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www.deltalivingmagazine.com
January – March 2014
do anything but donate money
like everyone else. But a group of
authors, agents, and editors (mine
included) got together and set up
an online auction to raise mon-
ey for the victims. It was hugely
successful, and helped so many
people.That was inspiring.
What does your husband do for
a living and how supportive is he
and your kids?
He’s in construction manage-
ment for an international energy
savings company. So he saves the
planet, and I entertain people. In
the grand scheme, I think what he
does is way more important.
I am blessed with a fabulously
supportive family.My husband un-
derstands that writing is necessary
for my happiness, and he makes
sure I have time to do it. My little
monkeys (I have 2 girls and a boy,
9, 5, and 3) are proud of me and
love to tell people their mommy
writes books for a living. It’s one of
the coolest things about all this, to
see the children be as proud of me
as I always am of them.
How do you handle "fame”?
I think I have entirely too
much laundry waiting upstairs
to be considered famous. In my
daydreams, at least, famous people
don’t have mountains of clothes
to wash and fold.
But seriously—of course I an-
swer my email! If someone has
taken the time to read my books
and then taken more time to write
me and tell me they enjoyed them,
the least I can do is write them
back! I love hearing from readers,
and I’m never too busy to respond.
At this point in your life, what
are your future dream and goals?
I am a girl blessed. I’d like to
be able to continue doing exactly
what I’m doing. And I’ll get to,
for a while at least. I just signed a
new three-book deal with Henery
Press for more Headlines in High
Heels novels.
My biggest career goal is to
write a better book every time.
My personal goals are to be a good
wife and mom. I want my children
to grow up to be as amazing as I
know they are, and do great things.
You probably have no time, but
do you still write for any newspa-
pers or publications other than your
novels?
Occasionally, though it’s get-
ting harder. I write features about
interesting people for a local pub-
lication, which is a lot of fun, be-
cause I get to meet people and tell
their stories.And I have a mommy
column on examiner.com where
I write about whatever strikes my
fancy, but my time is definitely
stretching thinner with every
book.
Do you miss being a crimes re-
porter?
I miss meeting people and tell-
ing their stories, and feeling like I
helped them somehow. I miss the
bustle of the newsroom. But I do
not miss the crazy 80-hour weeks
and emotional drain. I’m fortunate
to be able to do what I do now,
because I’d see a whole lot less of
my family if I was still a reporter.
Do you do readings and speak-
ing engagements?
I do! I spent five years aWeight
Watchers meeting leader, which
has been ever so handy for being
able to get up and talk in front of
groups. I love meeting readers, so
events are a lot of fun for me.
Is it difficult to find a publisher
and editor?
Goodness, it was for me. I que-
ried Front Page Fatality off and on
for almost two years. Having come
from an industry where something
I wrote was published just about
every day, the difficulty of book
publishing was quite a rude awak-
ening. But I’m thrilled with where
Nichelle and I landed. My editor
has a sharp eye, and she really gets
my stories and sees ways to make
them better every time.The mar-
keting department is innovative
and responsive. Henery Press has
been very good to me.
What are some of the challenges
and joys of writing a book(s)?
For me, finding time to work
and not feeling like I’m neglect-
ing something else (usually clean-
ing and laundry). All writers get
writer’s block, and the middle of a
new draft is always the hardest part
for me. That feeling that I’m still
so far from the end, and goodness,
will this really work? The first and
last third of a book are way easier
for me to write than the middle.
I love almost everything about
writing. The feel of the keys un-
der my fingers, the words appear-
ing on the page. I love seeing what
my characters are going to do on
a certain day, or how Nichelle
will get herself out of the latest
mess I’ve cooked up for her. I love
meeting and hearing from read-
ers. And I love getting to be here
with my kids and still do what I
love to do.
How did your high school jour-
nalism teacher inspire you?
She reinforced that I could do
anything I was willing to work
hard enough for, and taught me
to never back down from a tough
story.The information you need is
always somewhere: it’s just a matter
of finding it. Her name is Lynnda
Roselle and she’s retired now, but
I was lucky enough to have her
as our newspaper advisor for my
junior and senior years in high
school. Almost 20 years later, I’m
still proud to call her my friend.
What is your mantra in life?
Don’t worry, be happy. It’s hard
for me to listen to sometimes, but
I strive for it every day.
Twitter: @LynDeeWalker
Facebook: www.facebook.com/lyndeewalkerbooks
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/lyndee_walker
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/lyndeewalker