Meet Linda Rosen | Novelist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linda Rosen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linda, how do you think about risk?
I once thought the word risk and my name would never be uttered in the same sentence, other than to say “Linda is not a risk taker.” I’ve never skydived or gone parasailing. Any hikes I take are gentle, none where I have to scramble over loose rocks on a cliff at the edge of the world. Yet if I didn’t take a risk, I would never have become a published author. As in the poem, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost, when nearing my sixtieth birthday, while looking for a new creative endeavor, I came upon that proverbial fork in the road. I was perusing an adult school catalog for a photography class when a writer’s workshop caught my eye. I could only take one class so a decision had to be made. Why was I obsessing over it? I’d never written fiction other than compositions in school years before. And I was pretty good at photography. I could only get better with the class. Plus, I wasn’t risking much. Neither of these classes would change my life. Or so I thought.
Writing itself is not a risk, though putting your book baby out in the world, well…it kind of is. Will a publisher offer a contract? Will anyone buy the book? Two published novels later, and another coming out in May 2023, I’m happy to say I took the right fork and am so happy to have readers curled up with a cup of tea enjoying a novel penned by me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
“I’m Never Done” – that’s a phrase I live by though I didn’t realize it until later in life. Never having an inkling that I, a wife, mother, and Fitness Professional, would become a published author, my life, which had always been wonderful (I’m fortunate to say), blossomed after I turned sixty. When friends were retiring and looking for hobbies or volunteer work, taking up canasta or dabbling in watercolors, I slid into a totally new career. It wasn’t easy. Writing and publishing are met with many disappointments and rejections but, even at an older age, if you realize you’re in it for the long haul, and you most likely won’t be the next Hemingway, you’ll have an exciting journey and enjoy the ride. I found my niche, or brand, as it’s called: My novels are always set in the “not-too-distant past” and examine how women reinvent themselves despite obstacles thrown their way. A central theme is that blood is not all that makes a family– and they always feature a piece of jewelry! I hope you’ll check out my books – and also, never be done!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When it’s snowy and cold up north, lots of my friends find their way to my south Florida home. The first thing we do is defrost their frozen feet in our warm sand. We head to Delray Beach and let the salty Atlantic tickle their toes, then have lunch at Luna Rosa across from the beach or Happy Hour at Deck 84. Browsing shops and people-watching on Atlantic Avenue is always fun, and an evening cruise on the Intracoastal on Lady Atlantic is a perfect way to end the day. Another day we’d take in the art at the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach with lunch outdoors overlooking their garden, savoring their culinary delights. Heading home, a drive along Dixie Highway stopping in several antique shops is fun. Another delightful not-to-miss drive is along A1A with the ocean on our right, heading north to Palm Beach where we’d stop and wander Worth Avenue with its exclusive shops. We might stop for refreshments at one of their outdoor eateries or peruse the first editions at Raptis Rare Books. And since I’m a garden lover, let’s not forget the other gardens in the Palm Beach County area for other days. Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach is serene, the sculptures at the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach are gorgeous, and the secret gem, Mounts Botanical Gardens, in West Palm Beach is stunning, always with some fascinating exhibit. Having viewed plants and flowers during the day, let’s do some music in the evenings. We’d listen to jazz at The Arts Garage in Delray Beach or blues at the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, or go to a musical or ballet at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. Keeping with the theater theme, a really fun and interesting afternoon is taking the guided tour of the Costume Museum at the Wick Theater in Boca Raton. With leaving time to walk on the elevated boardwalk along the wetlands in Green Cay Nature Preserve in Boynton Beach and relaxing poolside, my guests are ready to head back to their homes where they’ll need wool jackets and scarves for several more months.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people I’d like to give a shout-out to. All the writer friends who have embraced me on this journey, from my critique group to my Friday Rogue Writers, to the Women’s National Book Association, Women Fiction Writers Association, and my fellow tour guides in the Facebook group, Bookish Road Trip – my life has blossomed with you in it.

Website: https://www.linda-rosen.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindarosenauthor/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-rosen-5130b513/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lrosenauthor

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lindarosenauthor

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8_P0B59b8p5hekQLqgwOZw/featured

Image Credits
Danielle Judd Photography