Monday, August 26, 2013

Straight Chatting from the Library: Linda Katmarian


Linda Katmarian is visiting The Library today as part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Linda will be awarding a $25 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

CHAT WITH THE AUTHOR


What is the favorite book you remember as a child?
King Arthur and His Knights and Treasure Island were my favorite books when I was seven.

What is your favorite book today?

It’s hard to choose. I like Janet Fitch’s White Oleander, but over the years there have been a number of books I have loved—Gone with the Wind, The Thorn Birds, Le Rouge et Le Noir. No, I’ll just stop there because I’ll be tempted to list too many books.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.
Three bold, determined characters entangled in love and hate.

E-Reader or print? and why?
I love the Kindle because it allows me to have all the books I want on one tiny portable device. I have a large bookcase full of books and it was beginning to get out of hand until the Kindle rescued me. Now I only buy print books if it’s something really special, such as an art book or a novel that I will love and reread until the day I die.

Least favorite book you've read this year?
There is no point in listing least favorites, in my opinion. But it does need to be said that some writers produce some really awful books full of dull characters and storylines. Then to top it all off they sprinkle it with spelling and layout errors. I know it’s hard to produce a good book.

When do you do most of your reading?
I do most of my reading in the evening. A good book helps me unwind. If I’m having a bout of insomnia, I park myself on the couch and read until my brain gives up.

Re-reader or not?
I reread books I’m really fond of because I’ve discovered each time you read you discover new things about the book. I also watch movies that I like again.

What would make you not finish a book?
The things that make me put down a book are:
• Dull, implausible dialog
• Cardboard characters
• Slow pace with lots of descriptive passages that don’t move the story

READ THE BLURB


In 1964 Elizabeth Leigh is looking forward to college, escape from her unhappy home, and the fulfillment of her dreams. Adventure. Love. Her place in the sun. On a restless afternoon, she leaves school early and discovers her mother is packing to run off with a lover, abandoning Elizabeth and her stepfather. Worse, she learns her mother has squandered the college money her grandfather left her.

A fortuitous invitation from her cousin Melina to come to Los Angeles rescues her from an uncertain future. In Los Angeles, Elizabeth finds security in the embrace of her aunt’s family and is introduced to the man who soon becomes her fiancĂ©, Collin Greenslade, an ambitious, up-and-coming real estate developer. Life could not be more perfect.

When her cousin’s boyfriend, a civil rights activist, has his Thunderbird vandalized in Mississippi, he enlists his roommate, Mark Laughing Hawk, to tow his car back home. Melina insists that she and Elizabeth should come along for the ride, but what starts as a fun romp across the country becomes a journey of the soul that complicates love and endangers lives.

Dreaming of Laughing Hawk explores the desire for love, power, and sense of purpose and the lengths we will go to attain them.

MEET THE AUTHOR


Author Linda Katmarian grew up in the Midwest and graduated with a Master’s Degree in French literature from Illinois State University. She has studied under Sol Stein, prolific author and former owner of Stein & Day publishing company in New York, and Louella Nelson, an experienced romance writer and teacher of fiction writing. In 2012, after a long career as a technical writer, Linda committed herself to writing fiction full time. She lives in Southern California. DREAMING OF LAUGHING HAWK is her debut novel.

Author page: http://amazon.com/author/lindakatmarian
Website: http://www.lindakatmarian.com
Blog: http://www.scheherazade-thewritinglife.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LindaKatmarian
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlindakatmarian
Buy the ebook and print book at Amazon.

14 comments:

  1. I love re-reading favorites. Too many great books I want to read to continue on with a book that just does not cut it.

    Great interview thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love re-reading favorites. Too many great books I want to read to continue on with a book that just does not cut it.

    Great interview thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Would love to know where your inspirations started...such a wonderful interview.. Thank you.

    vals_hemi at yahoo dot com

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    Replies
    1. It's hard to say where the inspirations started. I suppose I start with a general idea/theme in my head, but until the characters show up and take over the story, I really don't know where I'm headed. Hawk was the character that determined the story in Dreaming of Laughing Hawk.

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  4. Love the author chat, thank you.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  5. Thanks for the great interview. You summed up perfectly why I prefer e-books

    fencingromein at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Loved the interview.... Did you have an inkling as a teenager that you'd be such an amazing writer someday?? ;)

    erikalrhodes at gmail dot com

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    Replies
    1. Well, I always loved to read and write as a teenager. I recall my English teacher in high school. She was a very strange neurotic woman. she would always give me A grades for my compositions, but I had to admit to myself they were pretty sappy stories that were just dashed off. One day I decided to impress her with what I could really do. Big mistake. She gave me an F for plagiarism. She told the class that I wasn't intelligent enough to have written the story I submitted and that I must have copied it from a literary magazine. I had spent an entire weekend writing and rewriting that composition and it was entirely my own work. When I tried to explain that to the teacher she just laughed at me. So after that I went back to writing the mediocre junk she preferred.

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  7. The ten word explanation is rather exciting.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  8. The ten word explanation is rather exciting.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  9. Enjoyed your interview today. I agree with your choice of favorite...Gone with the Wind. It is my favorite book and book to movie, ever.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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  10. great interview ,I also love Gone with the Wind!
    cookiesmasher5@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete