gazing 4.09 avg rating — 1,010 ratings — published 2008 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cauldstane 3.89 avg rating — 879 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Emotional Geology 4.01 avg rating — 669 ratings — published 2005 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Glass Guardian 4.04 avg rating — 622 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Untying the Knot 4.08 avg rating — 496 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Lifetime Burning 3.96 avg rating — 376 ratings — published 2006 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	HIDDEN 4.37 avg rating — 297 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	TIME'S PRISONER: The Wyngrave Women Book 1 4.54 avg rating — 101 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Linda’s Recent Updates

Linda Gillard made a comment on Allie Cresswell’s review of Star Gazing: An epic, uplifting love story unlike any you've read before " Thank you for taking the trouble to leave this long review. You might be surprised to hear I didn't interview any blind people for this book. though I ...more "
Apr 08, 2026 12:04AM · see review
Linda Gillard and 2 other people liked Allie Cresswell's review of Star Gazing: An epic, uplifting love story unlike any you've read before: "Stargazing by Linda Gillard I enjoy all of Gillard’s books but what I like most is their diversity. She writes comforting tales of stately homes, curmudgeonly squires and feisty women alongside books that grasp nettles few writers would risk. Here, th" Read more of this review »
Apr 07, 2026 11:54PM · see review
Linda Gillard made a comment on Debra’s review of The Memory Tree " Thank you so much for leaving a review. I'm the happy author! :-) ...more "
Mar 27, 2026 11:00AM · see review
Linda Gillard made a comment on Laura-Jayne’s review of The Memory Tree " Thank you so much for leaving a 5 star review. I'm the happy author! :-) ...more "
Mar 27, 2026 10:59AM · see review
Linda Gillard liked Debra's review of The Memory Tree: "I did enjoy this book. I had to think a lot and write down who was who at times just to be clear in my mind about the characters. But I did enjoy it."
Mar 27, 2026 10:58AM · see review
Linda Gillard liked Laura-Jayne's review of The Memory Tree: "I really enjoyed The Memory Tree- I loved getting to know every character and particularly the Beechwoods perspective on things! "
Mar 27, 2026 10:58AM · see review
Linda Gillard made a comment on Sandy McKenna’s review of The Memory Tree " Thanks for taking the time to to post a review. I'm the happy author! :-) I shared your review on my FB author page. ...more "
Mar 24, 2026 01:40AM · see review
Linda Gillard liked Sandy McKenna's review of The Memory Tree: "An incredibly moving story. A beautifully penned and moving story of love, loss, discovery and understanding. Ann moves in to live with and care for her mother Phoebe who has been unwell. The house, once part of a large estate, holds lots of secrets," Read more of this review »
Mar 24, 2026 01:39AM · see review
Linda Gillard made a comment on Ann Gallagher’s review of TIME'S TYRANNY: The Wyngrave Women Book 2 " Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. "
Feb 08, 2026 02:03AM · see review

More of Linda's books…

Quotes by Linda Gillard (?)

“You're like a box of chocolates with the menu missing - the card that tells you what they are. I never know what I'm going to get with you: a soft, creamy centre, something chewy, or an explosion of alcohol.”
― Linda Gillard, Star Gazing

9 likes

“I am safe. For one night at least. Safe, moored to this man.”
― Linda Gillard, Emotional Geology

4 likes

“It's been a long time, you see. There's been no one for five years. Not since Gavin. I've spent five years murdering what I felt for him, starving my need for him, purging my memory. But somehow it still feels...too soon. They say time heals, but--'
'They lied,' he said simply.”
― Linda Gillard, Emotional Geology

3 likes

See all Linda Gillard's quotes »

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Linda’s Quotes

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.”
― Nora Ephron

tags: courage, empowerment, self-determination, women

6527 likes

9 likes

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”
― John Anster, The First Part Of Goethe's Faust

tags: inspirational, misattributed-goethe

2350 likes

“Through our reading we can travel to other times and other places, into other peoples minds and hearts and souls: it is a transcendent experience.”
― Louise A. DeSalvo, Writing As a Way of Healing : How Telling Stories Transforms Our Lives

tags: reading, writing

16 likes

“Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise.”
― Margaret Atwood, Cat’s Eye

tags: age-adult

2583 likes

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Linda’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-3) post a comment »

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message 3: by Ali

Jan 26, 2012 06:45AM

To all of Linda's fans and writers in general - Linda kindly did a brilliant interview about the pro's and con's of self publishing and also what inspires her to write. Please follow the link below to read the interview.
http://missaliblahblah.wordpress.com/...

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message 2: by Linda

Jan 03, 2012 02:41PM

Thanks Diane. I don't really know my way around Goodreads but I always respond if I get a msg. But i don't have time to use it in the way you're supposed to. Too busy writing books to catalogue what I read!

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message 1: by Diane

Jan 03, 2012 11:35AM