I got it while walking around my grandma’s land on a windy spring day, looking out at the field of rye with the sand racing across it in white drifts. It made me think about life in Florida during the 1800s. I always start novels with a simple impression like that.
L.S. Young – 28 September 2018
The Back Flap
Landra Andrews has a voice that rivals the mockingbirds in the pine forest and an iron will that clashes with her domineering father’s. With her strange name and restless spirit, she has never felt quite at home in her small town, and longs for a life far from farming in the North Florida wilderness. Trapped by duty and a secret from her past, she is convinced she’ll spend the rest of her life without love or comfort until a dashing young man inherits a nearby farm.
William Cavendish is a second son from an old Southern family. Although a gentleman in conduct, he is an artist at heart: a banjo player and a wood carver. Having sown his wild oats in the years he spent abroad, he is ready to settle down, till the fields, and whittle to his heart’s content. He is taken with headstrong Landra from their first meeting and his heart for her only grows.
Will is everything Landra has dreamed of—kind, handsome, and well-bred— and when they marry she hopes to finally escape her hard existence, but being wife to a proud, stubborn man who cares nothing for wealth comes with its own heartache. When their crops are destroyed by fire and flood, and a lover from her youth returns, she finds herself torn between two very different men. Can her love for Will find purchase in an unyielding land?
About the book
What is the book about?
A Woman so Bold is about a young woman’s struggle to find love and agency in the rural Florida panhandle during the late 19th century.
When did you start writing the book?
Technically, I started writing this book back in high school. But it was an inspirational historical romance with a lot of heavy religious themes, and a lot of the characters had different names. I lost the original manuscript and resurrected it when I was twenty-five as this historical novel with a strong woman at its heart.
How long did it take you to write it?
I started working on this version around 2012 and finished it in 2015.
Where did you get the idea from?
I got it while walking around my grandma’s land on a windy spring day, looking out at the field of rye with the sand racing across it in white drifts. It made me think about life in Florida during the 1800s. I always start novels with a simple impression like that.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
I struggled to write the end. Because I published it with a romance press, I had to have a HEA. The original ending was much more open-ended.
What came easily?
All of the scenes about nature and the scenes between the heroine and her love interest.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
Ha, are writers ever supposed to admit to borrowing people from real life? Most of them are fictitious. I’d say Landra’s best friend Ida was inspired by Scarlett O’Hara and a couple of real girls I knew in high school (none of whom were nice to me).
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
This novel was definitely influenced by classic authors I loved growing up, like Harper Lee, Charlotte Bronte and L.M. Montgomery. I also drew inspiration from the novel Cross Creek.
Do you have a target reader?
Hmm, well my sister always reads my manuscripts, no matter what genre they’re in. Another person who always reads my books is my CP, Erica Waters.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I eat breakfast, do some small tasks around the house, and then write for a few hours with coffee nearby. I’m a stay at home mom, so some days are more productive than others. Sometimes I revise and edit at night if I’m not too tired.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?
I don’t extensively outline. I’m a pantser. I start with an impression or idea, write the first few chapters, and then loosely outline the entire novel, bullet style, once I know which direction I want to go.
Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
I edit as I go. I can’t help it. It’s a compulsion!
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Not usually. It’s too distracting. But for this book I did enjoy listening to Old Crow Medicine Show and Jason Isbell.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I didn’t submit this work to agents, just publishers. I was rep’d by an agent for my second historical romance, and am currently querying agents for a different genre (YA fantasy).
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
It just sort of happened. I didn’t know much about traditional publishing when I started writing, so I decided to go with a small publisher for my first novel. My second novel, Montana Burning, is also being published by an indie pub (Champagne Book Group).
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
It was designed by Victoria Vane at Soul Mate Publishing.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
I’ve marketed it on social media and also paid for a couple of small campaigns on Twitter.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Make sure you assemble a street team of people to leave reviews when your book comes out. Otherwise, getting people to leave reviews can be like pulling teeth. Success is a combination of luck, talent, connections, and chance. Just make sure you keep doing what you love. And everyone says this, but write every day.
About You
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a small town in the Florida panhandle.
Where do you live now?
Central Florida. (Near Disney.)
What would you like readers to know about you?
I love when people leave me reviews and add my book on Goodreads.
End of Interview:
For more from Ms Young, visit her website, like her Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter.
Get your copy of A Woman So Bold from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
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