Linda Au: I enjoy
typewriters, tech gadgets, crocheting, air conditioning, cats, guinea pigs,
semi-tame squirrels in my yard, meandering around Sam’s Club looking for huge
vats of salsa, and anything else that lets me be the adrenaline junkie I
clearly am.
Do
you have any hobbies?
No. I
don’t have any hobbies.
Just
kidding. Besides the stereotypical reading that most writers would list, I also
enjoy playing board games with my grown kids or computer games alone, crocheting,
listening to “Weird Al” Yankovic music, watching Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder
movies, and going on cruises with my husband. (I think that last one is a
requirement at our age.)
What
is your favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere
on a cruise ship! We’re not sure when we’ll be able to go on a cruise, or whether
the ship would even be able to dock at any ports, but if the boat simply
dawdles around the ocean for a week or so, going nowhere, I’d be totally fine
with that.
If
you were given a ticket to anywhere and spending money to indulge, where would
you go?
Scotland!
I’ve been to London twice (thirty years apart), and somehow missed getting to
Scotland both times. So close, yet so far. Maybe the third time’s a charm.
Do
you have pets?
I’m
currently the slave to two annoying, demanding guinea pigs, Carl and Steve. Honestly,
how can a creature this small make such loud noises?
What
is your favorite color and what do you love about it?
Green,
emerald green. I have no idea what I love about it, since it reminds me of all
the weeds growing around our lawn and all the yard work I tend to neglect.
What
was your favorite book as a child?
Black
Beauty… which
led to reading any book I could find in the library that had speaking/talking
animals. Not the fairy-tale type animals of Disney movies, but more realistic
animals living in nature. I wish I remembered any of these titles (I don’t
remember even one!), but I do remember reading stories of anthropomorphic foxes
in their dens and deer in the forest.
What
is one thing about yourself you’d like to change or are trying to work on?
My weird
concept of time management needs some work. Working from home means freedom…
almost too much freedom. I’m easily distracted (look, squirrel!), and I tend to
work in fits and starts, often staying up till three a.m. when I’ve hit a
stride and can’t seem to turn off the muse. I’m a hopeless night owl, which is
only a problem when some rude person insists that I be somewhere before noon.
What
music genre/singer/band is your go-to for a bad day? For working?
Always “Weird
Al” Yankovic. But when he’s not quite right (which is almost never), I turn to
alternative and grunge music, preferably from the 1990s when I first discovered
it. And yes, I realize it’s a long way from “Weird Al” Yankovic to Nirvana and
Nine Inch Nails. I juggle it as best I can.
Do
you reread books? If so, is there one in particular?
The only
books I’ve ever reread are the Outlander series books by Diana Gabaldon. I was
fortunate enough to get sneak peeks at the first book when she was uploading
early chapters to CompuServe’s LitForum thirty years ago, asking for critique.
I’ve been in love with the series ever since and am on my sixth or seventh
reread. (I like to reread the entire series before a new book comes out.)
I’m also
just starting a reread of the A Song of Ice and Fire series and will then take
up Lord of the Rings again.
Are
you an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert?
I’m
definitely an introvert and never get lonely or fearful being alone. It’s not
that I dislike being around people, and I don’t mind being in a large crowd as
long as I don’t need to interact with everyone. But I do need high-end “alone
time” once I’ve had to socialize with other people. The exemptions to this rule
are my closest friends, my family, and my grandson. They get a free “Get Out of
Introversion Free” card every time.
Does
pineapple go on pizza?
No! What
kind of barbarian do you think I am?
Pineapple
goes in a glass as juice or on a fork as fruit. Period.
How
many places have you lived?
I grew
up on the other end of the state in Easton, Pa. I meandered out here for
college (Carnegie Mellon) in 1979 and then pretty much stayed here. It’s been a
good choice. So far. But it’s only been forty years, so we’ll see if it sticks.
😉
What
was your first job?
I worked
at our local McDonald’s at age 16 (like everybody else my age), then switched
to the local Burger King at age 17. (When I was in my mid-20s and very poor, I
took a night job at a local Wendy’s. This trifecta of fast-food jobs has given
me definite opinions about each franchise.)
What
is your favorite down-time activity?
I love playing
computer games, fiddling around with book cover ideas in InDesign, binge-watching
one of several miniseries, or rewatching the same dozen of my favorite movies
while I fiddle around with those book cover ideas.
Are
you an outdoor type? Have a green thumb?
I love
camping (except when it rains, and it always rains). But I like it best with
one of those pop-up tents and a comfy airbed. And only when it’s not 90
degrees and humid. So that almost means I really don’t like camping, I guess.
Yes, I
do have a green thumb. Plants inside my house thrive to the point where I can’t
give away replanted spider plants fast enough. And the weeds that grow up around
our yard are a living testament to how much plants feel at home here. Just my
luck.
However,
I hate outdoor yard work. I mean, with a pure, undefiled hatred.
If
you could live inside a movie, which would you choose and which character would
you be?
I’d live
inside Howards End, as one of the Schlegels, sitting in drawing rooms, reading
books, talking with friends about books, playing piano, and having tea. But I’d
skip stealing other people’s umbrellas. That never turns out well.
Are
you the type to take a dare?
Nope. I
am definitely not a risk-taker. Like, not at all. Unless it’s a goofy
dare. I’d totally do that.
Do
you have a favorite motto or quote that applies to your own life?
“Always
remember you’re unique … just like everyone else.”
What
is one thing you’ve learned through experience that you’d love to pass along to
others?
Taking
care of yourself in the world when you become an adult is a lot harder than
most of us realized when we were teenagers aching to get out from under our
parents’ houses. Oh sure, our parents were constantly telling us how tough it
was going to be, but we weren’t listening, were we? No, we weren’t. Because they
totally didn’t know what they were talking about. We knew better.
And yet,
they were right. Darn it, they were right. Just surviving is a Herculean task.
What
books, other than your own, would you highly recommend?
As I’ve
mentioned, the Outlander series is outstanding as historical fiction and just compelling,
grand storytelling. I also love Lisa Lutz’s series of The Spellman Files
books—hilarious, witty, and constantly surprising.
On to
writing: what inspired you to start creating stories/non-fiction? How long ago?
I can
remember writing stories as far back as third grade, and I know for sure I was
telling people I wanted to be a writer from sixth grade onward. How many kids
ask for a typewriter for Christmas at age ten? I did. And I loved that thing.
I don’t
know why I enjoyed writing so early on. I think I enjoyed entertaining people, but
the introvert in me didn’t want to be in front of an audience or a camera.
Writing fulfilled that need and has been the best of both worlds.
How
do you choose your settings (fiction) or topics (non-fiction)?
Purely
by accident.
Well, to
be clearer, it’s often that I come up with a “hook” of some kind first: either
a distinct, interesting character that I place into a bad situation or a fully
formed, focused main plot point that I expand.
The
nonfiction for me usually consists of humor essays based heavily on real
events. I’m blessed to have family and friends with good senses of humor who
allow me to cannibalize and condense those experiences into a few funny moments
on paper.
Can
you tell us a bit about your path to publication?
Many of
my adult jobs involved working behind the scenes in publishing somehow: first
as a secretary at my denominational publishing office, then as a proofreader
and typesetter. In the past fifteen years, I’ve connected with other writers at
writing conferences and online and have honed my craft. With decades of
experience in prepress work and lots of time writing fiction and nonfiction
(and winning a few awards here and there), I was ready to be my own boss and
jump into the indie publishing world. I wear all the hats now and love it. It’s
a lot of hats, but that probably just means I have a big head.
Finally,
please tell us about your books and add your website so we can find you:
You can find me, my books, and a freebie humor collection at https://lindaau.com
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