Indie Support Sunday: Linnea March

While Linnea March might be a new-to-me author, I have quite a few author friends who know and share her books online, so I consider us already friends! Since the first time I saw her books, I’ve been intrigued by the stories she’s telling and the titles? So good! Her debut series is focused on rockstars in a band and the second series follows a group of friends falling in love through the seasons. How cool is that? 

When she’s not writing, Linnea can be found making playlists that go beyond songs that are perfect for the book. It’s about the emotions of the character and the story she’s telling. And they help her find her way back to who her characters are whenever she might hit a wall.

Autumn in the Rearview is her latest release, and she’s got so much more coming. In fact, Linnea has admitted that she’s returning to the world of celebrities and rockstars with her next book and promises that it’s her messiest and hottest book yet! If that’s not enough, she hopes to one day try her hand at a historical gothic dark romance with maybe an arranged marriage.

Linnea’s books are currently available in Kindle Unlimited.

BEING AN AUTHOR

Who or what inspired you to write?

From the earliest I can remember I was an avid reader. The quintessential reading past your bedtime girl. Reading and writing have always been my way of processing the world around me. 

There is this Annie Dillard quote, “She read books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” That's always been what books are to me. Both in consuming and creating them. When I struggled with infertility I wrote of it. While I am processing my mother’s dementia diagnosis, I am writing it. 

What’s the best and worst part about being an indie author? 

The best is meeting readers who loved my books. Hearing that a passage or plot line resonated with them, that they saw themselves in the characters. Having someone talk to me about losing a loved one to substance abuse and finding solace in my depiction of grief in Reckless Liar or feeling seen by featuring a couple that openly discusses being childfree by choice, like in Treacherous Notion. 

I have been incredibly lucky to have found a group of authors I talk to everyday. The ladies are some of the best friends I’ve ever known and having someone who understands the journey that writing takes you on has made all the difference.  

The hardest is keeping up with marketing trends. Just when I think I have the hang of it, the algorithm changes and wants something different. 

Why did you choose to self-publish instead of going the traditional route?

It was a tough call and I did a lot of research on the subject, but in the end it was about how I wanted my creative process to be used. Did I want to spend my days shopping for an agent, querying publishing houses and hoping that my books fit within their idea of what should be on the shelves, or did I want to put out my idea of the best book and move onto writing the next one? Did I want to have full say on the cover? The formatting? The way it was marketed to the public? Or allow others to make those choices for me? 

Indies have long been the trendsetters for traditional publishing. And while there is more support with a traditional team, it’s not as much as people assume. If you can find a quality editor, cover designer, PR company, and know legalese, you can create a similar support system of your own choosing. 

When you’re not writing, what do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

Music, always music. I create playlists for each of my books that delve into the emotions I want to create in my characters. Whenever I hit an issue, I can listen to songs and they will take me back into the character’s motivations. 

Often I’ll chat with my author friends too, even if it’s a simple “My brain is mush and I forgot how to spell awry” to “does this plot point work?” 

If you were to recommend books to me (in any genre), what would they be?

That really depends on what genre people like! I pride myself on giving recommendations to people. I can give you a few of my recent five star reads.  

An underrated historical (since I heard they’re making a comeback) is Sarah Maclean’s Nine Rules to Break when Romancing a Rake, If I Had Your Face by Frances Ha, Seven Days in June by Tia Williams, In the Dreamhouse by Carmen Maria Machado

My all time favorite books are: LIke Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, Wonder When You’ll Miss Me by Amanda Davis, Eating the Cheshire Cat by Helen Ellis, Tess of the d’Ubervilles by Thomas Hardy (Someday I’m going to adapt this one…). I could go on and on…

What are your top 5 tips or pieces of advice for aspiring authors?

1. Just write it. The first draft doesn’t have to be good. It can be awful, even. But awful words on the page can be fixed, a blank page cannot. 

2. Know your genre. No matter what you are writing, you must understand the expectations before you go in. Romance is character driven, it is emotional, and it always ends happily. 

3. Read more than you write. It doesn’t have to be in the genre you’re in. I love thrillers, historical romances, and literary fiction. Opening yourself up to other voices and the world at large can make all the difference in your own writing. A great reader is a good writer. 

4. There will never be a perfect book. One way I cope when I feel down about my writing is to read one star reviews of my favorite books. Somewhere, someone rated Sense and Sensibility low and said they’d rather be stabbed with a spork than read another page. Puts things into perspective. 

5. This is a craft hack that I love, but when you are in the flow and need to look something up, whether it be a name, a place, etc–write TK as a reminder to go back and do that research, so you don’t interrupt your writing flow. Just don’t forget to fix it. Also, maybe stay away from naming a road Sitka Loop, because that will add to the process. (I learned that the hard way) 

6. Also, know your limits. There is no harm in hiring out others for what you cannot do. While I can make a decent social media graphic at times, I cannot proofread my own work. There is no failing at getting help. 

ROMANCE AS A GENRE

Why did you choose romance as the genre to write in? What is your favorite thing about the genre?

Romance has always been my number one to read. I go back to it time and time again, so when I’m writing a story there is always a romantic component to it. I’ve never tried to write a nonromance, maybe someday, but the genre is so wide, I don't see myself tiring of it any time soon. 

If not romance/subgenres of romance, what genre would you like to write in?

I’d love to try my hand at historical, gothic dark romance. A bit of a ghost story, maybe. 

What are your most and least favorite tropes?

So many favorites!! I’m a sucker for arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, one bed, forbidden dynamics, forced proximity, okay, I’ll stop. 

Not to yuck anyone else's yum, but I’m not a fan of bullies. I like to see a fair power dynamic between the characters and the ones I’ve read didn’t have that. (if you have a rec that will change my mind, I’d love to read it!) I’m also not a big fan of women being written as catty and mean to other women as their only personality trait. 

Oh, and if there are multiple men as love interests, those boyfriends better be boyfriends. 

What are some tropes you want to write in the future?

If I go into the historical route, I'd love to write an arranged marriage. I think the conversation around gender dynamics in historical romance can be so interesting and I’d love to give it a try. 

What are some topics (sensitive and otherwise) that you think should exist more in romance?

Abortion in plain terms, not villainized but a fact of many couple’s lives. I’d like to see more bisexuality in works as well, not fetishized but treated as only one aspect of the characters identity. 

If you write open door romance, why did you choose that and what inspires your sex scenes?

Adults have sex. Sex is an important part of many mature relationships and it made sense for the stories I wrote and the characters I created to enjoy pleasure and find liberation in intimacy. 

If you write closed door romance, why did you choose that and what are your favorite ways to build tension between the characters?

My book, Reckless Liar is closed door. When I was writing it years ago, I didn’t feel confident enough in my ability to write believable sex scenes that fit with the serious tone of the book.  The story is one of healing and redemption through emotional connection. Sex isn’t a vital part of their story. 

YOUR BOOKS

What inspired your published stories? How and when did you come up with these stories and plots?

My first published book, Faultless Notion, started out with a song. I had a scene written out where a woman sits on a stool and sings about her lover taking her back, and as the song changes you learn she wants to go back to before they met and she was heartbroken. The rest of the story spun out from there. Nine books later, it’s still one of my favorite sections in a book. 

Can you briefly tell me about your books?

The Prevalent Notion series follows the members of a band, Keller, Nathan, and Theo. It takes the band across the country, to small towns and downtown LA.

Faultless Notion features accidental marriage, on tour, and many songs. Treacherous Notion is my friends to lovers, childfree by choice, she is the commitphobic one. Ruinous Notion takes the rockstars into a small town, featuring a second chance at love with a single mother. 

My Seasons of Us series is about four friends as they find love over their respective seasons. Wren’s Winter is snowed in, instant attraction. Second Chance Spring is second chance, forced proximity. Villainous Summer is a revenge, fake dating. Autumn in the Rearview, which was released in November, is brother’s best friend, age gap, and roadtrip.

I also have two standalones, The One You Chose which is a holiday novella and Reckless Liar is a love after loss, friends to lovers. 

Do you already have a favorite character from the stories you’ve written?

Autumn from Autumn in the Rearview. Writing a free spirited, loving and kind character was so fun.  

On the flip side, her cousin, Summer from Villainous Summer was a blast to write as she’s a no second chances, burn those bridges, badass that I love. I’ve always loved the tougher girls. There is a reason Rizzo is my favorite from Grease! 

If you were to cast your book for a movie/television show, who would you cast in the lead roles?

I don’t normally think of specific actors or actresses for my stories, with two notable exceptions, Mary Kate Wiles is the physical inspiration for Liliana Pryce in Reckless Liar and Matt Lanter is my Theo Blake from Ruinous Notion. 

How much of yourself do you put into these characters?

Certainly more of my insecurities have made their way into my characters than my good traits. I think there is a little bit of myself in everyone I write, but there are also aspects of the people I love as well. And maybe a little bit of people I don't love…

What is a story/stories that you really want to tell?

I really want to write a F/F romance someday, but I want to do it justice, so I’m waiting for the right storyline to do it. A ghost story or witches maybe. I’m not a big paranormal reader but witches and ghosts are my exceptions. 

Is there one common element that readers can find in all your stories?

I want all my FMC to be girl’s girls. I have so many rich wonderful female friendships in my life and I want to create characters who have the same. Men who if they’re not currently in therapy, they would be open to it by the end. I love a self aware king. 

What’s next on the bookshelf for you? Anything you can tell us about a future project?

I’m going back to celebrity/rockstars! This next book is by far the messiest and hottest book I’ve written to date. The characters are complicated and make bad choices and I am having the best time writing it.  

When you write these stories, what are you hoping your readers will feel?

Connection. Always finding themselves lost in my stories. The best feeling is getting lost in a fictional world, and I hope that I can create that immersive experience for my readers. 

AUTHOR’S CHOICE

• Paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks or audiobooks—Can I say all? My number one will be ebooks, but I love a good audiobook as well. Paperbacks are for vacation. 

• Contemporary, fantasy, historical or romantic suspense—Tough! I’m a mood reader, so it might be any of these depending on what day you find me! 

• Single or Dual POV—Something about knowing both their thought processes does something for me. 

• Standalones, series or standalones in a series—Interconnected standalones are my favorites. My most reread series fit into this genre

• Open door, ajar door or closed door romances—If there are good times, I want to read about them in all their glory. 

• Music or silence when writing—Instrumental. I need music, but I cannot listen to lyrics. Minnz Piano, Brooklyn Duo, Ramin Djawadi, Vitamin String Quartet take up my writing playlist. 

• Plotter, pantser or plantser—I have an outline of what I’d like to do for each story, but I also allow the creative process to change things. 

• Water, tea, coffee or….wine?—Good coffee or earl grey tea. 

• Cold or warm weather—Which is ironic because I live in the PNW and right now it is cold, gets dark at 4pm and grey skies for the next five months. 

• Write better in the morning, afternoon or night?—I’m a night owl, so evenings are my most creative. For a while I had to write while my kids were at school, so I trained myself to write first thing in the morning and it did not come naturally to me. 

• Illustrated or photo cover?—That depends on the subgenre! For the darker, most angry books a discrete or photo cover is best, but for lighter-toned books I love a good illustrated cover. 

Linnea can be found on Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky and Facebook. You can also order signed paperbacks directly from her. To stay updated on Linnea’s future projects, subscribe to her newsletter or check out her website!