Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Authors of One Interviews: Crystal Linn

We are talking today with the author of Story Eight: God’s Counterpoints of the One series. Crystal Linn writes both fiction and non-fiction, as well as being an award-winning poet. In her story she shares an emotional journey of her husband’s ordeal withAdenoid Cystic Carcinoma, a rare form of cancer.

MM: To start things off Crystal, what inspired you to share this story?

CL: There were so many people involved and so many miracles preformed that it was incredible.

MM: It was a harrowing journey, but I was touched how all those people came together right when you needed them most. I imagine they support you in your writing as well. How long have you been writing?

CL: I’ve written all of my life and in the year 2000 decided to get serious about it.

MM: I get your meaning. It takes a lot of discipline. You and I both know that writing is not always serious. We have to find outlets for our creativity. What is one of your writing habits that helps you deal with the work?

CL: I color-code my writing projects. Yellow is the color for my fiction projects, blue is for non-fiction, pink is for my children’s projects, purple is for my journal/memoir-type projects and my poetry projects are multi-colored.

MM: That sounds fun. Your writing space must be a rainbow even on dreary days! Speaking of your writing space, I want to get more personal. Can you share something about your faith that readers can’t get from your story?

CL: My personal faith has empowered me to overcome many challenges in my life’s journey and has enabled me to become a better person in all areas of my life.

MM: That is a common theme in the stories of One. I am always excited to see new aspects of faith, regardless of religion. Your journey seems to have been filled with many ups and downs. In the area of writing, who influences you and helps you make it through?

CL: There are so many that it is difficult to choose.

Agatha Christie wrote more than sixty mystery stories using only seven or eight basic plot lines, and thirty-some years after her death she is still a beloved author.

Dick Francis always had some interesting tidbit for the readers to learn about in addition to the basic

story line. An example is that in one of his novels he discussed the hostage industry in the Near East.

Mary Higgins Clark began writing novels to support her five children after the death of her husband.

MM: Those are some greats. I saw in your bio that you are a big mystery fan, so I’m not surprised by your choices. Now, who are some of your spiritual influences?

CL: There are so many that it is difficult to choose.

C. S. Lewis was not afraid to be vulnerable and publicly shared his struggles in his journey to faith.

Fred Rogers (Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood) was a quiet-spoken, gentle man with a strong faith. He was not afraid to do something different and, as a result, had a positive impact on millions of children (and parents) around the world.

George Mueller spent most of his life without faith and after he became a Christian he had an unusually strong faith and founded the most successful orphanage in England where the children were well cared for.

MM: Very good. I grew up with Narnia and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. Definitely some positive influences. Let’s go behind the curtain. Tell us something about you that is not in your bio?

CL: I joke that writing is in my DNA because there were serious writers on both sides of my family, including Henry Luce, the founder of TIME magazine, and the writer of “Let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages.”

MM: That is exciting. You seem to be enjoying some success as a writer now, so don’t worry about having big shoes to fill. Maybe you will leave the next marker on the family writing legacy. You are co-writer of the best-selling series AmishForever with Roger Rheinheimer. What other projects are you involved in right now?

CL: Like every passionate writer, I have many projects in the works. I am co-authoring an Amish romance novel, Amish Forever, with Roger Rheinheimer. It is an on-line serialized novel and can be purchased as an e-book from both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Roger’s novel, Amish Snow, is a great ‘first’ novel.

A cousin and I are co-authoring a book together. My first blog should be up and running within the next month or so.

MM: When your blog is up, we will post a link on the Facebook “One” page (http://www.facebook.com/MarkMillersOne). I like to end on a happy note, so here are a couple fun questions. First, if you could ask your supreme being one question, what would you ask?

CL: I’m not sure I can answer that question as God is respectful and always answers my direct questions, even when I ask why bad things happen.

MM: So you don’t hold back? It is great for anyone to have that kind of connection with their diety. Lastly, if you were a flavor of ice cream, what would it be?

CL: Half vanilla and half chocolate because vanilla is the most versatile of all flavors; and chocolate is the most favorite of all flavors.

MM: That suits you. You are quite versatile in your writing, but also a kind and generous person, which probably makes you a favorite to many friends and family. Thank you for taking the time to share with us today, Crystal! Please remember that Crystal is donating a portion of her proceeds to World Concern(http://www.worldconcern.org/).

God’s Counterpoints, story eight of the Oneseries, is available now from Trestle Press for $0.99 on Kindle (http://goo.gl/32G4W) orNook (http://goo.gl/Jdxtf).

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Comment by SpotlightInterviews on May 23, 2012 at 4:07pm: Remove all of those affiliate links in your post please, Mark, or the entire thread will need to be deleted. That isn't allowed.