An Interview with Linda Kay Silva

Tell us about yourself:

I ride a bad ass Harley named Lucky (my latest release is named after the bike and that IS my bike on the front cover)

I play tennis

I rescue animals and have two snakes, three tortoises, three frogs, 4 turtles, koi, a parrot, and the love of my life, Lucy, a black cockapoo.

I have jumped from a plane with my 23 year old daughter.

I have two daughters, Sunnie and Kelley who I dig hanging out with. We laugh all the time together.

I have a full sleeve tattoo of Storm from the X-Men

I go by Storm in my other life

I will watch any movie where a zombie eats a human

I am a literature professor and I teach World, American, and British lit, African Lit, Asian Lit, Sci-f-/fantasy, and modern epic fantasy literature.

I love life and wake up in a good mood every day.

I am an Aquarius

What genres do you normally write in?

I have written a police series, a historical fiction, paranormal, and time travel.

What genres do you typically read?

I read historical fiction and some paranormal.

Is there a genre you haven’t written in that one day you’d like to tackle?

I just did. Man Eaters would be under the horror category.

Are there any authors who have influenced your work?

Yes. Rita Mae Brown, Elizabeth Peters, and Kelley Armstrong, to name a few.

What was the first book you ever published?

Taken by Storm. There are 7 books in the Storm Series and we are hoping to come out with a boxed set here at Sapphire once we get our feet under us. Delta Stevens was so important to me and I missed her so much, I brought her back in the Echo series.

How did you celebrate your signing?

Lori and I went to dinner, took a walk, and just enjoyed the fact that we met two seriously cool women who have what it takes to make their mark in the ever changing world of publishing.

What was the craziest thing you’ve ever done when it came to a storyline in your book?

Killed off major characters. That’s what makes them more real. Not everyone can survive a shootout.

What was your first book published?

Taken by Storm was my first. I was a cop for a nano second and I had a partner tell me I should write a police series. I did because so many series out there has their main character sleeping with victims, with suspects, with anything that moved. I wanted a monogamous character who was in love with her wife even though her best friend was really her soul mate.

Have you ever acted out a scene in your book? You ought to see me on stage. I missed my calling. LOL.

What was the hardest scene you’ve written? Why?

The hardest scenes for me are the sex scenes because your friends and family assume that’s you having sex like that. I always feel as if I am a voyeur. I’d like to start the scene, go have a sandwich, and come back when they are putting their clothes on. So many people think writing sex scenes is easy…it’s not. Fucking? Sure. Making love” Not so much.

Is there a genre you just won’t write?

Erotica…for the above reason.

Do you have any specific things (or rituals) that help you to write or that inspire you?

Sort of. I write longhand using a fountain pen (I have a gorgeous teak box holding all my fountain pens because I am a nerd) on college rule paper. I do this because I love the ACT of writing and I can do it anywhere. We were in Indian Wells for 12 hours of watching tennis. Twelve hours? Do you know how much writing I got done sitting in the stands? Yeah…a lot.

Is there a certain time of day you prefer to write?

I prefer to write first drafts in the morning and afternoon and I revise at night.

What is your writing day like?

Well, I am an online literature professor, so I have a flexible life. When writing a first draft, I wake up, make tea, grab my clipboard, and, in the winter, write for a few hours in bed. Our bedroom is all glass, so I can see the rain fall and the leaves fluttering about. In the summer, I take my work outside. The truth is…I write most of my novels on vacation. Lori and I love cruise ships. We get up, grab our stuff, and head to the pool. She reads all day, I write. We take a break to eat and swim, and then I get right back to it. On our recent trip to Africa, the plane trip was over 22 hours. Combine that and airport time, and I was 100 pages into the sequel to Man Eaters before we landed. That’s the beauty of longhand…no electricity needed!

These are just for fun so we’ll call ’em quickies:

Satin or Lace?  Me or her? LOL Neither…leather, baby. I am all leather

Hot or Cold?

I like my women hot and my tea cold. What was the question?

Camera or Canvas?

Canvas…unless you’re videotaping…lol. What?

Denim or Leather?

Oh…here’s the leather question!

Talking or Texting?

Talking…and I talk a lot!

Irish or Italian?

Had both…found the Italian too spicy for my taste. Food, right? LOL

Thunder or Lightning?

Love them both…prefer lightning because I am sporting several lightning bolts on my body

Front seat or Back seat?

Is that a sex question?

Dark eyes or Light eyes?

Light…green

The sound of a heartbeat or a crackling fire?

Fire…That is the most peacefully romantic sound ever.

Sleeping bag or Bed? Dinner or Movie? Wine or Beer?

Bed…movie…neither drink works for me. I am a pussy drinker. It must have an umbrella and taste like a milkshake.

Coffee or Tea?

Tea. Tazo Awake Tea from Starbucks.

Holding hands or Holding her attention?

When I hold her hand, that gets her attention.

Red or Black? Black.

Always. I’m bad ass that way. Lol. Not really. But I play one on tv

Crayons or Paint? Crayons.

I love to color. So does my 23 year old daughter. What I wanted to be when I grew up was a comic book colorer.

High heels or Flip-flops?

Ugh. Neither. I am a tennis shoe/boot kinda gal.

Mountains or Beach?

Hands down, the beach. You don’t get bikinis in the mountains

Rain or Sunshine?

I live in California…what do you think?

Picnic in the park or Dancing in the club?

Picnic. Not a clubber…love the outdoors with a blanket, good food, and my girl.

Silk sheets or Cotton sheets?

Cotton. Silk lets her slide away too easily. Cotton…she stays.

Tell us about your new release.

Man Eaters is about Dallas and Roper, two women who meet at the beginning of an outbreak that causes people to become zombies. It’s the story about who they pick up along the way and how they come to learn how the virus started.  They have to decide to help and who to be careful of as they attempt to make it across the country to safety. As Dallas and Roper lean on each other to survive, they realize that the living are more dangerous to them than the undead. With twists and turns, love and betrayal, Man Eaters begs the question: Could you survive an apocalypse, and in doing so, still keep your humanity?

What kind of heroine is Dallas?

Dallas is a reluctant heroine. As a firefighter, it’s always been her job to save lives, yet in an apocalyptical world where the living are more dangerous than the undead, Dallas’s moral fiber has to adjust to the changing circumstances. It is not in her nature not to help others, but at what cost? This is the question she wrestles with throughout the book.                                                                                  

Was there someone famous she resembled when you wrote her? Or is she based off someone you personally know?

I think most of my heroines are modeled after Ellen Ripley and Lara Croft. They are smart, take chances kind of women. Dallas is a cross between my characters Delta Stevens and Echo Branson.

 What are your favorite character traits that you cannot resist?

Laughter. I love people who can laugh easily and often. I laugh all the time. It feels better than sex. The BEST? Laughing while having sex. That’s my heaven.

What part of the female physique captures your attention?

Boobs. I am a boob woman all the way. So soft…so yummy.

As an author and essentially the “creator” of your character, do you find yourself attached to her in a personal way?

I love and admire all my main characters. What I love about Dallas is her thoughtfulness. That’s normally a good trait, but not in this situation, and she struggles with how to maintain her humanity in a world that’s been turned upside down. Here’s an interesting tidbit…my partner must live with the knowledge that every single day, I am thinking about other women. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Echo, Jessie, or Dallas. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss Delta and Connie. They are as real to me as…I better stop here.

 

If you could actually meet the character of one of your books, the exact woman you’ve conjured up in both looks and personality, which one would it be and why?

Hands down, Delta Stevens. She’s funny, smart, and is rebellious. She was a far better cop than I ever was, but she does things her way. She is also incredibly loyal and the kind of woman you’d want with you in a bar fight. Here’s another interesting tidbit. When her best friend’s life was at stake in one book, the publisher wanted me to add a sex scene somewhere in the book. I said Delta would not stop to have sex as long as Connie’s life hung in the balance. I was right. Delta is an amazing character I’d love for a friend.

 

Tell us what kind of heroines you prefer to write about.

I prefer flawed women who rise above both their inadequacies and the systems in which they live. Delta’s flaw was an inability to follow rules. Echo’s flaw is she lacks the confidence to step up and lead. Jessie’s flaw is that she doesn’t feel worthy of the mantel handed to her. Parker’s flaw is not letting people get too close, Elsa’s flaw is she loves too hard and Dallas’s flaw is not understanding that who she was no longer exists. So I prefer characters who are forced to get out of their own way and then become willing to buck the system in order to get their needs met. My characters, while strong women, all have issues that often hold them back…and that’s why each one has a sidekick…and by the way…I love my sidekicks as much as my mains.

 

Does your heroine, Dallas take after you? Or is she someone you wish you could be?

I wish I could be any of them Do they take after me? Oh yes. Except for Parker. I would never have sex with a stranger in a bathroom. Lol.

 

Out of all your books, do you have a favorite?

My favorite is almost always the last one I wrote because I feel like I grow as a writer with every novel…but if I was hard pressed, I’d have to say the novel that touched me the most was Tory’s Tuesday. When I killed a character off, I grieved for three days. My favorite series to write is Echo. The hardest series to write is Jessie because the layering of time elements has to be just right.

Thank you so much for this interview. It was fun hammering out the answers. I have one last thing to say…

Sapphire is cutting edge and relevant to today’s reader. Not just the lesbian reader, but readers who like a well-crafted story and unforgettable characters. For people in search of stories they’ll think about long after the book is finished, Sapphire Books is the place to come!