Hi Lynda, it's so nice to meet you and welcome you to my blog - I am looking forward to learning more about you and your work. Let's get started with my questions....
1.)
What was your first job? Did you like or
dislike it? Why?
I was the oldest of three children, with four cousins on my father's side
and two cousins on my mother's side. We
all grew up together, and it usually fell to me to keep everyone entertained,
which I did by making up and telling stories that would enthral them for as
long as my imagination held up. It is a gift that has never deserted me.
2.)
Do you have a pet peeve? If so, what is it?
I have a great many pet peeves, people not putting their grocery cart back where they belong—loud talkers in restaurants. But lately, it has been the lack of empathy I see all around me. Everyone has a point of view, it may not necessarily agree with yours, but the key to changing hearts and minds is listening with empathy and then simply agreeing to disagree.
3.)
Do you spend more time researching or writing?
I was born and raised in Jamaica. Eight generations of my family are buried there. A history I share with many in the Caribbean, and because of this rich heritage, my stories are based in Jamaica and the islands. A childhood friend of mine, who I used to study with, told me recently that while she learned the history of the Caribbean, I absorbed it. I think this statement may be correct because sometimes, when I am writing, things just come to me. I put it down to roots buried so deep in the Jamaican soil that they will bind me to the island forever.
4.)
Tell me about your book FRIENDSHIP ESTATE
and where you got your inspiration for it?
The inspiration for this book came from an email my brother sent me in December 2018. Even though I am the oldest, when my father died, my brother inherited the family bible, crest with seal, and our family's legacy in Jamaica. My brother did some digging and found out that my 4x great grand-uncle asked his doctor to marry his young wife upon his death. He wanted to leave Friendship Estate to her and feared she would not inherit if she weren't married. My imagination did the rest.
5.)
How much of your book is realistic?
With this book, the question to ask is how much of it could have been
real if only the collective will matched the way. To write this book, I drew
heavily on the actual history of Jamaica, not what the history books said, but the
hidden treasure that lay buried, and I discovered that society in Jamaica was
far more complex than the narrative put forth wants to acknowledge. My brother
introduced me to a book written by my 3x great-grandfather, Bernard Martin
Senior, called Jamaica As It Was, As It Is, and As It May Be. This book helped me find the direction I
wanted FRIENDSHIP ESTATE to take.
6.)
What are your ambitions for your writing
career?
Writing for me started as a cathartic experience. I have always suffered from nightmares, and after four years of successive losses, my uncle, my father, my aunt, the nightmares came back in full force in 2016. My first book, REDEMPTION SONGS, came out of those nightmares because I feared losing the one person, I built my life around. The response from REDEMPTION SONGS encouraged me to keep writing, so when FRIENDSHIP ESTATE came knocking, I was ready. Now I have completed my third book, I AM CUBA and am waiting for it to find a home, so I can introduce it to the world.
7.)
Who is your role model? Why?
I think role models change as we evolve in life. I have had many, and they taught me what I feel are the important things in life. Family first and forever. Loyalty is the greatest gift you have to bestow, so choose well. Forgiveness is redemptive. No matter how broken the human spirit is, someone has the balm to heal it, and if you open your heart up to that possibility, they will find you.
8.)
Share one fact about yourself that would
surprise people.
My bark is worse than my bite.
Website & Book Links:
Friendship Estate - Friendship Estate: A magic carpet ride from the sweeping vistas of Jamaica’s shores to Georgian England’s gilded halls.: Edwards, Lynda R: 9781736163306: Amazon.com: Books
Redemption Songs - Amazon.com: Redemption Songs: 9781641116978: Edwards, Lynda R.: Books
Redemption Songs: Amazon.co.uk: Edwards, Lynda R.: 9781641116978: Books
Gift Box: Lynda R. Edwards' Stir It Up Gift Box – Caribshopper
BIO:
Following my path, at last:
My name is Lynda Edwards. I was born in Mandeville, Jamaica, in 1967, the beginning of a turbulent time in Jamaica's history.
I wrote my first novel, Redemption Songs, in 2019 after a reoccurring nightmare found a voice. During the pandemic, I poured the fear, turmoil, and uncertainty I felt into my second novel, Friendship Estate.
I love to write about the human condition. I believe stories have the power to deepen our faith in the power of redemption, love, and humanity.
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