Who is Linda Tillis?

 From Country girl to Crime Scene Photographer, Linda Tillis is a woman of many talents. She designs and creates beautiful hats as well as being an awesome story teller. Welcome, Linda, and thank you for being our guest today.

1.      Linda, tell us are you a country gal or from the city? I am a country girl from the get go.  There are some who would say if you could hear my voice, you would know immediately. It’s been said that I have somewhat of a drawl. I was born in a little place called Goody, Kentucky. I remember drawing water from the well in the backyard of my grand-parents farm, and yes, they also had an outhouse. However, my mother had left the country life and moved to Cleveland, Ohio. So, I was fortunate that I had the best of both worlds as a child. I would spend summers with either my grand-parents, or my oldest aunt, who also had a farm. You may have heard the term “at the head of the holler (hollow)”? That is where my Aunt June lived, at the head of a hollow. One of my most vivid memories is standing on her porch and banging on pots when a swarm of honeybees gathered in the apple tree in her front yard. And then picking the bees out of the honey when it was gathered from the hive.  I have lived in a rural setting my entire life, only going into “town” for work or shopping.

2. You worked as a crime scene photographer and then as a 9-11

dispatcher. How many years did you work in these occupations and what drew you to them? Yes, I spent twenty years processing crime scenes for the local police department. My first eighteen years of adult, working life was spent in the garment industry. Unfortunately, the smaller factories stared fading out in the early 80’s, as the entire industry started moving overseas. By 1986 it was a dying industry in our area, so I started looking for another job. The local police department was hiring dispatchers. After a few months, there was an opening for a Crime Scene Investigator. The idea was to train civilians to do this job. They could pay less and keep the actual sworn officers on the road, plus the pay was a little higher. And so, I began what became a twenty- year career.

3. Do you draw on your law enforcement background to create the characters in your books? Please give us an example. Obviously, the thousands of crimes are always in the back of my mind when I write. For instance, in A Heart Made For Love, the heroine, Mae Hinton has a younger brother who is the “quiet, but very observant” type. He works closely with the local sheriff when one of the housemaids is murdered.  In the sequel, “A Man With A Pure Heart”, Samuel is grown and is working for the local sheriff as a Detective. In the third book my heroine is a 911 dispatcher in Greenville, Tennessee, so you could certainly say my writing has been influenced by my past working life.

4. Tell us about your current WIP, and what inspired you to write it? My current work in progress was inspired by reading so many Regency romances as a teenager. While mine is not a true regency, it does have its roots in the early 1800’s in Ireland, then England, and finishes in North Carolina. I wanted to try something set in Ireland, but the next thing I knew, my heroine was on the move, so naturally I had to follow.

Of course, my way requires so much editing and revision that you would think I would try  harder to be more organized. But I find that all the editing helps me construct a better finished product.

5. What is a genre that you have not attempted that you would like to try? To date, I have not been able to write a full-blown contemporary story. In “A Heart For All Time”, the heroine is a modern day 911 dispatcher, but soon finds herself in 1890 saving a man from hanging. I found that twenty years of processing and photographing death, and mayhem in general, made writing about those things too personal in a contemporary setting, so I chose to tell those stories in a historical context.

6. What is your writing process from conception to finished MS? Believe it or not, my books begin with one sentence. I’ll have a concept in mind, maybe a vaguely formed character. Then I’ll create a sentence in relation to the character, and that sentence is usually the opening line of the book, and the book unfolds from there. I am truly what they call a “panster”.  I do so admire, almost envy, writers who have outlines with measured chapters and such, but that just does not work for me.

7. How important do feel writing workshops are to any writer? I am a big supporter of workshops. There is nothing more exciting than getting together with a group of like-minded folks and learning something new about your craft. I have been fortunate in finding knowledgeable women who were happy to share their knowledge with a fledgling writer. I feel certain that the things I learned at those workshops saved me years of struggling to get published.

8. If you could choose one of your novels to be made into a movie which title would you choose and who would play the hero, heroine, and villain? Which state or country would you choose to have it filmed and why? This is a hard one.  Of course, I would love to see A Heart Made For Love, and the sequel, A Man With A Pure Heart on the big screen. However, I think A Heart For All Time would have greater appeal to the public considering the time travel aspect, which seems to be so popular.  I think Sarah Haskins should be played by Maggie Grace or Gal Gadot,  who have both played strong women.  The hero would need to be strong, but sensitive. Maybe Sam Worthington or Justin Timberlake might do. The true villain is only “seen” once in the book, while a couple of low-level minions carry out the dirty work in the rest, so his part could be any rough sounding actor. And of course, I would want it to be filmed in Tennessee, if possible, because it would help their economy and the mountains are just gorgeous there.

9. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? I’ve never considered myself wise enough to give advice to others. But, if I was, I would say…write. And write some more.  I read once that you should have three novels finished before you publish the first one.  Now I understand the wisdom in that concept.  If you are fortunate enough to get published, and folks actually like the book, you need to have another out within a few months to keep their attention. Not everyone can produce a book every six months, so it helps to have a couple in reserve when you start. So, write, and keep writing. A little here, a little there, a little whenever you can, and don’t think about the how and when of publishing until you have a finished product.

10. Here’s a fun question: What adventure would you like to have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were no problem? Oh, this is an easy one. A long trip to Ireland would be my adventure. Not to the cities, but through the countryside, staying at little inns and always with my camera in hand.

11. Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers? I am in the process of building a website, but I can always be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LindaTillisAuthor/   or once a month or so, you can find me blogging at https://pendames.blogspot.com/

Loretta, I had a great time with your questions. Thanks for taking time from your busy writing schedule. (It’s my pleasure, Linda. I’ve enjoyed reading your answers.)

Okay viewers, it’s your turn. What question would you like to ask Linda? (Remember, no political, religious, or immoral questions. Keep it fun.)