Interview 19/09/13

Linda J. Butler

Name or Pen Name:

Linda J. Butler

Email:

Lindab755@gmail.com

Biography:

After a layoff, Linda J. Butler returned to school and graduated from Mount St. Mary's College with an M.A. in Humanities with an emphasis in Creative Writing. Anti-Sentient began as a writing assignment for a short novel class. With the encouragement of the course's professor, she shopped the finished product around for publication. She signed with Spore Press, a publisher specializing in BioSciFi

A native Angeleno, Linda is a technical editor residing in West Los Angeles, CA. Her love of horror began at a young age with the exposure to such classic horror films as, "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Last Man on Earth".

Social Media Links:

Twitter: LBizzee

Website: Lindajbutler.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/AntiSentient

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/LindaJButler

· When did you first realise you wanted to be an author?

I’ve always loved to write. I was a writer on the yearbook staff in high school. I dreamt of making a living as writer then. As an adult, I took a completely different, non-creative career path. It wasn’t until I lost my job that I decided to pursue creative goals and write because it made me happy.

· Do you have any interesting quirks that only occur when writing?

Several, I’m sure. For one, I drive around dictating notes to my phone. I get great ideas driving around. Also, I can’t write in a quiet room. I think the majority of Anti-Sentient was written listening to Cheap Trick and Nirvana.

· Where do you get your ideas for your books?

Like all writers, I have a very vivid imagination. A lot of ideas come to me imagining extraordinary occurrences disrupting every day places. Part of Anti-Sentient takes place in a self storage facility. I was in such a place helping a friend and thought it to be the perfect hideout during a zombie apocalypse.

· Out of all of the books you have written, do you have a favourite? If so, which one and why?

So far, Anti-Sentient is my only complete work. I have many short stories and I’m working on a second novel now.

Anti-Sentient is my favourite for now. It was created so organically and freely and I never imagined it being published. Plus, it’s a zombie tale. I’m so happy that my first published work features my favourite creatures, zombies.

· What do you think makes a good story?

I love a good scare, and the scariest stories are those that just could happen.

· Who are your favourite authors?

Stephen King, Dean Koontz and my fellow Spore Press authors are pretty impressive.

· If you could pick one actor to play a character in your book, who would it be?

Thandie Newton would play my heroine, Abigail Nielsen and Willem Dafoe would play her father, Ian.

· If you had one piece of advice for an aspiring author, what would it be?

Write your story, the story that makes you happy.

· Please can you tell us about your latest book and what it is about?

I’m working on the sequel to Anti-Sentient. The first book was set in Los Angeles. The story progresses to a larger scale. The first book focused on family relations. The next will focus on government involvement in personal issues and zombies, of course.

· Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

I would like to thank you, Warren for having me. I would like to thank the readers for their time and their support of indie and small press writers.