Thanks to author Linda Andrews for being with us today! First, would you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Linda Andrews and I write paranormal, fantasy and scifi romance, plus the occasional horror story. Growing up I never wanted to be a writer but one day I was bitten by the writer bug. Of course, I was always one to tell stories. Just ask my mom:-) I live with my husband and three children in Phoenix, Arizona. Currently, I have 4 cats and 1 dog, plus a fish.

Are you a coffee fiend, or do you have another “addiction” you must have on your desk at all times?

I hate coffee, but love tea. Neither is a must have while I’m writing, only water, preferably with lots of ice. My true writer’s addiction is music. I have to have music on.

What’s your education, if it’s relevant to your writing, and how does that education help you?

I have a BS in Biological Sciences (A BS in BS!). Since most of what I’ve written in my professional life is very cut and dried SOPs and technical reports, it is hard for me to add those details that bring a story to life. My critique partners are constantly asking me to add some setting here and there. Of course, when I write the SciFi stuff, the degree comes in real handy. Do you need a degree to write? Nope. If you want to know things and are willing to research a topic, then you should be able to tell a really good story that can stand up to scrutiny.

Tell us about your most recent publication.

Blue Maneuver is an urban scifi novel set in Phoenix. I loved that I combined my science background with my love of conspiracies and pure imagination. Here’s the blurb:

The extraterrestrials have landed and they’re human.
Rae Hemplewhite didn’t believe in aliens until a close encounter with out-of-this-world technology drags her into the extraterrestrial security program. Helping alien refugees adjust to life on Earth is difficult enough, but her first clients have a price on their heads. Plus, her new partner seems torn between the urge to kiss her or kill her.
And that’s the good news.
The bad news: Alliances are forming in deep space. If Rae doesn’t keep her witnesses alive long enough to transfer their top secret information to the right faction of humanity, Earth will become a battlefield.

How would you best describe your books?

Real characters in skewed realities. I like fully fleshed characters but I like to twist what you’d expect to happen or the world that they live in. Rae, my heroine in Blue Maneuver, hates technology and scifi. Who better to give advanced technology and make her a witness security coordinator for aliens on Earth?

What is your favorite genre to write? To read?

Romance is my favorite to read and write, but I get bored fairly easily so I tend to read and write in a variety of genres to keep things fresh and interesting.

What do you most like about writing? Least like?

The hardest part for me is filling up the blank page. That blinking cursor mocks me. I love the editing. It’s where the story can really shine. Plus the cursor hides next to words, making it harder to see.

When did you first know you wanted to be an author?

I’ve been writing since 1997 and published since 2003, but it wasn’t until I attended a writer’s conference in 2006 that I decided I wanted to be known as an author. Science is still in my blood and I don’t know if I’ll ever give up benchwork, but I’ve made peace with my creative side.

Do you belong to any writing groups?

I belong to Romance Writers of America, the local chapter–Valley of the Sun Romance Writers and Indie Romance Writers Ink.

Are there any writing websites you find particularly useful?

There are so many websites devoted to the craft of writing, I couldn’t possible begin to list any of them. But I lots of them bookmarked. My two favorites are about body language and a slang dictionary.

Do you belong to a critique group? What do you find most valuable about the experience?

I used to belong to two critique groups. Both provided valuable insights into improving my story and I would take them all. Not a good thing. My voice became so distorted and I lost track of the story. I ended up dropping out of one group. Critique groups are great things, just make sure you are true to your writer’s voice and story.

How many books have you published? How many books did you write before selling one?

Currently I have 4 publishers and myself. I have 4 short stories available and 12 novels. I wrote one very, very bad book and started two others before selling.

How did you find a publisher?

Writers groups are the best at finding publishers and the skinny on said publishers.

How did you receive the Call?

Actually, I missed the original call. Liz Burton, my editor at Zumaya Publications, sent me an email requesting the full of my book Ghost of a Chance. I never got the email and after 3 months she sent another one which I did get. I walked on air for 3 days afterward and felt even better because she liked the novel so much she followed up.

What’s your favorite thing about the book featured here today? Any special memories you have in the creation of it?

My favorite thing about Blue Maneuver was weaving in the myths of Atlantis and the Lights over Phoenix into the story line. I wrote the book in two and a half months over Christmas and practically every chapter there was a line that made me giggle at the subtext.

What are you writing now?

Right now, I’m supposed to be finishing the last chapter of a Valentine’s Day book scheduled to be released by Zumaya Publications next year. Then I’m off to finish the dark apocalyptic series of novels that started with Redaction.

What’s next for you—will you be making personal appearances anywhere our readers can find you?

I’ll be speaking and signing at my Valley of the Sun chapter meeting in April. One person asked me to speak about bioterrorism, but because so many became scared from the last one, I decided to change things up a bit by talking about how to add realism to your novels using history.