Vanity Fair, which I love, has a “Proust Questionnaire” at the end of each issue. Today we’re asking Lynda Allen, author of the Liv Wilde Mysteries, some of those questions.
Lynda began her career in video post-production and documentary filmmaking before focusing her knack for storytelling on writing. She is the author of four poetry collections, Rest in the Knowing, Illumine, Wild Divinity, and Grace Reflected, as well as The Rules of Creation (nonfiction). Flashes of Insight, is the first book in her Liv Wilde mystery series.
She proudly infuses her fiction writing with her Jersey Girl sensibilities and aims to create stories imbued with heart and humor. She lives near the banks of the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg, VA with her husband, their cats, and the many incredible eagle friends who pay them frequent visits.
In Flashes of Insight, a new “Jersey Cozy”* series, protagonist Olivia Wilde realizes her mid-hot-flash visions are really premonitions. She’ll have to understand and trust what she sees if she’s going to help a friend, preserve a piece of history, and save a life.
*Cozy Mystery reader beware! The author and protagonist both hail from New Jersey, so there is some profanity not usually found in traditional cozy mysteries. You have been warned!
Lynda, thanks for playing. Here goes:
What is your idea of perfect happiness? Unstructured time, whether with family or in nature. In either case it should also include laughter and a sense of wonder. And delicious food!
What is your greatest fear? I’m not sure how to begin to answer this question at the moment!
What is your greatest achievement? Being the mom of two creative, compassionate, loving daughters.
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? If not a person, it’s a toss up between an eagle so I can fly and a dolphin so I can fly through the water.
What is your greatest extravagance? Time spent baking. A cake I made recently took six hours from start to finish. It was delicious and worth every minute but did seem like an extravagant use of time.
What talent would you most like to have? I’d love to be able to sing well. I’m fine with belting out songs alone in my car, but it would be nice to not have people cringe when I sing with them in the room. It’s why I’ve never be brave enough to do karaoke.
Who is your favorite hero or heroine of fiction? Pippi Longstocking! She’s independent, incredibly strong, honest, spunky as hell, knows the importance of friendships, and doesn’t take shit from anyone.
Which word or phrase do you most overuse? Oh my goodness, in my writing it’s definitely the word that. You’d be amazed how often you use it without thinking about it. It takes a conscious effort not to use it when I’m writing. In everyday conversations, I probably overuse the word fuck. Though I’m from south Jersey, so I’m not sure there is such a thing as overusing that (damn, there’s “that”!) word.
What do you most value in your friends? Honesty and laughter. I have a couple friends who can speak hard truths to me, usually exactly when I don’t want to hear them! Which is of course, exactly when I need to hear them the most. It’s an incredible gift when you have friends you can be so honest with. It helps me grow as a person and deepens our friendships. But we also have to be able to make each other laugh until it hurts.
What is your motto? My personal motto is I’m a life in progress. It’s important to me to remember I’m always being presented with new opportunities for growth and for making new choices. I hope I’ll always be working toward being the best version of myself, which is a lifelong quest.
Lynda, thanks for stopping by Miss Demeanors!
Lane
Lane Stone
Lane Stone is the author of the art thrillers, THE COLLECTOR and THE CANVAS, plus DEAD MEN DON’T DECORATE. WWW.LaneStoneBooks.com
Thank you so much for stopping by! I would love to see a picture of that 6 hour cake!
I love the premise! I lived in New Jersey for big chunks of my life and I’m very New Jersey adjacent, so I also have to keep an eye on my ‘Jerseyisms’. Let’s not get started on taylor ham vs pork roll please :-). Thank you for stopping by and sharing!
Lynda, your book sounds like a hoot, I love that you admire Pippi, too!
My father’s family are from NJ and I can hear my cousins talking to me in you, so fuck that!
Lane: Really thoughtful questions!