Name: Linda Lucretia Shuler
Book Title: Hidden Shadows
Genre: Literary
Publisher: Twilight Times
Thank you for your time in
answering our questions about getting published. Let’s begin by having
you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?
Linda:
I knew I wanted to be an author
when I was around six or seven years old. I wrote my first story then, Koko the Monkey, which I still have
tucked in a drawer somewhere. I never asked myself why I wanted to write. It
was, and is, simply a natural part of me, something that’s always been there.
The idea for Hidden Shadows crept upon me slowly,
seductive in its call. I took round-about trips in my imagination as well as in
fact, exploring ideas and locales, before I found the path that the story
wanted to follow.
I felt the need to explore
grief, and how it can cleanse and renew or shatter and destroy. I wanted to
illuminate the process of healing, of connection: to the land, to our
ancestors, to others, to ourselves – and to the redemptive power of love.
And so Hidden Shadows was born.
Is this your first book?
Linda:
Yes, my first novel. A prequel
is rattling around in my thoughts, demanding to be heard.
With this particular book, how
did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you
choose this method?
Linda:
A close friend whose novels I
admire recommended her publisher, Twilight Times, a small press well respected
in the publishing industry. My friend’s experience was so favorable, I decided
to give it a try. So here I am!
Can you tell us a little about
your publishing journey? The pros and
cons?
Linda:
My journey isn’t done. I’m
still traveling, road map in hand.
However, from what I’ve experienced up to this juncture, there’s much to
commend, and much to complain, about such a trip:
Pro: The satisfaction of seeing
the story and characters born in my imagination come to life in print. The
sense that readers are touched by this invented world, that it lingers in their
thoughts, becomes a part of them. The ego-boosting “Yea!” when reading a
favorable critique. The feeling that I’ve accomplished something good, and
perhaps made a difference in someone’s life – if only for a moment.
Con: It takes work. A lot of
it. Patience. Fortitude. Non-creative, non-fun necessary stuff. I’m like a kid
wanting to kick her heels and howl in a temper tantrum because she can’t have
her dessert now, immediately! So much
work, in fact, that my mind hasn’t shifted gears enough to focus on the next
novel. It can be frustrating.
What lessons do you feel you
learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing
industry as a whole?
Linda:
The publishing world has changed
drastically over the last few years, and continues to morph. It would be easy
to feel lost among the throngs of writers, of the multitudes of books released.
Oh, to be listed among the top ten! That’s the dream of us all, isn’t it? It
would be easy for me as a writer to feel “in the dumps” because I’m in a crowd,
rather than among a select few. Or because my novel isn’t trumpeted in colorful
ads plastered across the pages of glossy magazines, or blessed by Opera, or
featured in the New York Times. But satisfaction must lie in the present
moment, and what we hold in our hands.
Would you recommend this method
of publishing to other authors?
Linda:
As the saying goes, “Different
strokes for different folks.” What works for one author may not work for
another. I hesitate to recommend a specific path toward publishing: the journey
depends upon the traveler. Do what feels right for you, and for the market you
want to attract.
What’s the best advice you can
give to aspiring authors?
Linda:
Believe in yourself. Don’t give
up – not ever, no matter how long it takes, no matter how many boulders are
strewn along the way, no matter how young or old you are. Enjoy the journey.
Enjoy every moment of your life; if not, dissatisfaction or disappointment
seeps into the pages of your work.
