@LynnLindquist @fluxbooks #givewawy #authorinterview #greatbook
I loved Secret of the Sevens so much that I reached out to Lynn and asked her for an interview. Luckily, for me she agreed! :) Let's welcome Ms. Lynn Lidquist.
What inspired you to write Secrets of the Sevens?
I read an article a few years back on how a lot of boys stop reading in their teens. My sons both became reluctant readers themselves in high school (oh the shame…). So, I asked them what kind of book it would take to get them to read for fun again. They answered that I should write something with sex, sports, guy humor and things blowing up. No, I am not kidding. What can I say? They’re cute but “nothing upstairs.” (Just kidding, Ty and Aust). Anyhow, I asked them to get serious and give me a more specific idea, and they said to write a book about a secret society or a conspiracy theory that was set at a high school… that had sex, sports, guy humor and things blowing up. So I did. Well mostly. You’ll have to read it to see what’s covered J.
Are the characters based on anyone you know?
Talan’s sense of humor is based on my sons, and Laney resembles myself in that she’s a tenderhearted do-gooder. Outside of that, the characters are probably a mix of personalities from the hundreds (maybe thousands, actually) of kids that have come through my home over the years.
Talan’s sense of humor is based on my sons, and Laney resembles myself in that she’s a tenderhearted do-gooder. Outside of that, the characters are probably a mix of personalities from the hundreds (maybe thousands, actually) of kids that have come through my home over the years.
I like the idea of an boarding school for underprivileged children. However, I was confused a bit confused about the living situation. When Talan is task to take a new comer to housing it seems like he is walking down a street. Is housing in a regular neighborhood or is the boarding school a huge complex?
The school is actually based on two real philanthropic boarding schools for kids from troubled homes- the Milton Hershey School (founded and supported by the chocolate entrepreneur who started the Hershey Company) and Mooseheart Child City and School (which is supported by Moose International Lodges). Mooseheart’s campus borders my neighborhood and I’ve always wanted to use it as a setting for a book. I toured it to get an idea of how it’s run. Both Hershey and Mooseheart have separate group-home houses all across their campus like a regular neighborhood. Small groups of same-sex students (close in age) live in the homes like a family, under the guidance and care of houseparents that work for Mooseheart. It’s pretty cool. These large homes are intermixed with parks and school buildings, etc., like a small, self-contained town. Mooseheart even has its own post office. It’s very cool.
What would you say was the hardest thing about writing this novel?
The middle, LOL. I had a lot of scenes that randomly came to me, but tying them all together was hard. It took me forever to figure out who the real murderer(s) would be!
The middle, LOL. I had a lot of scenes that randomly came to me, but tying them all together was hard. It took me forever to figure out who the real murderer(s) would be!
What do you hope the reader get from reading the Sevens?
I would like them to be entertained, of course. But I do love the story’s theme that virtue (the altruistic way the Sevens define it) is more valuable in life than those things today’s society values (the Pillar’s narcissistic version of success). I believe that teens have a nobler soul and selfless idealism, so I know they can connect with that idea. I have great faith in young people.
From the first word you wrote to the completion of the first rough draft, how long did the process take?
Two years.
From the first word you wrote to the completion of the first rough draft, how long did the process take?
Two years.
Are you working on a new novel? If so could you tell us a bit about it?
I have a book I wrote a while ago that I would love to see sell. It’s very personal to me. It’s about a funny seventeen-year-old girl dealing with an escalating anxiety disorder and OCD after her sister is killed in an accident. More recently, I’m being drawn to a story that actually occurred at Mooseheart (the school I mentioned above). It involves some poor students that came over from South Sudan to attend Mooseheart. They touched and changed the attitudes of everyone they came to know at the school, rose above incredible obstacles, and led the school to its first state championship (in basketball) in the history of Mooseheart. It’s a phenomenal story, but I’m intimidated to write it. I don’t normally write non-fiction and I really would want to do this amazing story justice.
Do you have a release date in mind?
If you mean the Secret of the Sevens, it is set for release June 8th. I’m hoping my OCD novel (Nothing Left to Lose but Me) sells soon. The project I’m considering now at Mooseheart is probably a couple years off.
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
What advice would you give aspiring writers?
Keep pushing on. Statistically speaking, you probably won’t sell your first few books, so be prepared for that. Don’t get defeated. Consider those stories your warm up and practice time. And when you do have something special, don’t rush it. Edit it over and over and over, and when you’re completely sick of polishing it, edit it ten more times. This is the difference between a strong story and a weak story.
Thank you for speaking with us today. Do you have any parting words?
Thank you soooo much for having me! I really hope your readers enjoy the story. Happy reading everyone!
Well that it everyone. I hope you enjoyed the interview. Be on the lookout for the Secret of the Sevens, I think y'all will really enjoy it. I'm actually looking for to Nothing Left to Lose but Me.
Lynn Lindquist lives in a suburb of Chicago with two overly-social sons and a mutt named Slugger who wisely hides under the bed most days. The hordes of teenagers that regularly frequent her house (think Panama City Beach during spring break) provide fodder for her young adult novels and growing anxiety disorder. Ever since her sons broke the Guinness Record for Largest-Rager-Thrown-While-a-Parent-Was-Out-for-the-Night, she enjoys spending her free time at home entertaining friends, cooking, reading, and writing. Thankfully, her favorite things in life are her sons, words, and kids, so she wouldn’t have it any other way.
She is represented by Katherine Boyle at Veritas Literary Agency.
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*Secret of the Sevens was an ARC review
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