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Linda Watkins

Goodreads Author

Born

in Norwich, CT, The United States

Website

http://mateguasisland.com

Twitter

splatland

Genre

Horror, Paranormal, Thriller

Influences

Shirley Jackson, early Stephen King, Peter Straub, John Fowles

Member Since

April 2013

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Award-winning, USA Today Bestselling Author, Linda Watkins, currently resides in Sedona, Arizona and, in another life, was a Senior Clinical Financial Analyst at Stanford University School of Medicine. Born on the east coast, she grew up in a suburb of Detroit. Upon graduation from college (Carnegie Mellon, '70), she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lived and worked for most of her adult life. In 2006, she packed up her belongings and, along with her 3 rescue dogs, took the plunge and moved to a remote island off the coast of Maine.

It was on this island that she wrote her first novel, MATEGUAS ISLAND and, since publication, the novel has garnered the following awards:

* 2014 Gold Medal, Supernatural Fiction, READERS' FAVORITE IN Award-winning, USA Today Bestselling Author, Linda Watkins, currently resides in Sedona, Arizona and, in another life, was a Senior Clinical Financial Analyst at Stanford University School of Medicine. Born on the east coast, she grew up in a suburb of Detroit. Upon graduation from college (Carnegie Mellon, '70), she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where she lived and worked for most of her adult life. In 2006, she packed up her belongings and, along with her 3 rescue dogs, took the plunge and moved to a remote island off the coast of Maine.

It was on this island that she wrote her first novel, MATEGUAS ISLAND and, since publication, the novel has garnered the following awards:

* 2014 Gold Medal, Supernatural Fiction, READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD COMPETITION
* 2014 First Place Award, Contemporary Gothic, CHANTICLEER BOOK REVIEW, PARANORMAL AWARDS
* 2015 Outstanding Novel in Horror/Suspense, IAN BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS

RETURN TO MATEGUAS ISLAND, the sequel, was awarded the 1st Place Award in Contempory Gothic in the 2015 CHANTICLEER BOOK REVIEW PARANORMAL AWARDS and was named 2016 Finalist in Horror by READERS' FAVORITE INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD COMPETITION.

In addition to the Mateguas Series, Linda is also the author of a stand-alone novel, SUMMER GIRL, A NOVEL which was named a Finalist in Fiction in the 2018 BEA Awards and a Silver Medalist in Novellas/Short Stories in the 2018 Readers Favorite International Book Award Competition. She is also the author of an award-winning novella, SARAH & ZOEY, A STORY ABOUT THE POWER OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Her entry into the multi-author box-set, LOVE UNDER FIRE, has secured her place as a USA Today Bestselling Author.

STORM ISLAND, A KATE POMEROY MYSTERY, the first book in a new Gothic series, will be published in late 2018.

Serious about dog welfare and rescue, all net proceeds from sales of THE MATEGUAS ISLAND SERIES are donated to Linda's charitable trust, The Raison d'Etre Fund for Dogs, Dedicated to Rescue and Research.

Linda is a member of the Horror Writers Association, The Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, The International Association of Crime Writers, and the Authors Guild.

For more information, please visit her website www.lindawatkins-author.com.

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Popular Answered Questions

How much of yourself do you put into your lead character, or do you filter parts of yourself throughout all of them? Do you feel that you need a personal frame of reference in order to infuse it into your characters?

Linda Watkins Hi Howard,

Karen Andersen, my lead character, is truly a figment of my imagination. I don't believe there is much of me in her at all. Our backgrounds …moreHi Howard,

Karen Andersen, my lead character, is truly a figment of my imagination. I don't believe there is much of me in her at all. Our backgrounds are completely different and her values don't really reflect mine.

If I have put something of myself into any of the characters in Mateguas, the most likely candidate would be Maggie - a young woman searching for love but always choosing the wrong man! When I started the novel, I envisioned her as the ultimate heroine of the piece; however, she had other things in mind!

I don't think I need a personal frame of reference to create my characters - Karen, Bill, Dex, Maggie, Sophie and Terri all began vaguely in my mind and, as I wrote they evolved and acquired flesh, blood, and personalities of their own.

The "characters" that I did use a personal frame of reference for were the "island" itself and the inherited "house on the hill" As you know, I lived on an unconnected island in Casco Bay for seven years and this remote, but wonderful, place was the basis for all that happens in Mateguas. The description of the house Bill inherits was based on my 150 year old home that sat on a hill overlooking, not the shore, but the Island Golf Course!

I hope I have answered your questions. If not, query me again! Have a great day!(less)

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Have you ever seen a ghost?

Linda Watkins Hi Pat. I've never SEEN a ghost, but I've felt them. The first was the spirit of my dog, Gabriella, who passed away at the vet's when I was on my way …moreHi Pat. I've never SEEN a ghost, but I've felt them. The first was the spirit of my dog, Gabriella, who passed away at the vet's when I was on my way to see her. She's the only dog I've owned who didn't pass in my arms. It was devastating to me. I missed saying goodbye by minutes. Several days later, I was watching TV and suddenly my other dogs all turned their heads to the ceiling and started barking. I lived in California at the time so my first thought was "earthquake!" However, in the next minute I felt the most beautiful sense of peace and warmth pass through me and I knew Gaby had come to say goodbye and let me know she was okay. That was my first experience with the spirit of one who's passed. More recently, when I was living in Muskegon, MI, I believe my house was haunted. Toilets flushed by themselves, doorbells rang when no one was there, kitchen timers went off for no reason whatsoever. I never actually encountered the ghost, but I did smudge the house more than once trying to get him or her to move on! I do believe that some spirits or latent energy can be left behind when someone passes. Have you ever seen a ghost? (less)

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Combine Editions
Linda Watkins’s books

Average rating: 4.21 · 2,199 ratings · 501 reviews · 18 distinct works • Similar authors

	Storm Island (Kate Pomeroy Mystery, #1) 4.35 avg rating — 571 ratings — published 2018 — 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
	Mateguas Island (Mateguas Island #2) 3.82 avg rating — 639 ratings — published 2014 — 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
	Return to Mateguas Island: A Tale of Supernatural Suspense (Mateguas Island, #3) 4.18 avg rating — 177 ratings — published 2014 — 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
	Summer Girl 4.47 avg rating — 156 ratings — 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
	Sarah & Zoey 4.27 avg rating — 113 ratings — published 2017 — 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
	Secrets: A Story of Love and Betrayal (Mateguas Island, #0.5) 4.40 avg rating — 97 ratings — published 2014 — 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
	The Tao of the Viper (Kate Pomeroy Mystery #2) 4.48 avg rating — 92 ratings — 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
	Abducted (Kate Pomeroy Mystery #3) 4.36 avg rating — 72 ratings — published 2020 — 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
	The Turning (The Witches of Storm Island #1) 4.24 avg rating — 62 ratings — 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
	Ghosts of Mateguas (Mateguas Island #3) 4.46 avg rating — 56 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

More books by Linda Watkins…

18 posts
Linda Watkins's Blog

So Happy!

Am so jazzed. MATEGUAS ISLAND is currently the #1 Bestseller in Dark Fantasy on Amazon and is #22 on Barnes & Noble's list of top 100 Bestsellers on NOOK.

Thank you everyone who has purchased my book. I hope you all enjoy the read!

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Published on June 19, 2015 17:24 • Tags: contemporary-gothic, dark-fantasy, romance

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Series by Linda Watkins

Mateguas Island (3 books)
by

Linda Watkins (Goodreads Author)

4.00 avg rating — 1,006 ratings

Kate Pomeroy Mystery (3 books)
by

Linda Watkins (Goodreads Author)

4.37 avg rating — 735 ratings

Steve Daniels Mystery (2 books)
by

Linda Watkins (Goodreads Author)

4.60 avg rating — 45 ratings

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Linda’s Recent Updates

Linda Watkins and 1 other person liked Sarah Stuart's review of A Cesspool of Spies: "The prologue is a nightmare, but whose? Something doesn’t fit with Simon… Set during the Cold War and ranging from the USA to Turkey, A Cess Pool of Spies is told mostly by Brad and Simon. Two men from different backgrounds, drawn together by the CIA" Read more of this review »
Jan 26, 2026 10:58AM · see review
Linda Watkins liked Eva Pasco's review of A Cesspool of Spies: "Spine-Chilling! Author Linda Watkins’ ‘Cesspool of Spies’ is a spine-chilling novel. For the most part, taking place in Istanbul, post-World War II 1950, the reader gets a savory taste of history via the threat of Communism posed by the Russian and C" Read more of this review »
Jan 26, 2026 10:58AM · see review
Linda Watkins liked Ruffina Os's review of A Cesspool of Spies: "I picked up A Cesspool of Spies expecting a sleek, fast-paced espionage adventure, but what I got was something much richer. Linda Watkins crafts her story with a weighty sense of history and consequence, grounding the intrigue in the post-World War " Read more of this review »
Jan 26, 2026 10:58AM · see review
Linda Watkins and 3 other people liked Divina Zape's review of A Cesspool of Spies: "There are plenty of spy novels out there, but few feel as raw and honest as A Cesspool of Spies. I was immediately drawn to Simon Biggs: a former Navy man, haunted by childhood tragedy, just trying to pay for law school and help his sick father. Lind" Read more of this review »
Jan 26, 2026 10:58AM · see review
Linda Watkins voted for The Witch's Orchard as Readers' Favorite Debut Novel in the Opening Round of the 2025 Goodreads Choice Awards. Cast Your Vote
Nov 13, 2025 06:44AM · like

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Linda’s Quotes

“A bit of trash now and then is good for the severest reader. It provides the necessary roughage in the literary diet.”
― Phyllis McGinley

2676 likes

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
― Louis L'Amour

tags: inspirational, writing

4692 likes

“Everyone has talent. What's rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places where it leads.”
― Erica Jong

tags: courage, talent

4616 likes

“The first duty of wine is to be red. Don't talk to me of your white wines.”
― Henry Murger

1266 likes

“When I am an old woman I shall wear purple. With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.”
― Jenny Joseph, Warning: When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple

1267 likes

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