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20
January – March 2014
www.deltalivingmagazine.com
DELTA
BOOK
Corner
Solving Crimes in Stilettos:
One Novel at a Time
By Charleen Earley
charleenbearley@gmail.com
As a huge fan of Sue Grafton’s
books, I stumbled upon a new
favorite murder-mystery writer,
LynDee Walker of Richmond,
Virginia. What caught my atten-
tion were the high heels on her
book covers.What kept my atten-
tion was her protagonist’s journal-
istic approach to solving each case.
Between three kids, a husband
and book-writing, the award-
winning journalist, who gave up a
life of deadlines for motherhood,
took time out of her busy sched-
ule to answer my nosey questions.
LynDee is author of Front Page
Fatality, Buried Leads, Heartache
Motel, and Small Town Spin, to
be released April, 2014.
How old (young) are you? And
where were you born and raised?
I’m 36. I was born and raised
in FortWorth,Texas, and still have
the weakness for great Tex-Mex
and good-looking cowboys to
prove it.
Siblings? Are they writers too?
I am an only child of a sin-
gle mom. But I have been lucky
enough to make some wonderful
writer friends who prop me up
on days when I need it, and cheer
with me on wonderful days.
Education?
I have a BA in news-editorial
journalism from the University of
North Texas, with a minor in Po-
litical Science.
Did you ever know your father?
Nope. My mom was a special
kind of awesome, though, with the
supermom ability to juggle every-
thing and be both parents. I have
two beloved and wonderful uncles
who showed me there were good
men in the world. I don’t feel like
I missed anything.
How much of your personal life
is woven into your novels?
Not as much as people prob-
ably think. Nichelle is a reporter,
like I once was, and she has a spe-
cial relationship with her mom and
a few very close friends, too. But I
am happily married to my lifelong
one and only, and have three small
children and a lot of fun making
up stories these days.
What do you love about writ-
ing?
There’s nothing in the world
better than putting fresh words on
a page. I love the escape, the rush
of excitement when I nail a pas-
sage, and the feel of the keys under
my fingers. It’s part of who I am.
How long does it take you to
write a book, from concept to print?
These days? Usually about 15-
18 months from the idea stage to
launch day.
Advice to my readers’ inner-
writers?
Don’t give up.Writing isn’t al-
ways easy, and publishing is a tough
business. But if it’s the thing you
love to do, keep trying until you
succeed.
Do you ever get negative feed-
back/criticism? If so, how do you
deal with it?
Oh, sure! I don’t know any
writer who doesn’t. I think my
days as a reporter prepared me well
for this. I was threatened with law-
suits, and even arrest once while I
was working as a journalist.When
you’ve faced that kind of contempt
for your work, it’s easier to remind
yourself that no book is univer-
sally loved. There are even folks
out there who hate Gone with
theWind and Harry Potter. Every
reader is entitled to their opinion,
and I’m very glad so many people
have lovely things to say about my
novels. I just keep my focus on
them.
Describe your writing disci-
plines.
It’s pretty much every word for
itself.With three little ones, I don’t
get to have set times for writing ev-
ery day. Luckily, the news business
prepared me well for that, because
I can write regardless of noise level,
location, or hour. When I get to
choose, I prefer to write on the old
blue loveseat in my sunroom, with
90s pop music playing pretty loud.
I usually try for 1,500-2,500 words
a day, and I always leave off while I
still know what happens next (hey,
it worked for Hemingway). But
days when I get to do that are rare.
I can regularly be found working
at Starbucks in the evening or on
the weekend, or sitting by the pool
writing while the children play in
the summer.
Who, in the literary world, in-
spires you and why?
There are too many authors
who inspire me with their work
to list. I am a book nerd first
and foremost, and I read all the
time. I think everything I read
shapes my writing in some way,
and I would guess that’s true for
all writers. So here’s my answer:
people who use the platform
their position affords them to do
good in the world inspire me.
Right after Hurricane Sandy, my
first book hadn’t even come out
yet, so I wasn’t in a position to