Getting to know Lynn Crandall #author #contemporary #romance #suspense #paranormal

My guest today is a writer by nature and preference. Please help me welcome Lynn Crandall to the interview chair. We’ll take a gander at her bio and then dive into the questions.

If variety is the spice of life, then Lynn Crandall has spice covered. An award-winning author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal, she cut her writing teeth as a reporter for newspapers and radio, and feature writer for commercial and trade magazines. Now a full-time fiction author, she enjoys taking readers on emotional journeys with relatable characters who refuse to back down, and face challenges and tribulations with heart and soul. She believes every love has a story, and hers is with one handsome husband and a large, beautiful circle of family, including her cat, Winter

Website * Facebook *  Pinterest * Amazon

Betty: When did you become a writer?

Lynn: Boy, that is a good question. I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love words and stories, so I kind of think I was born a writer. But I didn’t start writing seriously until I was a young adult. I was always in search of what I wanted to be when I grew up and happened upon the book by John Garden title On Becoming a Novelist. Reading it was like going home.

Betty: How long did you work on your writing skills before you became published?

Lynn: I wrote for newspapers and magazines for a number of years before one of my manuscripts in romance got accepted by Kensington. So I would have to say several years.

Betty: What authors or stories do you feel influenced your writing style?

Lynn: I’ve read many of the Dresden Files books and I like the way Jim Butcher tells a story. Also, I appreciate the writing style of Kelley Armstrong. One of the first romance novels I read was Bitten and I was hooked.

Betty: What prompted you to start writing?

Lynn: I had an epiphany that I connected with my love of words, sentences, and phrases with writing.

Betty: What type of writing did you start with?

Lynn: I first wrote for newspapers and commercial and trade magazines, so I began with reporting. But while doing that I tried my hand at short stories and they got published so I was encouraged to keep developing my skills in fiction.

Betty: What do you most enjoy writing? Why?

Lynn: I have always explored ways of being creative. I first believed I would be an artist, but I gave up early on because I wasn’t satisfied with my abilities. But writing just clicked with me and I loved it from my first short story. I like the creativity of writing.

Betty: How did you learn to write? A mentor, classes, conferences, craft books, or something else?

Lynn: In my first newspaper job I had an amazing editor.

Betty: What do you wish you knew before you started writing/publishing?

Lynn: Writing has really changed while I’ve been writing. I wish I had known how to effectively promote my books.

Betty: What inspired you to write the book you’re sharing with us today?

Lynn: I like to write characters who have depth and deep seated woundings, so average people around me seem like heroes to me and I wanted to highlight them. They had problems and sorrows but managed to keep striving for a better, more meaningful life. I related personally to Cherish in Then There Was You because in the book she’s strong but is sort of lost in trying to make people in her life happy by suppressing her spirit. I believe strongly in people learning to unload their emotional problems and find peace because it is well worth the risk of rejection. I hope readers find Cherish an inspiration for creating a life worth living.

I liked the character of the hero in the book. Grayson loved his work as a newspaper reporter and holding public figures’ feet to the fire. But his passion got him in trouble, and he had to figure out how to build a new life. I liked his strength of character and his passion. I hope readers appreciate his sacrifices and path to freedom and true love.

Cherish Moss is well aware that most people would do anything for the life she has:
accomplished attorney, daughter of a wealthy family, and hours away from her wedding day. But on the inside, she is barely breathing and no one even notices. When she leaves her fiancé at the alter she waits for the feeling of remorse…so why as she runs out of the church and down the street does she feel like she’s reclaiming her life?

Grayson Steele is hiding out having left his dream job in Chicago as an investigative reporter. After exposing police corruption, the threats on his life came fast and furious and now he has to not only protect himself but his family too. He’s not interested in a relationship. He can’t be, because he won’t put anyone in danger. But after meeting Cherish at a local bar, his longing for
her is intense and it won’t go away.

The timing is all wrong for them both, but Grayson and Cherish must face the unwanted fate they helped create or follow their hearts to survive.

Excerpt:

Gray stepped back and gestured her in. “Come take the wheel.”

“You’re kidding me.”

“It’s easy and I’m right here.”

She bobbled her heard, but she couldn’t hide interest. “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t.”

Cherish slid past him and her hands hovered over the wheel. “Is it like driving a car? Hands at ten and two?”

“Here.” He took both her hands and gently massaged them. “Loosen up. Now put them where they feel comfortable.” His stomach clenched at the touch of her skin and whiff of her summery scent. “Remember. You’re the Queen of the World.”

“Queen of the Sea,” she corrected, grinning.

“Just keep it steady. The wind will take us to our destination, you just have to keep the boat on course.”

“I can feel the water under my feet. Not literally, of course. It’s an amazing feeling.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. That connection to the lake is what makes a sailor great.”

The wind gusted and she shrieked as she lost control of the wheel. The boat listed enough to almost topple her over, but Grayson caught her. He stopped the wheel from spinning and nodded to her. “You’re okay. See, I got you.”

“I wasn’t prepared for that.”

His breathing deepened. Her body didn’t move away from his. He stamped on his urge to nuzzle her neck; it was so tempting. “Put your hands back on the wheel. That wasn’t fatal. You’ve got this, remember.”

Buy links: Amazon * Books2Read

Having a great editor is always important for improving your writing because it’s a personal relationship between the writer and editor and the manuscript. Thanks for stopping in, Lynn!

Happy reading!

Betty

P.S. If you haven’t already, please consider signing up for my newsletter, which I send out most every month, including news like new covers, new releases, and upcoming appearances where I love to meet my readers, along with recipes and writing progress. Thanks and happy reading!

Visit http://www.bettybolte.com for more on my books and upcoming events.