About the Book:
The Rogue Scorpion is the story of Isabella Ricci, an artist with an adventurous spirit and a deep desire to uncover her purpose. Her resilience is challenged after a traumatic event in Thailand. Later, she finds out her father is unwell, and returns home to Winnipeg, but it isn’t long before her searching takes her to Vancouver Island. There, a dysfunctional relationship stifles her dreams and Isabella takes flight once again.
In Panama, Isabella learns to trust her intuition. Her life begins to shift, from a constant series of battles, into flow. She discovers the spiritual depth she yearns for and finds love where she never expected it.
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Author Interview:
1: Tell us a little about yourself and what got you into writing?
I’ve been a storyteller, enamored with reading and writing stories that take me to different worlds, since I was a little girl. I loved school, and could often be found with my nose in a Bobbsey Twins mystery, Anne of Green Gables adventure, or scribbling poems in the back of my exercise books. I’ve daydreamed about becoming a successful author for as far back as I can remember. Life took me in all kinds of other directions before I started my writing career, which took off long after I turned 50.
2: Do you have a favourite time and place where you write?
I write in my journal every morning, most days lying outside in my backyard here in Panama, on my recliner, a cup of hot coffee on the table beside me. When I’m ready to start my work day, typically around 8 am, I head into my home office. It’s a great space to create. I have a huge desk, three windows with views that let in the sunshine, a voluptuous leather wingback, my laptop, stacks of notepads, my favourite pen, and a head full of ideas.
3: Where do your ideas come from?
My ideas come from a combination of my own wild imagination, my intuition, and the impactful experiences I’ve had over the course of my life. I write character-driven novels, and their journey is always very close to my heart. I choose settings from some of the interesting places I’ve had the good fortune to travel to, like Panama, Saudi Arabia, France, and Italy. My characters are usually on a quest, to find transformation, wisdom, healing, or some growth of one kind or another.
4: Do you have a plan in your head of where the story is going before you start writing or do you let it carry you along as you go?
For me, the process is a little different for each book. It usually starts with a strong intuition of a character and her story. As I write, ideas for the direction the plot is going to take come to me in bits and bursts. I start a rough outline that fills in more as I go along. By the time I’m about half way through the manuscript, I usually have a clear idea of where I’m going, but I don’t necessarily have all the details ironed out.
5: What genre are your books and what drew you to that genre?
I don’t write to a specific genre. As I mentioned earlier, my fictional stories are character-driven. After I finish the manuscript for each book, I have to figure out which genre best describes it. My first novel, The Healing, had a strong female main character, so I chose to label it as a women’s fiction. My second novel was a prequel, to the first, with a focus on the father-daughter relationship of the two main characters, so it was categorized as a family drama. My third book was a non-fiction guided journal. My recently released novel, The Rogue Scorpion, has a strong female protagonist, so fits the women’s fiction category. It’s also a story about the quest to find purpose and meaning in life, a romance, and an exploration of sexual identity that might have it dipping into the LBGTQ2S+ genre.
6: What dream cast would you like to see playing the characters in your latest book?
I love this question! I have daydreamed about all three of my novels being made into screenplays for film or television. In The Rogue Scorpion, I think actress Anne Hathaway would portray my main character, Isabella Ricci very well, although she might be a little too old for the role. I’ve imagined Catalina to look like a young Sofia Vergara. Elizabeth McGovern would make a great Sylvie Ricci and I think Joe Mantegna would suit the role of Toni Ricci really well.
7: Do you read much and if so, who are your favourite authors?
I read a lot. It’s hard for me to choose my favourite authors, because it’s such a long list, but my top ten right now would be Margaret Atwood, Miriam Toews, Ann Marie MacDonald, Rohinton Mistry, Kazuo Ishiguro, Lawrence Hill, Stephen King, Wally Lamb, Khaled Hosseini, and Elizabeth Gilbert.
8: What book/s are you reading at present?
I have a huge TBR list, with over 100 titles, but right now I’m reading a novel by a Canadian author I met last April while on a book tour, Nicola Davison’s, In the Wake. I just had three cozy-mysteries that are a series arrive, written by a friend in my writing community here in Panama, MJ Mac. I also have Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere on my shelf, next in line, because I loved the made-for-television adaption produced by Reece Witherspoon so much.
9: What is your favourite book and why?
That’s a toss-up, I’ve read so many incredible stories that impacted me deeply. I’m going to cheat a little and choose three. Rohinton Mistry’s, A Fine Balance, took me on an emotional journey that had me crying pit-of-the-belly tears, then laughing, feeling outraged, and all over the rollercoaster of feelings again. The messages stuck with me and compelled me to action. Miriam Toews drew me in with her irresistible portrayal of Nomi Nickel in A Complicated Kindness. I don’t usually go for dystopic fiction, but everything I’ve read by the iconic Margaret Atwood gets under my skin and stays there.
10: What advice would you give for someone thinking about becoming a writer?
I’m not one to give advice because I believe everyone has their own unique journey in life. I guess my advice would be to follow where your heart takes you. To write what lights you up and makes your heart beat faster and then take hold of the opportunities that come your way and that resonate with you to get it out into the world.
11: What are the best Social Media Sites for people to find out about you and your work?
Using social media as a promotional platform for marketing my writing is one of my least favourite aspects of my author journey, but I do my best to create original, professional content on my Facebook Author page and LinkedIn accounts.
About the Author:
Lynda Faye Schmidt believes that creating is her life purpose, whether in building meaningful relationships, writing poems, blogs or stories, or preparing culinary creations, she loves to be fully engaged in the process. Lynda writes emotionally impacting, character-driven stories, based on real-life experiences.Lynda has been honing her craft since she began scribbling poetry in the back of her elementary school exercise books. She has a massive collection of journals, which are her foundational reflective and creative tools. Lynda earned a bachelor of education, majoring in reading and language at the University of Calgary. She has taught grades kindergarten to nine. She developed an interest in special needs education early in her career and enrolled in numerous workshops to develop her skills, and gain experience in the field. As part of her life-long interest in reading and writing, Lynda has attended writing workshops, was a member of the Writer’s Guild of Alberta, completed a creative writing course at Mount Royal College and finished the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. In September 2017, Lynda started her blog, Musings of an Emotional Creature, where she writes about topics that inspire, impassion, and ignite her. She writes about everything from travel, life as an ex-pat, relationships, and current events.Lynda was a contributor for DQ Living magazine in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from July 2018 to June 2019. Lynda believes that solid routines, balanced by open spaces that allow for opportunities, are the foundation for success and happiness. Her days are filled with time spent on her mat, practicing yoga and meditation, reading, writing, taking care of business and connecting with the people she loves.Lynda Faye Schmidt is a Canadian ex-pat living in Panama with her husband, David.
Reading Nook 
Thank you for a great interview Sarah!
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