L L Eadie – Columbia County Writer

9 min read

Linda L. Eadie publishes under her initials L L Eadie Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction and soon will be publishing Adult fiction too. Actually she is working on republishing quite a number of her ‘out-of-print’ by updating, rewriting some sections and getting them ready for publication in eBook format as well. Linda and her daughter are working on a historical graphic novel they hope to have ready to be published in the Fall. Ms. Eadie is an artist as well as a storyteller and has done quite a few of the illustrations in the last two Young Adult books that have been re-released this month.

Contact Author

Email: LLEadieAuthor@gmail.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/L-L-Eadie-141069182765272/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindaeadie
Website: https://lindaeadie.wixsite.com/booksbylleadie
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOqwdnT40rPwg7HSE6GmKlg
Amazon Author Profile Page: https://amazon.com/author/lleadie
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7268526.L_L_Eadie

Brief Bio

In kindergarten, her teacher scolded her for telling her classmates she had flown across the sky by clinging to the flapping tail of a soaring kite. However, her imagination could not be quieted. Today she continues to tell stories. She is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and Florida Writers Associations. She is the recipient of their Royal Palm Literary Award for her young adult stories. You can often find her barefoot on the beach flying kites.

Books Published

Young Adult Fiction

Mistaken Identity – 2013

Yearning for the Unattainable – 2019

Don’t Kiss and Tell – 2020

Jenniferology – Sept 2020

Historical Young Adult Fiction

Alligator Warrior – Halpatter Tustenuggee – 2020

Pedro Menendez – The Adelantado of Florida – 2020

Children’s Books

Momma Alligator Goes to School – 2020

That’s Impossible Cluckiepunkle – 2020

Author Interview

What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?

I actually never stop researching. Of course, in the beginning, I’m deep in research. I’m looking for information about everything I’m going to write about: the temperature and seasons in a particular area, the topography, the ecosystem including animals and insects, crops if any, and even down to the type of rocks I might find. I want to be able to not only see it but feel and smell it as well – as if I were really there. And, that’s just the beginning of my research.

Research, to me, is one of the best parts of writing. It can help motivate you with other ideas to help you build your characters and spark your plot. If fact, when I wrote Mistaken Identity I discovered some valuable information about mental illness that I never knew and it became the plot of the entire story – even help helped me write the end as well.

As they say: always write what you know – and research helps. However, sometimes I actually use a setting I’m familiar with. In the novel Yearning for the Unattainable, I used my great grandmother’s home in Atlanta, Georgia that I frequented as a child. I need an old home and this one was perfect.

Another reason I research is I want my stories to be as accurate as possible, even though I write fiction it’s still important to get it right. The historical background of an area is just as important about a place as if you were writing nonfiction.

While writing Yearning for the Unattainable I went on a couple of ghost tours – one in St. Augustine and the other at the oldest home in Lake City – both in Florida. This was because my novel had a hint of the paranormal throughout.

Reading books in your genre is also tremendously helpful. Not only does it inspire you but it also helps you know the correct way to keep a story moving. One book that I read while writing Mistaken Identity was Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk – it was invaluable in writing my main character.

Research can be a lot of fun but at some point you have to stop and start writing.

How do you select the names of your characters?

Choosing a name for your characters is just as difficult and fun as choosing a name for your baby. And, just as important. Actually, naming-your-baby-books can be tremendously helpful. I have one that has the most popular names for both boys and girls in different eras. This is especially useful when you’re writing a multigenerational story.

I’ve even given my elderly characters names I found in my own family tree – relatives I never knew, but the names were wonderful. In my novel Yearning for the Unattainable, I named the great aunt – Aunt Tom. This was an aunt I was never acquainted with, and her formal name was Tomasina, but she was known as Tom. I loved it and it fit her perfectly.

I always make sure that the names aren’t too difficult to pronounce. I say them out loud or have someone else say them, too. I don’t use a trendy spelling for a name either, or else spell check will butcher it. It’s probably not a good idea to name your character another popular character like Harry – i.e. Harry Potter. I try to avoid that by googling the name or even the towns, rivers, mountains, etc. just to be sure they’re not on the map. If they are in the area I’m writing about then I’ll use them. If it’s totally fictitious, I don’t. I found it also helps to know the meaning, if any, for the names you choose. When I choose the name Dibby for my palmist in my story Yearning for the Unattainable I discovered that it was of African origin and it meant “fortune teller.” Perfect!

Where do I find my names? Everywhere! Road signs, obituaries, show credits, programs, telephone books, name tags, etc. When I see a name I like I write it down. I keep a book full of names that I may or may not use.

What name shouldn’t you use? Said.

What was the hardest scene to write?

I once heard at a writers’ conference that a story is only as interesting as its scenes. True! No weak scenes are allowed. So, in answer to the question – every scene is the hardest to write. Important stuff should happen in every single scene. Otherwise, get rid of it or rewrite it. You want to keep the plot moving otherwise your reader will become bored. Think about writing the unexpected – something your reader wouldn’t think of happening. The scenes should reach out and grab your readers’ attention. How do you do that? Conflict! Without it your plot doesn’t move. And, not just conflict on the outside but on the inside of your characters as well – not just the main character either. Everyone should be suffering somehow.

Yes, there are those scenes that take more time to write like a sex scene. You have to think of your genre. It can be an incredible challenge at times. While writing the sex scene in my young adult novel Yearning for the Unattainable I must have rewritten it for days before I felt it was believable and age-appropriate.

A difficult memory in your past is also another time when it’s hard to get it right. You have to harness your emotions and relive them to capture the experience. I can end up being the best scene in the entire story.

If you feel inadequate to write a scene then you need to do more homework – research.

Remember, no weak scenes allowed. Period.

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

Oh, my! I’m not one of those authors that can write a book in a month to 90 days. I may have my outline finished in that amount of time but the actual process for me takes a year to several years. This depends on life. Life always has a way of knocking on my door.

I also have a habit of editing while I write. I just can’t move forward until I feel as confident as I can about that last sentence, paragraph, page, and chapter. I’m always editing as I go. I’ve never been able to write a full rough draft for an entire novel.

Not only am I editing but I’m also researching. For instance, I had to stop and research the type of fish and other amphibians and reptiles that would live in the rivers of Tennessee in writing my current novel in progress In Hindsight. This slows your writing down but actually it is making it more believable and interesting.

I’m a visual learner so I enjoy cutting pictures out of magazines of my characters. I not only have pictures of them but also their homes, maybe their favorite things, their cars, family, etc. I use an enormous bulletin board to post it all on. Of course, nothing is in cement and if I find a better picture it’s easy to change. But believe me, it’s easy to glance at my board and know what eye colors my characters have – that
s being consistent throughout your story.

I also have two large wipe-off boards that I use for my outline. Again, nothing is in cement and I can simply erase and rewrite a better idea.

There are also times when my muse is particularly active and I have to run alongside here to write it down. This is usually a scene I haven’t written yet and it doesn’t fit with where I am in my story, but I know it will be used eventually. It’s just that good. So I writ it – placing it on the last page to be copied and pasted when the time comes.

When that day comes that I have to move forward with reality I set my novel aside and when I can I come back to it I press ahead. However, for me, I find I have to start from the beginning again to get my head back into my characters. Of course, I’m editing all the way through. Again.

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jolenemac66 https://websandblogsforwriters.com

I am a retired medical office worker who sold everything, bought an old RV and began traveling around the state of Florida with her mother and youngest daughter. We have settled down in the Lake City, Florida area for now as I am writing another book and have began taking on website design and social media content creator clients.

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