Linda Wood Rondeau, Author of “The Other Side of Darkness”

Welcome, Linda. What is your book about?

The Other Side of Darkness is about getting rid of unnecessary guilt, guilt we put on ourselves rather than accept that God has already put those sins into the sea of His forgetfulness. Prosecutor Samantha Knowles, burdened with guilt surrounding her father’s death, heads for Vermont on a ski-vacation but finds herself stranded in a small, quirky town nestled in the Adirondack Mountains. The town would be a perfect place to rest if it weren’t for an escaped child killer looking for revenge.

What inspired you to write this particular story?

The idea of The Other Side of Darkness first took shape when I visited the southern Adirondacks. I knew I wanted a story set in this historic location, one that blended history with the present, one that had ethereal elements. The town of Haven is patterned after the real-life town of Whitehall, NY, the birthplace of the American Navy. When I saw Skene Manor, the idea of Dawn’s Hope took place, an ancestral home filled with intrigue and of course, the Rochester-type heroine that occupies it.

Who is your most unusual/most likeable character?

I think my favorite character is Aunt Sadie. She is loving and industrious, but is a woman with a secret.

How has your background influenced your writing?

I spent over twenty-five years in human services, mostly in family counseling with families in crisis. Though The Other Side of Darkness is my first published book, I have written other books that I hope will find a home. In all my books, I write about the impact of our environment on a growing Faith, how the baggage of our past lives, like David’s adulterous sin, creeps into our Christian walk, affecting our lives and how God’s Grace uses the whole of us, toward Good.

What are you working on right now?

My next project is I Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children. Jocelyn Johnson is a radio personality on a show dedicated to helping moms. However, her personal life is in shambles as she contemplates an affair, she grapples with problems related to her five children and her husband Larsen, a criminal psychologist. Answers to her distraught existence seem beyond reach until she meets the author of a book, I Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children.

Have you ever had difficulty “killing off” a character in your story because she or he was so intriguing and full of possibility for you, his or her creator?

I did kill off a character in The Other Side of Darkness. That was hard because I’d hoped he would come to salvation. Not everyone who hears the Word accepts the Word. That is reality.

What, in your opinion, are the essential qualities of a good story?

What constitutes a good story will vary according to who is reading it. As readers, we like different aspects in a story. But, I think, a good story is like Fred and Ginger dance routine. All the elements: dialogue, plot, characterization, setting, and theme all work together to produce a flawless experience. ,

What advice you would give to an aspiring author?

Don’t give up. It took eleven years for me from the day I first felt God’s call to write professionally to the day my agent called to tell me I’d been offered a book contract. And now the journey is just beginning. While you’re waiting: join a critique group or two, join writers groups, be open to suggestion but never sacrifice your individuality as a writer. Start developing a platform, that is, a way to build name recognition. You can’t do that sitting in your chair. Be a community person.

How have you marketed and promoted your work?

Marketing is a strange bird to me…one I know whose chirp I must learn. I make it a point to do 3-5 marketing things a day. At the moment, I am planning a cyber release party since I am unable to do a normal launch party. I hope to start a speaking program. In the spring, I will visit my former home town in the Adirondacks and do some book tours. I already have several groups that would like me to speak to them. Getting started here in my new town, Jacksonville, Florida, will be a challenge. I am finding much helpful advice through my various writing associations. The one thing I’ve learned is you can’t do it all in one day.

What words would you like to leave the world when you are gone?

God Gave you your dreams. Do not insult Him by saying they are impossible.

Where can we learn more about you and your books?

Links: Website: http://www.lindarondeau.com
Blogs: This Daily Grind: http://lindarondeau.blogspot.com/
Back in the Daze: http://backinthedaze-linda.blogspot.com/
Purchase information:
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Darkness-ebook/dp/B006BG8ZS6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322363627&sr=1-1
Pelican Book Group http://www.pelicanbookgroup.com/ec/index.php