Linda Whiddon is a Northeast Florida Writer who lives and works in the St. Augustine, Florida area. She has written and published three books in the Moem Chronicles series. Her stories are getting good reviews on Amazon. We can’t wait to get to read them all. I went ahead and read the FREE sample chapters for her latest book and it does draw you into the story quickly. And Amazon has a very nice mini-bio on her author page:
“Growing up on the Jersey shore, she had plenty of time to read during the cold winter months. Sickly as a child she spent those winter months reading books that fired her imagination. At the age of twelve, she penned her first short story. When she entered high school, authors like Jack London, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner served as her mentors and helped her to pen her first novel which soon became the first book of the Series entitled The Moem Chronicles. Marriage and children intervened and her first novel, Moem The Beginning, did not become published until 2001. The second book in the series, Moem and The Mystical Prophesies was published in 2005. Ms. Whiddon resides in St.Augustine, Florida and has just finished her third book entitled The Long Kill which can be found on Amazon under the kindle books section. Soon, The Wars of Katchwari and The Twelve Emerald Tablets will follow.”
She is a very talented writer and we wish her luck with her book sales and future endeavors. You will want to bookmark this author, read through her website and “Friend” her on Facebook.
Websites and Social Media Sites:
http://www.amazon.com/Linda-Whiddon
Linda Whiddon on Twitter
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Moem-Chronicles
http://linda-whiddon.blogspot.com/
http://www.waenetwork.com/profile/lindawhiddon
http://www.facebook.com/TheLongKill
http://pinterest.com/lindawhiddon/
Books Published:
Moem: The Beginning – Book I
Moem the Mystical Prophesies (the Moem Chronicles Book 2)
The Long Kill (The Moem Chronicles Book 3)
The Long Kill Part Two: Book Four of The Moem Chronicles
Who or what got you started in writing?
I always have loved to write even as a kid I wrote stories and essays in school. I did not get interested in writing seriously until I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1986. I am a hairstylist and one of my clients took me to a sweat lodge ceremony in Sacaton, Arizona. It was there I met the mentor of my first book, Moem The Beginning. His name was Delmar Boni, an Apache Indian. After several months of attending these ceremonies, I began to formulate an idea on how to incorporate this type of lifestyle in a futuristic world. Hence the Mescalido Indians and Chaddeau Boni became an integral part of Book one and Book two.
What do you like most about writing?
I love creating the characters, building the story about them, building the worlds they live in. Writing is cathartic to me and when I read other author’s works, it inspires me to write and keep on writing.
What inspires you as you are writing?
The knowledge that I have complete control of the story. That I can build tension between my characters. I can have them fall in love or hate each other. I can start wars or stop them. I can have my characters on a planet far, far away or climb the Himalayas on planet Earth. The excitement of writing page after page and seeing it all come together is awe-inspiring to me. I love writing and hope to do it forever.
What do you dislike most about writing?
Grammatical errors. I hate it when I don’t know if there should be a comma or a semi-colon after a word or if I am using a double negative, Grrr…
What books do you read most?
High on the list are mystical fantasies such as The Elemental series by Elizabeth Hunter, Deborah Harkness is fantastic with her stories of witches and Vampires. Then there is Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and the Pendergast collections. I also like Anne Rice and Theresa Ragan. Besides good storytelling, they are prolific writers.
What do you do to relax?
I read, watch movies, cook, swim, and write. All of these things help to relax me so that when I sit down to write I am ready to focus and write till my fingers hurt.
Do you do a lot of research for your stories and what are your resources?
I find that I do a lot of research now that the internet is so handy for any type of information one is looking for. I use the Wikipedia for a lot of research. I also just type in the information I am seeking on the search page and everything I need is right there.
If published, what are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second half of Book Three of The Moem Chronicles entitled, The Long Kill. It seemed imperative that I add this second half before I could continue on to Book Four, The Wars of Katchwari.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to up and coming writers?
To write first and correct later. Get your story down while it is fresh in your mind. Don’t doubt yourself, everyone has a story to tell so tell it how you see it. There is a medium for everyone so don’t worry if someone is going to like your work, they will. Write with excitement and passion in your words. Believe in yourself first and foremost.
