Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Lyndsay, but I write under the pen name D. K. Hamilton. I’m an engineer by day, runner, country music fan, & beach lover fulfilling my dream to be a writer. I’m also slightly addicted to Snapple iced tea and Starbucks mochas. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a little girl, and by the time I reached my late 20s, I decided to make my dream a reality and write a book. So far, I’ve self-published my debut novel, The Other Side of Later, and I’m working on its sequel, which I hope to publish by the end of the year.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
A great piece of advice I received when I first started writing was to write about what you know so that’s what I did. My latest (and only so far) book, The Other Side of Later, takes place in a small town on the Jersey Shore. I’ve been a resident of South Jersey for my entire life so the places and even a lot of the characters reflect what I know best. Someday, I hope to step out of that comfort zone, but for now, I like that my stories reflect where I come from. I think it gives them a sense of authenticity.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if it classifies as unusual, but I wish I were more organized when it came to writing. Most of the time, I get an idea and I just take off with it to see where it goes. It’s great from a creative sense because there have been times I’ve written a couple thousand words in no time, but I usually end up having to go back and work an outline so that all events mesh together. I also usually listen to music as I write. With each book, I create a playlist and I find myself associating certain songs with particular scenes of the book. By the time I’m finished writing, I have a soundtrack for the book.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Emily Giffin is one of my favorite authors. I find that the most amazing part of all of her novels is her ability to capture tough life-changing decisions and characterize the dynamics in a wide array of relationships. Life is full of tough decisions, and from the outside looking in, it’s always easy to judge what’s right and what’s wrong. However, Emily Giffin so eloquently flips that perspective. What is the rationale when we have to make that decision? The lines between right and wrong are easily blurred, and we’re left to make decisions and live with the consequences. She always challenges her readers to look beyond the moral boundaries of right and wrong, and I find it so inspiring.
What are you working on now?
Currently, I’m working on the sequel to The Other Side of Later. I hope my readers are looking forward to catching up with the characters!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Marketing is an area I’m still struggling with. I use Twitter and Facebook, and I try to blog on my site as frequently as possible, but I still haven’t found my niche.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
I’m still relatively new myself, but I’d say if you love writing, then keep writing!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I read an article one time that said to write about everything you do whether it’s washing the dishes or food shopping or any other routine activity. It really helped as I wrote The Other Side of Later. There’s a scene in particular, where Julia’s car breaks down in the middle of an intersection, and that came straight from a personal experience. Once the craziness of my day settled down, I came home and wrote about what happened. It turned out to be one of the easiest scenes to write in the whole book!
What are you reading now?
I love chick lit and romance. At any given time, you can find any of the following authors on my Kindle: Emily Giffin, Barbara Freethy, Jenny Hale, Holly Martin, Barbara Delinsky, and I know I’m leaving some out, but if it’s chick lit or romance, I’ll probably read it and love it!
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan to continue to self-publish, and like I mentioned before, I hope to have my second novel out by the end of the year.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s a tough one, but I’d probably pick The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Looking for Peyton Place by Barbara Delinsky, Love the One You’re With by Emily Giffin, and then a new release by one of my favorite authors I listed about. The first three are three of my favorites of all time so I know they would keep me entertained!
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