Monday, January 18, 2010

Linda Poitevin - An Author You Should Know!

Welcome brand new author Linda Poitevin! She's the author of A Fairy Tale for Gwyn available from The Wild Rose Press. You can visit her at her website:
http://lindapoitevin.com/
and follow her blog tour here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2009/12/virtual-book-tour-linda-poitevin.html

Make sure to comment. The more you comment, the better your chances to win a great prize!

Here's the blurb for A Fairy Tale for Gwyn:

Gwyn Jacobs doesn’t believe in happy-ever-after.

Ever since her ex-husband walked out four years ago, abandoning her with a toddler and infant twins, Gwyn has been mother, father, and bread-winner all rolled into one. Her own scarred heart and failed marriage aside, she is determined not to open up her children’s lives to the possibility of another heartbreak...until her very own fairy tale falls into her lap -- and the hero won’t take no for an answer!

Here's a great interview with Linda! Welcome!

Hello, Wendi, and thank you SO much for the interview. A Fairy Tale for Gwyn is my first published book and I cannot tell you how excited I am...your support means the world to me!

What t-shirt saying best describes you and why?
This is where my daughters would tell me I'm hopelessly out of step, because I don't even know what the current sayings are! I went online to look some up, but wow, a lot of them out there are really rude these days...not me at all. I suppose I'd probably have to have my own printed up with one of my favorite sayings, probably something positive such as "Niente senza gioia," which means "nothing without joy" (that one is actually getting painted above my kitchen doorway, where it will serve as a reminder on all of those days!).

We all have those embarrassing moments that we want to forget, but which one is really funny is retrospect?
No hesitation on this one! Every year in high school, we had "Greaser Day" where we dressed in 50s style. In Grade 10, I got my dates messed up and went dressed in a poodle skirt and bobby socks a full week early...and had to stay that way all day because we lived too far away to go home and change! Not the kind of thing you want to do as an already awkward adolescent. But wait, it gets worse!!! The next year? Yup, you got it. I did the exact same thing. Same event, same goof. I still cringe at the memory....

What's the grossest thing you ever ate and liked?
Bowing to my daughters' expertise again: escargot (snails). I love the things, but only if I don't think too much about what I'm eating. And no, contrary to what my children tell men, slugs are not the same thing!!!

Cat, dog, or bird person and why?
Cats and dogs. I love birds, but don't have the patience for the mess and noise. Cats because I love their independence and general outlook on life, and dogs because I love coming home to someone who greets me as if I've been gone for a year instead of just out to the mailbox and back (it makes up for the lack of small children in my life these days).

What's the wackiest place you ever got an idea for a story from?
I don't know about wacky, but certainly the most mundane was an intersection near our house. I was stopped at a red light and there was a woman on a Harley motorcycle in front of me; she was dressed in all black leather and looked really cool. I started in on the "what if?" and before the light had changed, had the bones of an undercover cop story (which I haven't yet had time to write but still plan to one day!). I think that was the day I realized that story ideas are literally everywhere as long as we're open to them.

If you could switch lives with anyone for the day, who would it be and why?
As I'm sitting in the middle of a serious winter storm at the moment, I'd have to say anyone on a warm tropical island...for sadly obvious reasons! And I wouldn't mind having a couple of weeks, rather than just a day. :) In a more serious vein, I'd don't think there's anyone I'd trade with, to be honest, because I like my own life enough that I wouldn't want to miss a day of it. Of course, if you asked me on a day that wasn't going as well as this one, I might have a different take on matters...

Other than your own books, which genre do you read the most and why?
Urban fantasy. I love the darker side of the fight between good and evil, and the complex plot lines in some of the stories.

To HEA or not? Which do you prefer and why? I'd have to say that depends on the story. I'm a definite sucker for a happy ending but not if it compromises the plot or the characters. In my opinion, something like Gone with the Wind just wouldn't be the same if it ended with Scarlett and Rhett declaring their undying love for one another -- there were just so many more possibilities for character growth by having them part ways, and it made the story feel much, much bigger. So yes, it definitely depends.

Are you a snuggle by the fire and watch the snow or lounge on the beach type of person? Why? Despite my earlier answer regarding the tropical island, I'm a snuggle-by-the-fire type. I love the whole cocooning thing! When it comes to beaches, I'm good for a short while, but I overheat easily and get bored quickly. Besides, public exposure in a bathing suit? Not! :)

How'd you get into writing and which nugget of wisdom do you wish ALL writers knew?
I started writing romances when I was about twelve years old and got into my mother's Harlequins (which were a whole lot tamer then than some of them are now). :) My high-school best friend and I used to swap stories we'd written -- she was my only reader for years. But I have my husband to thank for my actual writing career. After picking up one of my stories out of desperation one day (he had no unread books in the house), he became my biggest fan. He's the one who pushed me to take it seriously, to join the Ottawa Romance Writers' Association, and to persevere when the rejections rolled in. He's been amazing!

As for a nugget of wisdom for all writers? As a debut author, I feel somewhat underqualified to hand out advice at this point, but I think I'd have to say never stop trying to improve. It's one thing to tell a good story, but it's a wonderful thing to tell it well...and I certainly hope I'm meeting that goal!

Here's the bio for Linda:
Linda Poitevin lives just outside Canada’s capital, Ottawa, with her husband, three daughters, and a varied collection of animals. In her spare time, she gardens (organically), cans and freezes the family’s winter fruit and vegetable supply, knits (basically), crochets (better), and starts way more projects than she ever finishes. (Fortunately that doesn’t hold true of her books!) She loves spending time with her family, having coffee with friends, walking by the river and watching thunderstorms…in about that order.

Here's an excerpt from A Fairy Tale for Gwyn:
“I think you should,” he said.

Gwyn reached for the handrail and gripped it until the ache in her knuckles remained her only link to reality. She thought she should, too, but decided to make sure they were thinking about the same thing. “Should what?”

“Know why else I’m leaving.”

She gulped for air. She absolutely didn’t want to know, she told herself, because it was for the best, and reasons didn’t matter. They couldn’t matter. But when she tried to deny him, she managed only a thread of a whisper, a single word. “Why?”

Strong, heated fingers closed over hers, slid against them, twined with them.

“Because if I don’t leave now, I won’t leave at all.” Gareth’s thumb stroked her wrist, playing havoc with her pulse. “Because, besides missing my plane and breaking my contract, I’d still be here in the morning when your kids woke up, and you’d hate both of us if that happened. And because I respect you, and them, too much to do that to you.”

Gwyn squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on his words rather than his touch. Respect…kids…she felt certain the words should have some importance, but she couldn’t seem to get past the warm, pulsing ache spreading through her body.

Gareth’s voice swore in her ear. He’d moved closer. Close enough that his scent filled her senses to overflowing, and his hair brushed her cheek when she moved her head, and…

“You’re not helping,” he muttered.

Her eyes fluttered open. “Wh-what?”

“I said, you’re not helping,” he grated.

With a shock, Gwyn realized that he hadn’t been the one to move, and that her own feet had somehow shuffled forward, bringing her to teeter on the edge of her stair, her free hand resting against his shoulder for balance. Her face flamed. She dropped her hand and stepped back.

“I’m sorry.”

Gareth’s clenched jaw made his smile look somewhat tight. “Don’t be. I’m just a bit rusty at this honorable thing. Which brings us to the next discussion.”

Gwyn would have liked to retreat a few more steps before she tried to discuss anything with him, but he still held her hand captive. And with his thumb continuing to travel its hypnotic path over her wrist, she couldn’t muster the will to pull away. She cleared her throat. “What discussion would that be?”

“The one where we decide what we do now. You see, much as I’m enjoying Goldfish soup and doing chicken pox dot-to-dots, I’m afraid those pursuits still fall under the heading of friendship.” He lifted her hand in his, turned it over in his grasp, and traced a finger across her palm. “I meant what I said about wanting more than that from you, Gwyn, and I don’t know how long honor will hold out.”

Nothing on earth could have persuaded her to meet his gaze at that moment.

Gareth lifted his other hand to push a strand of hair away from her face. “Come away with me.”

Except maybe that.



Enjoy and get to know Linda Poitevin!

11 comments:

lainey bancroft said...

Fun interview, ladies.

Nice to meet a fellow Ontario Rose, Linda. Congrats on your first release! Wishing you many happy sales. =)

J.A. Saare / Aline Hunter said...

I have A Fairy Tale for Gwyn on my TBR list. Sounds great! Good luck on the tour, Linda. Wishing you many, many sales!

Jaime

Linda Poitevin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda Poitevin said...

Thank you, Jaime! I hope you enjoy the book...and after visiting your site, I've just added Dead/Undead to my own list. :)

Warmly,
Linda

Linda Poitevin said...

Thanks so much, Lainey! It was a fun interview to do, too -- thanks to Wendi's wonderful questions! And all the very best of luck with your own books...nice website you have!

Warmly,
Linda

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

Hi Linda! I can't wait to get my copy. Great excerpt.

Hugs and happy sales,

Wendi

Linda Poitevin said...

Thanks, Wendi - and thanks so much for the interview. I loved your questions and had great fun answering them!

Warmly,
Linda

Brenda Gayle said...

Hi Linda,
Great interview. I'm counting the days until I can get my copy of your book.

Linda Poitevin said...

Thank you, Brenda! I really hope you enjoy it!

Warmly,
Linda

Author Roast and Toast said...

I enjoyed your interview blog Linda. I feel the same way about so many things.
I used to live in Ottawa. I loved it there. My father was a diplomat at the American Embassy there. I really loved the changing of the guard at Parliament Hill, which was across the street from the Embassy building.
I miss living there. It's a beautiful place. I even included it in my second book. Only it was in the late nineteenth century not today.
Looking forward to the book, the excerpt grabbed me.

Linda Poitevin said...

How very cool, Mary! I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've lived here for 23 years and I've never seen the changing of the guard...high time I made the effort! What's the name of the book that features 19th-century Ottawa? I want to check that one out for sure!

Warmly,
Linda