Lindsey: Love and Intrigue
Author: Kimberly Kolb
Book Description:
Fifteen-year-old Lindsey Morgan Brooks is still considered the new kid in the small town of Emit, Michigan. Both of her parents are lawyers, but her father has built his reputation prosecuting some of the worst criminals in New York and Chicago. Now, as a high school junior, she is trying to choose her own path. Lindsey feels the demands and pressure from school, gymnastics, and her parents as she battles insecurities to build friendships while steering clear of the many land mines in high school-such as the group of popular girls she has dubbed the “Fab Five” Busy with activities and consumed with thoughts of her secret crush, Chris, she takes little notice of what’s happening around her. She gets a flat tire, gets caught with the lights-out and starts receiving strange text messages-things she assumes are just high school pranks gone too far. Her father wants her to be able to handle herself, so she should be able to handle this. But while she steals a glimpse at Chris, who is watching her?
Author: Kimberly Kolb
Book Description:
Fifteen-year-old Lindsey Morgan Brooks is still considered the new kid in the small town of Emit, Michigan. Both of her parents are lawyers, but her father has built his reputation prosecuting some of the worst criminals in New York and Chicago. Now, as a high school junior, she is trying to choose her own path. Lindsey feels the demands and pressure from school, gymnastics, and her parents as she battles insecurities to build friendships while steering clear of the many land mines in high school-such as the group of popular girls she has dubbed the “Fab Five” Busy with activities and consumed with thoughts of her secret crush, Chris, she takes little notice of what’s happening around her. She gets a flat tire, gets caught with the lights-out and starts receiving strange text messages-things she assumes are just high school pranks gone too far. Her father wants her to be able to handle herself, so she should be able to handle this. But while she steals a glimpse at Chris, who is watching her?
“LINDSEY is a lovely YA tale of young love and deep intrigue. Lindsey Brooks faces a peril all the more invisible because of the seemingly normal veneer of popular girls and teen crushes she deals with at high school every day” Scott Turow, Best Selling Author and Authors Guild President
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Author Interview
1. Tell a little about yourself. What you do when you’re not writing? What are your aspirations for the future?
I am a working mother of three active kids in middle and high school. So most of the time I am at work, taking the kids to their activities, or generally running around trying to get everything done for my family and home.
2. When and why did you start writing?
I started writing because I found that I had a story I wanted to tell. As an adult I have always enjoyed reading and decided to switch perspectives when I found myself frequently thinking about a story in my mind. I started writing one night and found the words pouring out for weeks. Deciding to publish my book was a powerful moment. receiving a few awards and especially the quote from Best Selling author Scott Turow were very proud moments of validation of my efforts.
3. Have any particular novels or writers influenced your writing?
Following are some of my favorite authors and what I admire about their work, I would like to think that each of the strengths I see in their writing has influenced mine.
• Stephanie Meyer. Stephanie is of course the author of the blockbuster Twilight series. Stephanie did a great job of conveying teenage angst and the power of young love.
• Suzanne Collins. Suzanne is the author of the best-selling Hunger Games series. Suzanne’s ability to make as care for her flawed and complex characters is compelling.
• Michael Connelly. I admire Michael for his development of a series sustaining character, LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, and the gripping unfolding plot of the mystery in each of his books. The first book in this series is The Black Echo published in 1992.
• Tana French. Tana has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to weave multiple stories lines together, in particular weaving a current mystery with something that happened in the past in a way that is highly relevant to the protagonist in her Dublin Murder Squad series. The first book in this series is In The Woods published in 2007.
• Dean Koontz. Dean Koontz skillfully and deliberately builds suspense around the unknown. Koontz has been writing for decades, publishing countless books. My personal favorite is the ‘Odd’ series, which starts with Odd Thomas in 2003.
• John Sandford. John is another author who has built a series around a central character, Lucas Davenport. I enjoy how he crafts stories where the pace deliberately changes, building to a meaningful climax. The Lucas Davenport series starts with Rules of Prey published in 1989.
• Scott Turow. Scott’s non-fiction books about Kindle County are a delightful view into humanity and the law. I have long been a fan of his relatable characters with their endearing imperfections, as well as his beautiful prose. Scott’s Presumed Innocent was published in 1987 and was one of the first books I read for pleasure.
I am a working mother of three active kids in middle and high school. So most of the time I am at work, taking the kids to their activities, or generally running around trying to get everything done for my family and home.
2. When and why did you start writing?
I started writing because I found that I had a story I wanted to tell. As an adult I have always enjoyed reading and decided to switch perspectives when I found myself frequently thinking about a story in my mind. I started writing one night and found the words pouring out for weeks. Deciding to publish my book was a powerful moment. receiving a few awards and especially the quote from Best Selling author Scott Turow were very proud moments of validation of my efforts.
3. Have any particular novels or writers influenced your writing?
Following are some of my favorite authors and what I admire about their work, I would like to think that each of the strengths I see in their writing has influenced mine.
• Stephanie Meyer. Stephanie is of course the author of the blockbuster Twilight series. Stephanie did a great job of conveying teenage angst and the power of young love.
• Suzanne Collins. Suzanne is the author of the best-selling Hunger Games series. Suzanne’s ability to make as care for her flawed and complex characters is compelling.
• Michael Connelly. I admire Michael for his development of a series sustaining character, LAPD Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch, and the gripping unfolding plot of the mystery in each of his books. The first book in this series is The Black Echo published in 1992.
• Tana French. Tana has repeatedly demonstrated her ability to weave multiple stories lines together, in particular weaving a current mystery with something that happened in the past in a way that is highly relevant to the protagonist in her Dublin Murder Squad series. The first book in this series is In The Woods published in 2007.
• Dean Koontz. Dean Koontz skillfully and deliberately builds suspense around the unknown. Koontz has been writing for decades, publishing countless books. My personal favorite is the ‘Odd’ series, which starts with Odd Thomas in 2003.
• John Sandford. John is another author who has built a series around a central character, Lucas Davenport. I enjoy how he crafts stories where the pace deliberately changes, building to a meaningful climax. The Lucas Davenport series starts with Rules of Prey published in 1989.
• Scott Turow. Scott’s non-fiction books about Kindle County are a delightful view into humanity and the law. I have long been a fan of his relatable characters with their endearing imperfections, as well as his beautiful prose. Scott’s Presumed Innocent was published in 1987 and was one of the first books I read for pleasure.
“My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.”
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States
4. Give us some backstory behind Lindsey: Love & Intrigue. Where and when did you write it?
I wrote a good portion of the book waiting for my daughter in ballet class. I also wrote a lot late at night after my kids went to bed. For about a nine months anytime I had 30 minutes I would pull out my laptop and write. And after the first draft was written I spent about a year editing my story. Each time I worked on the story it was like visiting dear friends. I could hear them in my mind.
5. What was your favorite part of writing Lindsey: Love & Intrigue?
Weaving in bits of myself into the book. I thought of it like leaving a trail of clues through the story. As an example the female character’s names in the story are all meaningful to me. Most are the names of my cousins. Also a gift that Lindsey gets on her sweet sixteen from her grandmother is actually a description of a necklace that I have that was my grandmother’s. There are a lot of these through the book and I really enjoyed weaving them into the story.
6. What does your writing schedule look like?
I go in cycles. So when I am in a writing cycle I writ virtually every day for a year or two. Then I might go a year or two and not write. I love the process of writing and editing, but it takes a lot of time and focus and so I commit to it for periods of time.
7. Which fictional character would you like to take to dinner and why?
Harry Bosch, he is the main character of a series by Michael Connelly. He is a great character – he has many strengths, but his character flaws are endearing as well.
8. Besides your lead, do you have a favourite character in the story?
Honestly one of my favorites is one that the reader never hears from directly. There is a dark character or characters (I can’t give too much away here!) in the book who is after Lindsey. The reader only sees the story through Lindsey’s eyes, but I have written several scenes with this character in them so that in my mind they would be flushed out and a full character. Writing those scenes and connecting fully with that part of the book was fun, it felt almost devious.
9. What is one of the most surprising things you've learned as a writer?
I have always enjoyed reading, but having written my own books has given me a much deeper appreciation for great writers.
10. Any advice for aspiring authors?
Write for yourself. Write because you enjoy the process and you believe in your story. Write about something that matters.
Kimberly Kolb earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial organizational psychology from the University of Illinois. She began writing while waiting for her daughter to finish ballet and tap classes. Kolb lives with her husband and three children north of Chicago. This is her debut novel.
Kimberly Kolb received the Editor’s Choice and Rising Star Award from iUniverse.
Kimberly Kolb received the Editor’s Choice and Rising Star Award from iUniverse.
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Enjoyed the interview. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI liked the interview.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very intriguing book, a must read in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the interview. It*s nice to have a bit of background to give depth to the writing.
ReplyDeleteI love reading YA novels with a focus on young love. It takes us all back to high school, whether we graduated 50 years ago or 1 year ago.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting a tour stop and doing the interview!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the interview, sounds like a great read, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview, enjoyed her advice for writers and her schedule seems so busy and she finds time to write!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great interview!
ReplyDelete