An Interview with Linda Acaster

Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Linda Acaster, I live on the coast in Yorkshire, England, and I’ve been writing on and off since my teens. I’ve always enjoyed history, especially Dark Age and Early Mediaeval. I’m fascinated by the lives of ordinary people, how they lived and worked, and the fact that they occupied the space in and on which I now live my life, so often even my contemporary fiction is influenced by aspects of the past.

What do you write?
I tend to write a bit out of left field. For instance, my Romances don’t necessarily follow the usual path for love stories – “Torc of Moonlight” is about the power of women but the main viewpoints are male – and I like a good dose of high adventure mixed with gritty realism. Even when I was writing Historical Romances for Harlequin I was always teetering on the edge. My editor balked at my casting a Viking hero as an historically sound werwulf. Perhaps I was just ahead of my time and I should resurrect him.

Why do you write?
Oooh, there’s a question for the psychiatrist’s couch. I enjoy exploring the dynamics of relationships, the sometimes fine line between the dark and light emotions and the influences that can make a person lean, even temporarily, to one side or the other. For instance, in “Torc of Moonlight” I have two sets of characters in parallel: one couple make love, the other couple has sex. Current society tends to consider these terms interchangeable, but they’re not.

What are you writing now?
With “Torc of Moonlight” just out I’m cogitating, letting a scenario and a set of characters foment. I feel that the follow-up should be another Paranormal, but even though there is a romance at its heart, what is rising seems more like Gothic Horror. Like I said, left field.

What kind of clothes do you like to wear?
Slender, well-cut, elegant outfits that carry a sense of the tactile. Unfortunately I don’t have that sort of lifestyle, so I’m more often seen in jeans and flat boots. Well, you try walking down a muddy track to view a historical site in killer heels.

Are you in love? Have you ever been?
Of course. Dear Reader, I married him.

Do you have a dream lover – and what does he or she look like?
Hubby, still. And he’s tall, dark and handsome complete with velvet brown eyes. Didn’t I do well?

What kind of comfort food do you like best?
If I’m relaxed it’s canned tomato soup; if I’m stressed it’s dark chocolate Hobnobs and coffee so strong it would melt silver.

What makes you laugh? Cry?
Laugh: a good comedy or a deeply layered joke.
Cry: another’s sacrifice; watching on television the silent people gather at Wootton Bassett

What do you do to amuse yourself when not working?
Research tends to be viewed not as work but as a day out. Enjoying the company of friends over a home-cooked meal and a bottle of wine.

What is it in a man or woman that turns you on? The clean version please!
Looks initially – I still go for the tall, dark, handsome type – but it is that indefinable extra, not so much charisma, more an aura that is carried, that makes the difference.

What do you hate about life?
I don’t hate anything. Life irritates me. It keeps getting in the way.

What do you hope to achieve in life and when will you know that you have been a success?
Phew, if I had that taped I probably wouldn’t need to write!

What are you going to write next?
It might be my Romance that’s trying to be a Gothic Horror, if I can pull it into some sort of order. I’ve a non-fiction writers’ manual that should take precedence as it is nearing completion, and I’d like to rewrite that historically sound Viking werwulf. Decisions, decisions…