How do you go from single mother to success in the dog-eat-dog world of publishing? Some would say talent, and that’s certainly a necessary component, but—beyond that— perseverance, determination, and pure hard work are also necessary.
Acclaimed author Linda L. Richards serves as an inspiring example of the power of focused tenacity on the path to success.
Linda’s passion for storytelling was ignited during her childhood. She was telling stories from an early age, captivating schoolmates with tales often centered around horses. Her journey took a turn when she became a mother at a young age, shouldering immense responsibilities that forced writing to a backburner for a while. In the face of these challenges, Linda made a difficult decision, shifting her academic focus from Journalism to Graphic Design, thinking there would be greater potential for greater financial stability in that field.
Graphic design ultimately led her back to writing. First book reviews and short articles for the magazine for which she was by then art director. Later that combined skillset saw her launching, among other projects, the online book-related publication January Magazine. It was in that period that Linda interviewed some of the top authors of the day and she found herself asking them how they had gotten where they were.
Reflecting on these experiences during a podcast interview, Linda shared that it was then that she discovered the real secret to writing a novel: doing it and seeing it through.
“There was one thing every one of those authors had done the same,” Linda says in that interview. “At some point they had sat down and written a whole book.”
As obvious as that seems, it was this realization that gelled her resolve, and in the early aughts she did just that: sitting at her desk and writing what would become her first thriller, Mad Money, published to wide acclaim in 2004.
According to Linda, the road to publishing success may not always be smooth, and the performance of each book may not consistently surpass expectations, but recognizing and embracing the challenges, setbacks, and doing some serious self-reflection is what ultimately fuels personal and professional growth.
As much as she values the success she has achieved as an author, it is her now-adult son, of which she is most proud. Linda’s only child, the actor Michael Karl Richards, works regularly in film and television, and has done stage work, as well.
Linda’s 16th book, Dead West, will be published by Oceanview Publishing in September of this year. The third book in her Endings series featuring an enigmatic hitwoman and the book is already generating comment. “Dead West is a dust devil of a story, twisting in wildly unpredictable ways and with a powerful emotional center,” says New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger. Endings, the first book in the series has been optioned for television.
Also out this fall, a non-fiction work for children called Wild Horses: Running Free, which focuses on the wild horses of the American west.
You can learn more about Linda’s work on her web site.
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