Hello Everyone,
I checked my site and it was down. I reported it and now it is back up but all my latest post are missing. Please be patient and we will see what we can do to bring it back up to date. Thank You, Linda
Author: Linda Laughlin (Page 4 of 11)
Linda Laughlin spent her early childhood in Eastern Oklahoma and most of her adult life in historical Fort Smith, Arkansas. Her first career consisted of raising two fantastic children and her second was in banking. In addition to having published two novels to date, she recently started writing a biweekly column on regional authors for the Fort Smith, Arkansas newspaper, the Times Record. She loves hearing from her readers.
Wearing the publishing hat!
After I finished my first book, someone told me about a contest sponsored by Harlequin. I entered and was amazed at the sheer number of other entries, because basically, anything anyone submits in the English language qualifies. Since this covers writers located in England, Canada, South Africa, Australia, etc. in addition to the USA, that makes for a lot of competition. To enter I was supposed to submit a first chapter, so I went to a friend who taught college English and asked her tell me what she thought of the mine. I was surprised at her critique; she pointed out that while she liked it, she found herself wanting to correct the grammar in the dialog, then realized not everyone spoke proper grammar. That gave me a lot to think about! To make a long story short, I didn’t place in the contest and eventually decided to publish on my own, which meant figuring out how. If you are an independent author you have to wear a lot of hats, and publisher is just one of them.
Finding the perfect partner, right on my own doorstep!
I come from a generation that doesn’t always co-exist with computers easily. With an actual publishing house, that wouldn’t have been an issue since I could have written the books and sent them in, end of involvement short of necessary revisions. As an indy author, this was a major problem.
When she was growing up, my daughter and I had the usual struggles and, although we have always shared a deep love, some days we didn’t like each other very well. In the end she turned out to be a strong woman, and since I consider myself to be strong as well, imagine my shock and eventual pleasure to find that she and I would become the perfect team in publishing my books. When writing, she acts as my editor. She has no problem marking a sentence, a paragraph or even a page in red and putting a note in the margin; “Mom, this doesn’t work,” or “You have already covered this subject on page number __.” Next, I decide on a book cover and she turns into the graphic designer who makes it work. Her final step is to clean up the manuscript, making sure all the chapters and paragraphs line up so that it can be uploaded to the printer. She also plays a essential part in making the web page you are now reading work. These are things I could never do by myself!
‘Run For Your Life!’ free in e-book format…
I didn’t think about writing a sequel to ‘Run For Your Life!’ but ideas just kept coming to me. For one thing, Steve and Leah kept wanting to finish their story and Jeff Randall was just too evil to fade away. Darrin, who appeared in the first book as the pampered and spoiled younger brother, grew up and also had a story to tell so, ‘Fight For Your Life!’ came to life. If you haven’t read “Run For Your Life!” then you could certainly read ‘Fight For Your Life!’ without buying the first book as it stands on it’s own. I do think that anyone who likes the story line would enjoy reading it from the very beginning however. While I can’t afford to send everyone a free book to make that easier, I will be dropping the price on the e-book version of ‘Run For Your Life!’ so that over the next few weeks you can download the electronic version for free. ‘Fight For Your Life!’ will be released on August 5th at most, if not all of the major retailers. If you are a person who likes to have the actual book in your hands, then you can order the paperback version of ‘Fight For Your Life!’ as soon as it becomes available.
“Thank You!”
I want to thank all of you who have read ‘Run For Your Life!’ I love hearing your thoughts on the book and I especially like hearing that you are looking forward to ‘Fight For Your Life!’ I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy reading, Linda
I have noticed that with self-publishing it’s easier than ever to get a book published. There are several sites who will work with you to print the book, as well as setup and sell your work in the e-book format, but the author is expected to do their own marketing. Needless to say, it’s harder to get it in front of the public. In my section of Arkansas and Oklahoma there are a growing number of self-published authors, of which I am one. Seeing a need for local representation, I recently contacted the editor of the regional newspaper to propose a column featuring our area’s authors and was excited as well as a bit shocked when he approved my idea. Beginning the 18th of July, I will be doing a twice monthly column entitled “The Book Nook” for the Times Record. I want to introduce you to some outstanding, independent authors and in turn, I will get to meet writers of all ages and learn what they enjoy writing about. I hope this will create an interest in all kinds of books, so grab a copy of the Times Record or visit them online and let me acquaint you with our area authors. My column will appear on the first and third Tuesday of each month if you would like to check it out!
Also, be sure to look for my newest book, “Fight For Your Life!” coming soon!
Happy reading, Linda
A lot of you have been asking about book two. My editor and I have gone through the manuscript one last time, trying to make it the best it can be, and it’s now being set up in both ebook and paperback formats. You should see “Fight For Your Life” in print sometime within the next month. I was proud of the first book, but as an author I think I have grown and book two shows just how much.
In this follow up to Run For Your Life! I take you back to visit the Burke family, but the real star is the old Burke Mine. Grandpa Burke left what he thought was a played out old mining claim to his family, never dreaming that they would find something far more important down in it’s tunnels. Steve and Darrin fight for a future and what they hold most dear, family; will they find another fortune while fighting for their life? Come join them and see Jeffery Randall, a truly evil man, finally get his due.
Be sure to look for “Fight For Your Life!” by Linda Laughlin, available soon!!
Happy reading, Linda
aka, No Publisher for Linda
I thought I had attracted the attention of a publisher, but it was simply not meant to be. She had a series of family emergencies and then seemingly disappeared off the map. After quite a few months without any contact from her in addition to numerous reader queries, I believe it is time to head back to San Diego and as Paul Harvey used to say, ‘the rest of the story’. I’m not particularly good at marketing, but I need to try since you have been so patiently waiting!
The publisher in question told me when we first met that I had a horrible cover for my first book; how I wish I had asked her to explain! Since a lot of the next book takes place in the desert of San Diego county, I’m thinking of simplifying this one and using a landscape of the area for it’s cover. If I give you a preview, will you tell me what you think? My editor and I are going back through the manuscript one last time as I write this, so you should see it in print soon.
So without further ado, here is the tentative first draft of my new cover. Feel free to leave a reply on this post, drop me a line through Author@LindaLaughlin.com or on the form of my Contact page and tell me your opinion.
Happy reading, Linda
I just got back from five days in Branson, Missouri. The countryside is breathtaking, the rock formations fascinating, and Table Rock Lake is deep and clear. Branson also happens to be known for it’s entertainment. If you love nature but also crave activities, this is a wonderful place to spend some time. Be prepared however, a lot of other people have the same idea and the one thing you probably won’t enjoy is the traffic.
Some friends and I had initially drove up to see the Broadway show, Menopause the Musical. If you are a man you probably won’t appreciate the humor, but women will love it. Getting older isn’t always fun, but it’s certainly amusing when viewed through the lens of this show. Teri Adams, Patti Gardner, Megan Cavanaugh, and Donna J. Huntley are touring the United States with this particular musical parody production, so if you get a chance, go see it; it is worth the price of a ticket.
There are a lot of other shows to be found in Branson, including one on the water. Presented on a showboat known as the Branson Belle, “Forever Young” is a new production and which, if I’m not mistaken, has some original music.
Another especially fun night found us down on Branson Landing at a Piano Bar. Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar lives up to it’s name and entertains you with just that, dueling pianos. It’s a great place to spend an evening!
What I ended up liking the most was something I wasn’t even sure I would, and that was the Butterfly Palace. I have never experienced anything else like it. Patterned after a Costa Rican rain forest complete with several species of orchids, it is hot and humid but the butterflies are absolutely beautiful. As you enter, they give you a small vial of nectar with a plastic flower on top and before long, their winged charges will come to feed.
They call us the flyover states because we are the places you fly over to get from the East coast to the West coast and back. Stop in between and take time to look however and you will find plenty of places worth mentioning. Branson, Missouri is definitely such a place, so go check it out!
Oh, and don’t forget a good book, just in case you need a little down time.
Happy reading, Linda
Odd Sayings
Back when I was a child we heard a lot of odd sayings that were passed down from generation to generation. My mother’s favorite was, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” I can remember thinking, “Why would someone want to skin a cat?” My grandfather, upon hearing me express my unhappiness, would tell me, ” Linda, you are at that awkward age, too old to cry and too little to cuss.” He had another one I always liked, “He wouldn’t be happy if you hung him with a new rope.” Later, I worked with a lady who, when some of the employees got in an argument, would chime in with, “Don’t involve me, I don’t have a dog in that fight.”
I used one of these odd sayings just today. The manicurist where I get my hair cut was telling me about a phone call she had just received. The lady she spoke with had a special event come up unexpectedly and needed her nails done, but she wanted a special manicure. Each nail was to have a special design and she wanted the appointment for the next day. The manicurist told her she was booked up solid, and besides, she would have to book at least twice the amount of time for such an intricate design. Needless to say, the woman did not take this news well. That was when I spoke up; “You should have told her people in hell want ice water and you just can’t help her.” ( As we get older we tend to lose the filter on our mouths.) The manicurist forgot to be cross and everyone enjoyed a good laugh.
Political Correctness and Better Education
You used to hear a lot of these little quotes. Over time we have gotten better educated and travel more, plus everyone is always trying to be political correct, so they are are gradually dying out. I don’t know if we will ever lose everything. The south still takes their time and draws out the vowels while the east and north speak so fast, we southerners have a problem keeping up! I do know we are losing the quirky little sayings that used to be a fun part of our heritage.
Arizona meets Arkansas
Several years ago I had a friend who worked as a hair stylist. (Back then it was a beautician.) Quite frequently I would go in to get my hair cut and then we would go out to lunch. I arrived one day to see three generations of ladies who had come in for their appointments. The grandmother and mother had already had their turn and were waiting for my friend to finish with the daughter. After she was done, the mother was writing a check to pay for the three of them while the grandmother was the first out the door. As she stepped out, she turned and commented, “It sure is clabbering up out here!” As soon as the door closed behind the ladies my friend collapsed into laughter. Since she was raised in Arizona I knew she needed a translator and smiled, understanding her confusion. “She means it is looks like rain.” Debbie was still laughing half way through lunch. Considering other times I’ve had to translate, it makes me wonder, are we losing our ability to be individuals?
It might be fun, before we loose them all, to round up your older friends and ask them to tell you about their favorite odd sayings. At the very least it should make for an enjoyable time. Until then, grab a good book!
Happy reading, Linda
Aging!
They call us senior citizens and talk about the “Golden Years”. This is a bunch of hooey originating from some advertising agency in New York City. Take it from someone who knows, it’s really the “Challenging Years”! You can remember the stupidest things, like what your mother served you for breakfast on your thirteenth birthday, but what eludes you is where you put the item you had in your hand five minutes ago. I have decided that one way to deal with this problem is to have a place for everything and put everything in it’s place, which is of course easier said than done.
Organization
What is that saying? “Show me someone with a clean desk and I will show you someone who doesn’t do anything.” Never one to get discouraged when I had set my mind to something, I purchased a label maker, file folders and two rolling carts: one for my writing and the other for my genealogy. Recently, I have developed an interest in finding my family roots and thought the cart, with three shallow drawers and two file drawers, would be perfect for this project. I would have everything in one place, now all I had to do was figure out what I was doing!
You’re Organized, it’s all on that Damn Cart, now Why Can’t You Find It???
I put the results of my and my brother’s DNA tests in a notebook and placed it in the top drawer of my cart. Everything else was stored below, all neatly organized. Someone then asked me a question and naturally I can’t remember the answer, but it should be in a three ring binder in the top drawer of my genealogy cart… except it isn’t. I searched the cart, twice, before searching the house, yet still no notebook. This is why I got the cart and I can’t understand why my system has failed. I am getting frustrated and saying some not so nice words when I remember, a few days before I had loaned the book to my daughter.
Conclusion: Aging is a Challenge.
I have decided that there is no magic formula to aging, but there is an alternative; we should all take a leaf out of Auntie Mame’s book and have fun! ( Note: if you don’t know who Auntie Mame is, you should really look her up.) On second thought, maybe I will watch Forest Gump one more time. “Life is like a box of chocolates!” Now I can get behind that!
Happy reading, Linda
There is nothing like spring; the sun shining on the new green leaves, the flowers poking their head through the dirt, it somehow makes the world look fresher and brighter. I opened the patio doors and walked outside to enjoy the day, but as I turned to go inside something darted in ahead of me: the first fly of the year. This guy was large and the fact that he had been hibernating recently didn’t seem to be slowing him down one bit. When I said he was big, I mean he was huge, like the size of a WWII bomber. I grabbed the spray and chased him around the house, wondering which of us was going to have a heart attack first. Finally, he darted into the bathroom and I slammed the door on him before heading to the laundry room where the fly-swat was hanging in a small broom closet.
Let me pause here to say that as a child, I discovered I was horrible at sports. You see, I have a problem with depth perception. My brothers were eight and ten years older than I so mother would not let them beat me up, but my older brother wisely devised a way of getting even when I irritated him. He would offer to play catch and since I couldn’t catch the ball, he could hurl it at me and be certain to hit me with it. Then, he would tell Mother that he was just trying to play ball with me. It wasn’t his fault that I got hit, but back to the fly.
At first I couldn’t find him and I got to wondering if he had somehow gotten out as I slammed the door. I looked in the shower, but still no fly. Then I spotted him on the wall just under the light fixture. Now if he had been flying I probably would have chased him another fifteen minutes, but there he was, trying to get warm. All in all, it wasn’t even a fair fight.
The world is certainly a beautiful place if you just stop and look. New life at every turn and the water running in all the streams. There is nothing more breathtaking than an unexpected waterfall or a quiet, shady glade. There is just one fly in the ointment, B U G S!
Find a quite spot and curl up with a good book, and maybe some bug spray if you decide to do it outside!
Happy reading, Linda
I apologize for not posting in some time. The awful upper respiratory infection that was going around this year finally caught me.
♦ ♦ ♦
He was just a little boy, but even at three years old he hated his size. Most of the time it didn’t bother him that he was taller than the other children. What he hated most was going into the grocery store with his mother and having to ride in the cart. If Mom was in a hurry putting him in the seat, sometimes he would bump his knees on the wire and that really hurt. When Mom measured him on the picture of the giraffe that hung on the closet door and was made to keep up with children’s height, she would smile and say how wonderful it was that he would be tall like his dad and grandpa. Of course it wasn’t her that was too tall to fit in that basket on wheels, but what could a boy do? Would he stop growing if she didn’t measure him on the giraffe anymore? He would have to think about that.
They were in the car when mom explained that they had to stop at the grocery store. Oh no, he thought. How could he talk her out of putting him in the basket? He could walk beside her, he would be good. After all, he was three years old now.
His mother pulled into the market parking lot and parked, then got out and went to the passenger side to help him out.
“We must be quick, I need to get home so we can start dinner,” she explained as she took his hand and they walked toward the store.
Now was the time; how did he ask so she would agree? She was walking quickly and he had to almost run to keep up. Okay, he was going to try.
“Mom, would you let me walk beside the basket? I would be good, I promise,” he said, a hopeful expression on his face.
” Honey, I’m in a hurry, we should have been home by now. Please be good and don’t make a fuss,” she replied.
“Please, my legs don’t fit in that basket. I’ll stay right beside you, I promise,” he pleaded.
“Okay, but you can’t wonder off. You have to stay right beside me, I don’t have time to hunt for you if we get separated,” she said.
They went up one aisle to get two cans of tomatoes. In another section they got a bag of onions. Mom looked down at him and smiled before they went back to where the meat was kept for a large package of ground beef.
The next thing he knew, a lady was coming toward him while pushing a basket and she was wobbling all over the place. If he stayed beside Mom, the lady was going to run over him, but he had promised. What was he supposed to do? He decided that the only thing he could do was move over behind Mom until the lady went by. He was walking behind his mother and watching her while waiting for the lady to pass when his mother suddenly stopped the cart. Soon, she was calling his name. Was she angry? Would she torture him by putting him back in the basket? She called his name again, a little louder this time.
As she was turning toward him, he answered her. “I am right behind you, baby!” he said, quoting a song he had heard in the car earlier.
At first he couldn’t tell. Was she angry? Would she put him back in the cart? Then he saw it, the little tilt at the corner of her mouth. She was trying to keep from laughing.
“There you are, let’s get some bread sticks and then we can go home. I thought we would have spaghetti and meatballs. That is your and Daddy’s favorite dinner.”
Some years later, when he was in the sixth grade, he has asked his mom to quit measuring him. He was even taller, well over six foot, and tired of being tall. He is sorry to report that it didn’t work.