From Facebook Posts and Grocery Lists to Book

What does a Facebook-posting, grocery-list-writing mom of seven do when a story pops into her head—for the first time in her life?

She writes it down. And when the next story pops into her head, she writes that one down, too. The next thing she knows, she’s on a journey to publishing her first book. At least that’s what I did. And boy, has the last twenty months been a whirlwind!

I can type out a Facebook post off the cuff with the best of them and issue a response in a matter of seconds. Confession: there have been times I’ve burned half the day on Facebook, commenting on dozens upon dozens of posts. Many times I’ve been laughing at home behind my computer screen or sobbing for the pain someone is experiencing in their life. Facebook can be emotionally draining!

As a mom whose scope of writing has been, let’s just say, laidback, becoming a writer has changed the way I view words. Punctuation matters now. The Oxford comma movement is a thing. I had no idea!

Suddenly, I was launched into a world I never thought about, full of authors. Now I know what MC, MS, and WIP mean, along with dialogue tags and action beats. It’s amazing! I’m learning to speak author-lingo, and I’ve learned it from the wonderful and extremely helpful and supportive writing community.

It has unveiled a never-imagined or experienced love of writing—a love that builds worlds with characters that become real people I adore.

As my debut novel, The One That Matters, hits the proverbial bookshelves, I wonder how I arrived at this place after spending my entire life being a reader who admired a great many writers. It’s mind-blowing. Me, a writer? For real? Wow!

When the writing bug hit me last January, it was like a lightning strike. A surreal, dream-like experience changed my life.

I heard the voices. I saw the face of my heroine. The story unfolded in my head while I loaded the dishwasher. However, the vivid daydream at the time quickly became a nuisance that would not leave me. I tried to shake it out of my head, blow it off as a weird occurrence, so I could finish my domestic tasks.

But the story didn’t agree. As the day continued, it dominating my every thought. The more I saw and heard the characters, the more I grew attached to them.

To be honest, I thought I was losing my mind. In fact, I was embarrassed to talk about it for fear of what my family would think. After all, writing was never a thing for me. Thankfully, I have been assured by many writers over the last year that I am not losing my mind. What a relief!

I finally decided to type out the story that night. As soon as I started typing, I was controlled by my heroine and her journey. It didn’t take long—maybe twelve hours—for me to become obsessed with my characters and their story.

The experience reminds me of a crazy Facebook post that takes on a life of its own, and you follow every response as if your life depended on it. You go to bed thinking of that post, and you wake up with it on your mind. With your morning coffee in hand, you login to see what comments were made while you were asleep. That’s what happens when a story takes hold of you. It never leaves your mind. And for me, my brain begged to get the words out of my head, seemingly life or death for me.  

It took me two months to get every word out of my head and write the ever powerful and symbolic, “The End.” The story had consumed me, night and day, to the very end. In March, I had nearly 200k words on my document, and I felt accomplished. And guess what? I didn’t miss Facebook once.

Since that first magnificent manuscript, there have been several more to follow. But it is the third book I wrote that I’m announcing as my debut novel.

Every day I write so much more than grocery lists and Facebook posts. My stories are about real-life issues women deal with, ranging from addiction to sexual assault to divorce. But I don’t only write about difficult topics that make you cry. I am also a romantic at heart so you can count on a love story in every book.

When I write about a main character’s journey, I hope to inspire women to love themselves and remind them that they’re valued, all while enjoying a fabulous story with some glorious heat (aka sex, because sex is part of life, right?).

I have discovered that there is no substitution for writing meaningful stories. I am still a Facebook posting, grocery list writing and now tweeting mom. By embracing the idea of a story one snowy January, a whole new world and passion were revealed. I didn’t balk, scoff, or push it out of my head (not that the words would have allowed me to).

I never dreamed of being a published author. Quite honestly, it was the furthest thing from my mind. But here I am, and I love every bit of storytelling, and I look forward to my own journey.

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Bio—

Mom-turned-author Elle Linder is a California native who yearns for the California coast while living in northwest Minnesota with her husband and five of her seven children. She aims to empower women with her stories and characters, addressing real-life issues that women face in love and life. Elle’s debut novel, The One That Matters, launches August ‘18.

Find out more about her on her website https://www.ellelinder.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ellelinderbooks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ellelinderbooks/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ellelinder_books/

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/ellelinderbooks/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle-linder-books/

 The One That Matters

Two years after Marie’s divorce from her abusive ex-husband, she is struggling with a battered self-esteem. Falling in love isn’t high on her priority list as she deals with a deteriorating relationship with her son Jackson and her ever-controlling ex. On a reluctant girls’ night out, her dance partner turns out to be Parker Nichols, the charismatic and sexy star of her son’s favorite television show. The handsome celebrity is intrigued with her, but Marie isn’t interested. She likes her privacy, and her protective friends are no help to him, leaving Parker dejected but determined.

When Jackson finds Parker’s business card in his mom’s purse and contacts him, her once angry boy sparks new life. Marie’s delighted with the changes, but the sparks don’t stop with him. Marie’s life sparks as well, but not as she expected.

Will Marie learn to love herself and stand up to her ex? Will her relationship with her son be restored? And will she allow herself to trust another man and experience real love?

BUY THE BOOK HERE

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Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips