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Interview with Author Linda Grimes

Today Book Brats has a very special guest! Author Linda Grimes, whose debut IN A FIX came out last month from Tor Books, stops by today to take part in an interview about her debut, writing, and reading, among other things. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did, and thanks so much to Linda for stopping by and answering my questions!

Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she’s able to take on her clients’ appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don’t want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.

This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable… that is, until Ciel’s island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client’s about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.

Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she’s been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client’s intended.

Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.

Book Brats: What was your favorite aspect of IN A FIX?

I love Ciel’s interaction with the guys. She’s reached an age—a stage in her life—when the dynamics of certain relationships are changing, and that’s a fun aspect to explore.

Book Brats: What drew you to write urban fantasy?

Honestly? I wasn’t even aware I was writing urban fantasy at the time. I just wrote the story as it came to me, and left the label to the professionals.

Book Brats: Where do you find your inspiration for writing such a creative novel?

First of all, thanks! Glad you found it creative. The inspiration is tough to pinpoint. Is it too vague to say “everything”? Whatever I observe in life tends to get shifted, rearranged, or otherwise warped in my head, and spewed out in some form or another onto the page. Just living is an inspiration for any kind of creativity, I think, if you’re open to it.

Book Brats: What books are on your nightstand right now?

Usually my Kindle is on my nightstand, full of my pixelized (and thus nicely compressed) To Be Read pile. But I brought it downstairs with me this morning, so it’s here on the end table beside me instead. Some of the books I’m waiting for a free moment to read: Patty Blount’s Send, Diane Henders’ Never Say Spy, Kristen Callihan’s Firelight, and…well, a whole bunch more. I reeeeally need to catch up on my reading.

Book Brats: Did you have any input on your cover for IN A FIX?

I filled out a “cover questionnaire” for the Art department at Tor, telling them about the characters and the plot, and they took it from there. I love the cover I wound up with—Ciel has a ‘tude, and they got the Viking helmet right.

Book Brats: What can we expect to see in book two?

In Quick Fix you’ll meet a lot more of Ciel’s family, including her other two brothers, her mom and dad, and her aunt (Billy’s step-mom). And there’s a baby orangutan. A very special one. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that for now.

Book Brats: Do you have any advice to aspiring authors?

Write. Write whenever you can, not just when the muse strikes you, because muses are fickle. If you don’t learn to pound out the words even when one isn’t whispering seductively in your ear, you won’t get very far. Most importantly, do not give up. In this business (as in most things in life) persistence pays. So write, write again, and then write some more.

Book Brats: Hypothetical question time! If you had Ciel’s powers, would you make a business out of using them?

Oh, hell yeah. (Oops. Should I not have used that word? Feel free to change it to “heck” if you like.) Actually, in one sense I can do what Ciel does—I can “be” anyone I want to…on the page. And I have made a business out of it. Writing books is a “business,” right?

Thank you so much for hosting me here at your website!

Linda grew up in Texas, where she rode horses, embarrassed herself onstage a lot, and taught teenagers they’d have to learn the rules of English before they could get away with breaking them for creativity’s sake. She currently resides in Virginia with her husband, whom she snagged after he saw her in a musical number at the now defunct Melodrama Theater in San Antonio. (There’s nothing like a rousing chorus of “If You Wanna Catch a Fish You Gotta Wiggle Your Bait” to hook a man for a lifetime.)

Like IN A FIX’s globetrotting main character, aura adaptor Ciel Halligan, Linda has spent her fair share of time overseas, though fortunately under less stressful circumstances. Kidnapping and daring rescues are all well and good in fiction, but she prefers sanity in her real life.

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