A Visit with LA Linda Krueger

MEET LA (Linda)! I was born and raised in San Diego, California. After my husband and I got married we were moved to Jacksonville, Florida, compliments of the United States Navy. We now live in the northwoods of Wisconsin with our son and two cats. When I was growing up I always thought it would be great to have “real” seasons that change and now I have them!

SKC: Tell us about the book you have out or any newest project you are working on.

LK: Terror By Night is a Christian thriller that takes place in Southern California. Here’s what I have posted about it on my website:

Something sinister is going on in the beautiful beach town of Santa Juanita, California, but not even the target of the plot knows what's really happening. Naomi Thompson suddenly feels as though she is living in the nightmare that has terrified her since childhood. With her life crumbling around her, Naomi begins searching for answers, but will those answers bring her the peace she so desperately craves? Ultimately Naomi must make a choice that will change her life forever, but with her decisions being influenced by unseen powers, will she make the right choice?

Find out in L.A. Krueger's latest Christian thriller, Terror By Night, as you step behind the veil between the reality we know and the unseen spiritual reality that surrounds us.

The sequel to Terror By Night is in the works. I thought I had it mapped out, but the characters had different ideas and I’m in the process of reworking it. The working title for it is In The Secret Place. I do know that in it we will see the consequences of the decisions that Naomi made in Terror By Night, as well as some very surprising turns of events for she and her husband Mark. I can’t wait to get it done!

SKC: Both sound interesting! What else do you write?

LK: My first book is a humorous autobiography about my experience as a Navy wife. It’s called When Will My Ship Come In? The Misadventures of a Navy Wife. I also write articles for my website, Under The Shadow Of His Wing (http://www.undertheshadowofhiswing.com/), which are commentary and Biblical studies. I also try to keep up with my three blogs - http://lakrueger.blogspot.com/, http://livingwatershomeschool.blogspot.com/, http://yshuamylord.blogspot.com/.

SKC: What inspired you to begin writing in the first place, Linda, and what keeps you going?

LK: When I was in the second grade I wrote my first book. It was very short and bound in construction paper covered cardboard. It was also completely plagiarized from an episode of Outer Limits, but it was enough to get me hooked on the idea of writing. As I grew up I wrote lots of poetry, but it wasn’t until I was an adult that I really thought of becoming a real, live, published author. The thing that keeps me going is really the plots and the characters themselves. Once an idea or a character gets in my head I simply must do something with it. I must have at least eight different book projects in various stages of completion at the moment. I honestly don’t know what it would be like not to write.

SKC: How disciplined are you each day with your writing, Linda, and when did you begin to take it seriously?

LK: I try to do some writing every day, but at this point my priorities have been changed a bit. We homeschool our son, so his education has to come first. That means that I don’t get to write as much as I’d like to, but I do keep my hand in it. I’ve got a large notebook where I keep my story ideas and notes. It’s very important that I be able to jot these things down as they come to me otherwise I’d either drive myself crazy trying to remember them or they’d float off and be lost forever.

I think I honestly started to take my writing seriously after my mother passed away in 1996. I had written before then and knew that I really loved to write, but there was something about losing my mom that woke me up. She had always said that I should write a book. I only wish she had been alive when I was published. I also knew that I had stories to tell and things to share and that I had been given a wonderful gift to be able to communicate. I didn’t want to waste that gift – and I knew if I didn’t get those words out and on paper I’d burst!

SKC: What are some favorite writing you use in the way of books you have used, to help you in your craft?

LK: When I first decided that I wanted to write I did a lot of reading. I read books in the same genre that I wanted to write. I learned from both the books that were well written and from those that were poorly written. I also read a lot of Writer’s Digest magazine and took one of their correspondence courses on novel writing.

SKC: What do you when you are not writing?

LK: Think about it! Just kidding. I’m the main educator of our son and that takes priority over just about everything else. Homeschooling sounds like fun, and it really is, but it’s a huge responsibility. If I think about it too much it can be really daunting.

I love working with digital graphics and have recently begun making digital scrapbook pages for our family. We’ve had two boxes filled with photographs following us around for years. Now I can finally do something constructive with them, as well as with all of the digital photos we have. I love the creativity in it. I also love to work on cross-stitch, knitting, and crocheting. I’m an avid reader and love to listen to music, too.

SKC: How do you come up with the names of your heroes and heroines, and your other characters?

LK: Well, some of the names were just there. It’s almost like meeting someone for the first time. They have a life complete with name and baggage. When I need a name I’ll sometimes scan through a baby name book. Meanings of names are important to me, so I like to make sure that the name would fit with the character’s character. For the angels in my novel, some of them I just knew their names, but for others I actually scanned through the Bible and found names that sounded good for them.

SKC: Do you run a theme through your stories and how do you go about working it in?

LK: I never really thought about that before, but I suppose that there really is a theme running through Terror By Night. It would be one of good versus evil, right versus wrong. Since it wasn’t really a conscious thought on my part I couldn’t really say how I worked it in to the story. Rather it is the meat of the story so it naturally runs through the story.

SKC: What do you think is one of the most important things you have learned so far since becoming a published writer?

LK Writing the book is the easy part. It’s the business side of writing – marketing and publicity – that’s really tough. I’m very thankful that my husband, Dan, is very supportive and is willing to help me out with it a lot. I’d be just happy as a clam writing, writing, writing, never having to think about “business!”

SDC: What is the most difficult for you, the beginning, the middle, or the end of the story?

LK.: Yes! Honestly, I think that whatever part of the story I’m in is the most difficult for me at that moment. In starting a story you want to make sure you have a good opening to grab your reader’s attention, so that’s very important. In the middle you need to make sure that you don’t lose your reader by slacking off too much and coasting to the end. And with the ending, you need to wrap things up sufficiently so that your reader feels satisfied – even if you plan on writing a sequel. Each book, whether it is a single work or part of a series, needs to be able to stand on its own.

SDC: What is next on the horizon for you?

LK: I have a number of articles lined up to write for UnderTheShadowOfHisWing.com that I’m very excited about. I just need to get my research wrapped up for those. And I really do feel like I’m zeroing in on the direction for In The Secret Place, which is very exciting for me. Now all I need is about another 24 hours in a day and I’ll be all set!

LAKrueger’s Books – http://www.lakrueger.com/
Books can be purchased directly from her website, or through Barnes & Noble – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF A BOOK! PAM WILLIAMS of HOOPER, COLORADO!