LINDA HOPE
LINDA HOPE
Books
LINDA HOPE
August 17, 1995, is the happiest day of Linda Hope’s life. It was the day her family landed in the Miami airport. From that day on, she and her family celebrated August 17 like it was someone’s birthday.
Linda was born in Siberia in 1956. At six, on September 1, 1962, she was sent to an orphanage. Until the sixth grade, she studied in the city of Kurtamysh, which is in the Kurgan region.
Sixth grade was also when she received the main expedient. After that, she was transferred to the city of Kurgan to attend a special boarding school. This is where she finished the sixth and seventh grade.
In 1970, she moved to the Caucasus with her grandmother, Pauline. Then, in 1972, she graduated from high school. Finally having freedom, she left and moved as far from her family as possible.
She graduated from a chemical school in the city of Engels, which is in the Saratov region. After that, she attended the Polytechnic Institute and eventually graduated.
In 1975, she got married; three years later, in 1978, she gave birth to her son, Yevgeniy. Then, in 1984, she had her daughter, Irina.
Six years later, she opened the first private enterprise in her city. But then, she started having issues with her family, who were great communists. For four years, she fought to keep her family together, but she learned to accept the situation.
In 1994, she was forced to make a life-changing decision–leaving her husband. Her political views in no way coincided with the political views of Russia. So, in 1995, she made the journey to America.
Q. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO NEW AUTHORS THAT YOU WISHED YOU HAD RECEIVED YOURSELF WHEN YOU STARTED?
A. Never give up.
Q. DO YOU VIEW YOUR WRITING AS A KIND OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?
A. No.
Q. WHEN YOU READ YOUR BOOK REVIEWS HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE BAD ONES?
A. Everyone has their own opinions.
Q. HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU DO GET A GOOD REVIEW?
A. I’m happy and think I did good, I have to remember this book, and learn from that.
Q. HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDER WRITING UNDER A PSEUDONYM?
A. No.
Q. ARE YOU TRYING TO HAVE EACH BOOK STAND ON ITS OWN OR ARE YOU TRYING TO BUILD A BODY OF WORK WITH CONNECTIONS BETWEEN EACH BOOK?
A. Sometimes.
Q. DO YOU WRITE EVERY DAY? HOW MANY HOURS A DAY DO YOU WRITE?
A. Almost every day four to five hours.
Q. HOW MUCH OF YOUR PERSONAL LIFE DO YOU INCORPORATE INTO YOUR WRITING OR DO YOU MAKE UP EVERYTHING?
A. My first 3 book, my personal life connection, and rest my imagination.
Q. HOW DO YOU CONNECT WITH YOUR READERS? DO YOU OFFER THEM A FREE BOOK? DO YOU OFFER THEM A NEWSLETTER?
A. Free downloads from Amazon. Book signing. Facebook, Instagram. And X.
Q. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE AUTHOR? CAN YOU TELL US WHY? EVERYTHING?
A. Danielle Steel, I like nice story of romance.
Q. HOW LONG DO YOU RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR NEXT BOOK?
A. Not long at all, it is coming in my mind so fast. In process if I need research, I will do.
Q. WOULD YOU GO BACK AND REWRITE ANY OF YOUR BOOKS? WHY?
A. Yes, my first book, I make some women looks so bad. Because I know the truths. But later I changed my mind, about her.
Q. IF YOU COULD GIVE UP ONE THING TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER WHAT WOULD THAT BE?
A. I like to be younger, then I have more time to write.
Q. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. ARE YOU MARRIED? HAVE CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN? IS THERE A SPECIAL DOG/CAT/BIRD IN YOUR LIFE?
A. Not married, 2 children from my first husband, 2 grandchildren and I love them so much.
Q. DO YOU HAVE A DAY JOB OR ARE YOU A FULL-TIME WRITER?
A. Full time Writer, I have a hobby, I live to sew quilts, and I give them to an orphanage.
Q. ANY HOBBIES? DO THEY HELP YOU IN YOUR WRITING?
A. My hobby is to sew quilts, yes, it helps me calm down, I start working on the next chapter.
A. DID YOU JUST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER OR DID YOU HAVE A PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE THAT MADE YOU WANT TO START WRITING?
A. No, I never thought to be a writer. My friends told me to write a book about my LIFE. This is how it is start. Writing is addictive, like chips.
Q. WHAT IS CURRENTLY LACKING IN OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION TODAY IN YOUR COUNTRY?
A. My children have a very good education in Russia.
Q. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CHILDHOOD BOOK?
A. Yes, Pinocchio.
Q. HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE TITLES FOR YOUR BOOKS?
A. My title for the books is always related to the book itself.
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE FAVORITE TYPES OF MUSIC? DO THEY HELP YOU WITH YOUR WRITING?
A. I love classical and country music; my favorite instrument is Violin. And I love Keith Urban!
Q. WHAT DOES YOUR WRITING SPACE LOOK LIKE?
A. I write my book in Russian first, and this time I’m in my couch, but for translation I have to go computer.
Q. WHAT DOES YOUR FAMILY THINK ABOUT YOUR WRITING?
A. They make me to write. And now they just ask, “What is the next book about?”
Q. IF YOU COULD PICK ONE OF YOUR BOOKS TO BECOME A MOVIE BLOCKBUSTER, WHICH BOOK WOULD THAT BE AND WHO WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY THE CHARACTERS?
A. I think my book “Awakening”. I think it would be an interesting movie. I Send my manuscript to the “Warner”
Q. WHEN WRITING DO YOU TRY TO GIVE YOUR READERS WHAT THEY WANT OR DO YOU GO FOR ORIGINALITY?
A. I always stay with my original stories.
Q. HOW DO YOU MARKET YOUR BOOKS? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY? WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE WAY?
A. Book signing, Face Book, Instagram, X. And of course, my Friends.
Q. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF AN AUTHOR OR A WRITER FIRST? WHY?
A. I’m not sure about this, I think I’m both.
Q. WHO DO YOU TRUST TO GIVE YOU OBJECTIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM OF YOUR WRITING?
A. My Family. They are very strict about my books.
Q. HOW LONG, ON AVERAGE, DOES IT TAKE YOU TO WRITE A BOOK?
A. Every book different time, My first one, “Foundling” 6 years.
Q. HAVE YOU EVER GOOGLE YOURSELF? IF SO, WHAT DID YOU FIND THAT SURPRISED YOU?
A. No, I never Google myself.
Q. WHEN YOU WRITE YOUR BOOK DO YOU WRITE FROM A PERSPECTIVE OF YOUR YOUTH, MIDDLE AGE OR GOLDEN YEARS IN MIND?
A. My first 3 book based on a true story, correct age.
Rest of my books I create a character and they have a different age.
Q. HAVE YOU PUBLISHED IN A TRADITIONAL WAY, OR SELF-PUBLISHED OR BOTH? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS METHOD?
A. Only self-publishing. Because is impossible to find Agent.
Q. DOES WRITING EXHAUST YOU OR ENERGIZE YOU? HOW?
A. When I have new Idea for my new book, I’m so much energy……even very hard to explain.
New character, new twist, new story, new conversation. WOW! I love that.
Q. WHAT WAS THE FIRST BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY?
A. I grow up in orphanage, I learn to not cry. But, when I write my first book, I cry, because just now I understood, some very difficult situation in my life.
Q. DO YOU HAVE OTHER WRITERS THAT HAVE HELPED YOU ALONG YOUR WAY? HOW?
A. No.
