4/21/2016
1. What was the inspiration for your novel?
I wanted to write about a pair of young women in college who were sick of guys and ready to swear off love for good. Because, as we all know, as soon as you stop looking for something, it suddenly appears. The pact that Jessie and Sara make sets the whole novel up, because they have just vowed to boycott boys, guys, and men—the male specimen in all its varying forms—for the rest of the semester. Anyone who’s ever been single can relate to the concept, because who hasn’t struggled as a young person out there trying to find their equal? Like they say, a good man in hard to find.
2. When did you take up writing?
I was a junior in high school, someone who wasn’t terribly fond of reading or writing until Twilight came along. Stephenie Meyer’s novel really inspired me, so I decided to try writing a novel of my own. I was sixteen at the time and called the book Emerald Green. It was the first novel I published after graduating from college.
3. How important is setting/place in your writing?
I like changing the setting every time I write about new characters. Since I write strictly romance within various sub-genres, I like the idea that two people can fall in love anywhere. So I try to make sure that the setting I pick for each novel fits those characters in a real, relevant way. For me, the setting serves as the backdrop, almost like a landscape painting that is meant to accentuate each character’s flaws and attributes.
4. Do you have a favourite character (s) in your current novel?
The main character, Jessie Jacobs, because I see so much of myself in her. I know what it’s like to be a single lady in the 21st Century. I’ve always thought that I was born in the wrong time period, since I’m the type of girl who is predisposed to pine after Mr. Darcy. But women were not viewed as equals to the extent that they are in today’s society. In Jane Austen’s time, men had the careers, the money, the land. I love the time I am in and would never switch, but it is easy to fantasize about what it might have been like back then. Were the men more honourable? More worthy? Or, simply put, just nicer? As I’ve progressed from my late teens to early twenties, I’ve drawn the conclusion that there are still guys out there that are good and bad. Darcys and Wickhams alike. And just because the bad exist, doesn’t mean you won’t find a good one.
5. What’s the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?
Just keep writing. Even though it’s a short sentence, that piece of advice can be applied to so much. Don’t stop in the middle of a sentence or a paragraph or a page. Don’t leave a chapter or book unfinished. And when one book is done, start the next one. Just keep writing.
6. Do you have a schedule for writing?
I write better late at night, but since I wake up so early, that’s not really feasible. When I was younger, I would want the first draft to be perfect, and if my words weren’t coming out right, I just wrote it off as writer’s block. Now I write at any time of day whether it comes out right or not. I’ve learned that you have to be willing to let the words fly out, perfect or not. You can always go back and change them later, and they’re going to be edited anyway. When you allow yourself the freedom to write badly, it really unlocks the mind and the whole concept of writer’s block just goes away.
7. Are you a plotter or someone who tends to wing it?
Definite plotter. With each new book I write, I find myself outlining more and more, down to the very finest details, even inserting direct quotes as I see them in my head before I’ve even written the scene that they correspond to. The longer the outline, the better off I am, because I don’t want to leave anything out that I may have thought of earlier.
8. Can you name three of four of your current favourite books?
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, Tempting Rowan by Micalea Smeltzer
9. Can you tell me a little bit about what you are working on now?
The sequel to my debut novel, Emerald Green, a Young Adult Romantic Thriller, as well as the follow-up to Me & Mr. Jones, a New Adult Romantic Thriller that I released last October.
10. What advice would you give to a fledgling writer to assist them ontheir journey?
Read books in the same genre that you are writing in. I have found myself reading more romance novels every month, regardless of sub-genre, because I want to learn how other authors do it. You can learn so much from writers that you admire, simply by studying their work. If you read well-written books and watch their film adaptations as well, it will only make you better at the art of storytelling.
Title: S.I.N.G.L.E. (Still In Need of a Good Loving Equivalent)
Author: Lindsay Marie Miller
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 31, 2016
About the Author
LINDSAY MARIE MILLER was born and raised in Tallahassee, FL, where she graduated from high school as Valedictorian. Afterwards, Lindsay attended Florida State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with an English Literature major, Psychology minor, and Specialized Studies in Markets and Institutions. Lindsay is the author of S.I.N.G.L.E., Jungle Eyes, Me & Mr. Jones, and Emerald Green. An incurable romantic at heart, she enjoys writing about strong heroines and the honorable gentleman who claim their hearts, often utilizing elements of suspense, adventure, or even comedy. While the context of her writing is diverse, one factor always remains at the center of every novel: Love. In her free time, Lindsay enjoys singing, playing the piano and guitar, and writing songs. The author resides in her hometown of Tallahassee, FL, where she is currently working on her next novel.
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