Interview with Mary Lindsey

Hello, my faithful readers. After taking a small break after Easter, I've returned bearing the gift of an interview with an amazing writer I'm sure you'll all love. I'm really excited to be able to introduce you to Mary Lindsey.

Hi, Mary! It's great to have you here. Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in Houston, Texas with my husband and three teen children. We have some odd pets, like Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches.

Yikes! Odd indeed! *shudders* How long have you been writing?

I majored in English Literature, but had only written literary analysis until four years ago, when I wrote a novel for my teen daughter as a birthday present. I gave her a chapter a day for 31 days.

That's so sweet! Tell us about SHATTERED SOULS. What’s the story about?

Shattered Souls is not the novel I mentioned in the previous question. That one is safely in a binder on a shelf, never to see the light of day.

Shattered Souls came about because one of my high school acting students complained about a "lame" summer reading assignment. To help take the sting out, I told her I'd read it with her and we could discuss it as we went. It was Isaac's Storm (which is wonderful, by the way) about the Great Storm of 1900 that hit the Texas Gulf Coast and is still the worst natural disaster in terms of the loss of life in US history. I'd read essays by Isaac Cline in high school, so I knew his story, but this book really hit home emotionally for me.


I had been toying with the idea of a ghost story, and needed an event that would cause lots of people to die before their time. Jackpot!


The story is told in present day, but the characters are reincarnated, and the Storm is a feature in their past lives.


The jacket flap description of SHATTERED SOULS reads:


Lenzi hears voices. She also sees visions--gravestones, floods, a gorgeous guy with steel gray eyes. She knows she must be going crazy, just like her dad did. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't do anything to help, and the voices just keep getting louder, the visions more intense. But when Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, everything makes sense.


Sort of.


He tells Lenzi that she's a reincarnated Speaker--someone who can talk to lost souls and help them move on--and that he has been her Protector for centuries. But instead of embracing her abilities, Lenzi struggles between her life as the girlfriend of a sexy musician and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. Yet time is running out; a malevolent spirit has been trying to destroy Lenzi for ages, and he will surely kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.


Her choices are clear: Destiny or normalcy. Alden or Zak. Life or death.

Wow, I love it already. It's definitely going on my list of books to read. And the cover is simply gorgeous! 


Tell us, what’s the hardest part of writing for you?

I think turning off my internal editor is the hardest part. When I first began writing, the stories came much easier. Now, I find myself analyzing every sentence, sometimes at the expense of getting the story out.

Any tips you’ve learned about writing you’d like to share?

Hang in there. The only thing all published authors have in common is that they didn't quit.

Absolutely excellent advice (that I will try to follow as well). Let’s get to know you on a deeper level. What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Coffee and a window. I must have a view to the outside.

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

The ability to instill happiness in those around me (Psst: I have this power sometimes).

Very cool! Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.!

Honestly, I don't know how writers survived before the internet. In addition to my family, of course, my online community of friends, writers, book bloggers and readers is sometimes the only thing that keeps me going. I also happen to have the most spectacular agent and agency in the world. I'm represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Lotto win! Additionally, I'm blessed to have the brilliant Jill Santopolo as my editor over at Penguin. I'll spare you any more specific credits as they are in the acknowledgements of the book.

And finally, where can people find you online?

All the links to my networking sites like Twitter and Facebook can be found on my website: http://www.marylindsey.com

Shattered Souls is on Goodreads and is available for preorder on Amazon.

Mary, thank you so much for chatting with us. I wish you all the best with this book and all your future ones!