Book Divas

We had the opportunity to interview Linda Francis Lee about her new book Emily and Einstein as well as other happenings in her life. Check out the interview below and Linda's website here. Emily and Einstein will hit bookstores March 1st. Preorder your copy today!

1. A work related move for your husband brought to from Texas to New York City. How as the Big Apple treated you? What's the most surprising thing you've learned about the northeast since moving?

We moved to NYC in 1999. When we moved to the northeast, the biggest surprise was the snow. People can talk about the snow, you can see it on TV, but the reality of heaping mounds of snow for a girl who was born and raised in Texas was a shock. And a few months later when Northeasterners were wearing shorts in May, I still had on my parka. I longed for sunshine and 110 degrees. Thankfully all these years later I've adjusted and recently I was standing on a snowy street corner in Soho with a recent Texas transplant. I was wearing a sweater and not thinking about snow until I noticed she was shivering in her coat. I smiled and said, Not to worry, you'll get used to it! I'm not sure she believes me.

2. Linda Francis Lee in NYC is the name of your new blog where you post webisodes about your adventures around the city. What has the process been like creating these webisodes?

Ha! Sometimes they are my MISadventures! But it has been amazingly fun to do and surprisingly hard! Take one, take two, take ten! It's just me and the mystery cameraman, so there's no one to hold Q cards. I just have to know what I'm going to say. But even if I memorize, I have to be aware of what is going on around me which makes memorizing pretty useless since it's hard to keep track of so many moving parts. Hence the retakes. What always surprises me is how many people want to be in the shot. Not like, Can I be in the video? But they come up and just linger behind me so that we have to find another place to shoot. What is really funny is when we don't notice it for some reason, and when we play back the takes, there is the man or woman or whoever playing their own little part in the show.

3. To switch gears a bit, Emily and Einstein, your new book, is set to hit the bookshelves on March 1st. The book has been described as a ‘combination of fantasy and reality” with “emotional depth and observation.” What is it like to read comments about your work, especially when it comes from other authors?

If they're great, I love them! If they're not . . . well, there is a reason the gods made chocolate. Though truthfully, it's best to steer clear of comments when you're in the middle of a release. It's an emotional time, a roller coaster with so many moving parts. It's best to focus on the next book you're writing. 4. In Emily and Einstein, Emily's life is turned upside-down by a number of unforeseen events. With the help of Einstein, she is able to keep moving forward. Where did the inspiration from the book come from? I had been thinking a lot about our dog Sophie who had passed away several years ago. For years, just thinking about her made me sad. But then a shift started to happen and the memories made me smile or even laugh. Sophie had so much personality. If she was mad at me, she ignored me. If I was sad about something, she leaned up against me until I felt better. I know it sounds crazy, but she felt like a little person, a sometimes crotchety person! She also felt magical. So I started thinking about a crotchety, magical dog . . . and eventually Einstein was born!

5. Einstein is a dog like no other. Is Einstein a reflection of a pet you have or once had? What do you think pets bring to a person's life?

As you can see, Einstein is very much a reflection of Sophie. And I think a beloved pet brings so much to a person's life. Love, joy, companionship.

6. We know that writing can be a sometimes tedious, sometimes gut-wrenching, sometimes arduous process. What kind of writing challenges did you face while writing Emily and Einstein?

Writing any book can be all of these things, and in many ways, Emily and Einstein was as well. But somehow this book was different for me. Perhaps it was because I felt I was spending my days with Sophie, or maybe it was because with this particular book whenever I hit a bump (something that I thought I couldn't get beyond) out of nowhere an answer appeared, or something saved the day. I have no idea what will happen with the book, but I do know that writing it was a wonderful experience. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, Emily and Einstein reminded that anything is possible.

7. Lastly, we would love to know what you think makes you a Book Diva?

I think a Book Diva is anyone who loves books and believes in the power of a good story. I love books and have seen first hand how a story can change a person's life, which must make me a Book Diva!

About the Author

Linda Francis Lee is a native Texan now living on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and the author of twenty books that have been published in sxteen countires. When Linda isn't writing, she loves to run in Central Park and spend time with her husband, family, and friends