Hello, Linda Rooks, and thank you for being on my blog today! I can’t wait to hear about some of your favorite books. To start, what was the first book you read that you could not put down? Why?

For me reading a good fiction book is a dangerous pastime for once I’m engrossed in the story, the tangible realities and responsibilities of daily life fade into an unconscious blur. Fixing dinner or cleaning house move to the back burner of my mind. Once while listening to a book on tape while driving on the Interstate to Atlanta, I almost ran out of gas because I was so absorbed in the book. I’ve learned to be careful when I pick a time to read good fiction.

The first book that captivated me to where I couldn’t put it down was Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott. It’s also the book that inspired me to want to be a writer. The characters came alive to me. Their challenges, disappointments, hopes, and dreams became mine. The relationships between them made me laugh and cry. I became part of the family, and while I was reading the book at the age of 11, their problems and interactions became more engaging than my own. I lived each day to re-enter the world of the March family.

What is the last book you read that you couldn’t put down? Why?

The last book I read that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning was Redemptive Love by Francine Rivers. Basing it on the biblical story of Hosea, but realistically grounded in the early 20th century, the author builds a story of love that is strong enough to outlast the hurt and pain of rejection and overcome all obstacles. When the last strongholds of fear begin to crumble, we are held captive until we see the powerful force of love finally win out.

Where is the most unusual place you’ve read a book?

My husband and I read The Agony and the Ecstasy, the fictionalized story of Michelangelo, as we traveled around Europe and visited art museums, churches, and public squares. At night we devoured the descriptions of Michelangelo’s painting and sculptures as well as the stories of how he developed his talent and created his amazing works of art. We took the book with us and continued reading in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, in front of his David in Florence and all the locations where his work is exhibited throughout Italy.

If you could have dinner with any fictional character, who would it be? Why?

I would choose Elizabeth Barrett from Pride and Prejudice simply because I really liked her. She seems like a woman I would like to have as a friend and someone I would relate to.

If you could turn any of your books into a movie, which would you pick? Who would you cast as the main characters?

I would choose my recently released book, Pieces of Dark, Pieces of Light, a dramatic suspense thriller with lots of action, surprising twists, captivating characters, and themes that resonate with our time. My cast would consist of either Omar Shariff or George Clooney as Janssen LaMarche, the American diplomat who is the leading character chosen to save the world from the threat of weapons of mass destruction; Annette Benning as Jenna LaMarche, his devoted sister; Gwyneth Paltrow, Amanda Siegfried or Beth Robertson as Evie, Janssen’s daughter who is a Christian and adores her father. Lucas Till as Danny, who is smitten with Evie, and Liam Neeson, Richard Gere or Patrick Dempsey as Michael, who is Jenna’s ex-husband.

Who is your favorite author? Why?

My favorite non-fiction authors are Catherine Marshall and John Eldridge. Both of them have timeless messages that take a reader deeper into a relationship with God, but, in addition, their writing soars with beautiful images and language that keeps you captivated.

My favorite fiction authors are Francine Rivers and Jane Austin. In their books, the characters come alive and the tension between them keeps you wanting to continue reading until the end. But when the ending comes, you want more.

If you could change the ending of any story, what would you change? Why?

When I read a suspense or mystery novel, I enjoy being kept in suspense, but when I get to the end I want the final revelation to be grounded in well placed clues along the way so the reader can look back and say, “I see it! Yes, I can see the breadcrumbs leading to this ending. It makes sense.” Too many times, even well-respected authors sacrifice authentic suspense for a surprise ending, which is not built upon the roadblocks of the story.  They pick a minor character that has shown no hint of being the offender and then suddenly create some far-fetched story arc to make it sound plausible.

So in the mystery or suspense novels I’ve read that have had disappointing endings, I would change them so the culprit is someone I may or may not have suspected, but enough clues exist that I feel satisfied that it has not been a waste of time to read the book. When I wrote my suspense thriller, Pieces of Dark, Pieces of Light, I wanted to make sure that when the reader got to the end, he would thoroughly enjoy the way all the pieces from the story fit together. Having a satisfying ending that can stay with you for awhile is one of the joys of reading.

Pieces of Dark, Pieces of Light – It’s 2052, and when a cache of weapons of mass destruction is discovered in Tajikistan, diplomat Janssen LaMarche is looked to as the one man who can avert a world crisis. Things go awry, however, when he is faced with a personal battle of his own.  As a world crisis moves the plot through thrilling and suspenseful twists and surprises, at the heart of the story vibrates the personal saga of a man on a mission and the women who fear for his life.

In her debut suspense thriller, Pieces of Dark, Pieces of Light, Linda W. Rooks detours from her three earlier books, award winning Fighting for Your Marriage while Separated, Broken Heart on Hold, and The Bunny Side of Easter, to dive into a futuristic world of international politics and time travel where adventure and mystery reign, but hope remains king. Over a hundred of Linda’s writings have appeared in publications across the U.S. She has appeared in numerous TV, radio, and podcast interviews across North America. Find Linda at PiecesofDarkPiecesofLight.com.