Meet Lynn

1. Tell us about yourself and why did you decide to become a romance writer?

Thank you so much for this spotlight, Ellie! I’ve wanted to write for as long as I can remember. I have a serious case of wanderlust (probably because my family moved so much when I was a kid), so my mind is always someplace else, dreaming up people and places. My only completed work, until now, was a rip-off of Huckleberry Finn that I wrote when I was twelve. The protagonist was a scruffy, mixed-race tomboy (spitting image of me) who’d nicknamed herself “Sketch,” because she loved to draw. My dream of becoming a writer stuck with me through my years obtaining a STEM degree, and after I had my two little humans. One day, I sat down to give it another try, and a love story came out. I’m hooked! Romance has so many subgenres that I’ll be busy for quite some time.

2. Can you share some of your favourite books and authors?

Oh gosh, I have so many! I adore Jane Austen, and for me it doesn’t get better than Pride and Prejudice. The feminist themes, the wit, the romance…it’s all still completely relevant today. I also love Georgette Heyer’s The Nonesuch, every word (including the ones with typos) Octavia Butler has ever written, Indu Sundaresan’s books “The Twentieth Wife” and “The Feast of Roses,” and any work exploring the life of Esther from the Bible. My favorite contemporary authors right now are Lucy Parker and Penny Reid, for their amazing wit.

3. Who/what do you consider your writing influence/inspiration?

Everything. Everyone. An article, a documentary, a song, a conversation, a glimpse of a woman’s smile as she steps off a train, the scent of a man as he walks by…It’s like my brain is on high alert all the time, snatching bits and pieces from life, and stitching them together until an idea forms. And then I must write it.

4. What kind of stories can the readers expect from you (contemporary/historical/sci-fi, adult/NA/YA, etc)? 

For now, the stories in my mind are contemporary romance. As a mixed-race woman, readers can expect my stories to be inclusive; from the protagonists, right down to secondary and tertiary characters. I want my stories to reflect the world as it truly is. My work-in-progress is a dance romance about a French ballerina and an American choreographer/playwright who work together on a Broadway musical. It’s got an enemies-to-lovers feel, which I’m having fun with! In the future, I’d love to dabble in historical fiction and paranormal romance.

5. Please, introduce your latest/upcoming release. 

Between You and Me is, quite simply, a love story. It was born of my desire to see a quintessential love story the likes of which I’d seen in movies growing up, but with protagonists we don’t often see represented in epic romances. My hero, Finn, is a brilliant scientist from Seattle. His disability inspired him to invent life-changing prosthetic technology. My heroine, Emanuela, is an equally brilliant investor from New York. She believes in Finn’s idea, and the more she gets to know him, the more she is inspired to pursue her own dream. Finn may be disabled, but Emanuela hides inner scars, and he is the one who will help her to heal. It’s a long-distance romance, so expect multiple settings and lots of flyer miles!