Interview with Author Lindsay Marene Ordone

Meet Lindsay Marene Ordone, author of Most Eligible, in which a hot bachelor must make some tough decisions when he faces a fate worse than death - a reality show marriage market!

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How did you get into writing?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I just started to seriously write when my mom got her first book published. I realized that if she had enough guts to get out there and face all the things an aspiring writer has to face, I could do that too.

What's the earliest story you can remember writing?

I actually started to write poetry at a very young age. My first poem was called My So-Called Friend. It can be found under Tidbits on my website. But the first story I wrote was as a young teenager. It was probably something a thirteen year old shouldn’t be writing, but I did it anyhow. It was about this girl who has a love triangle with two other girls. It was crazy.

When did you decide to make the move to "published"?

I think when I realized that it wasn’t out of my reach to do it. After my mom was published, I knew that I had the writing gene as well and that it was possible to get my name out there and present a product of my creativity. It’s the best feeling.

How did you find the experience of seeking a publisher?

I almost immediately went with Decadent. I searched around for publishers that took short story or novella length work in my contemporary romance genre. I found a lot of them, but my mom had recently signed a contract with Decadent and I was impressed with how they handled certain things, so the final decision was made and my list of other publishers was thrown out. *chuckles*

What did it feel like when the acceptance notice came?

Oh my goodness! I screamed. My mom was on the phone with my aunt and my dad was in the kitchen.

I started screaming, “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!! Guess what!! They want my friggin’ book!”

My dad’s response was, “What?? Oh my god, Princess, they accepted her book.” My dad calls my mom princess. *smile* Then they both came in here and my mom read the letter aloud while I was trying to squeak quietly. Then my mom and I screamed like school girls and my aunt asked to talk to me to congratulate me.

It was crazy exciting!

What inspired you to write the current release?

I started writing it in high school. It was about a woman who went on a bachelorette show where other women were vying for her heart. It was a terrible mess and I never finished it.

I was talking to my mom one day about it and she said she thought it was a great concept and that she thought I should finish it. I changed it to a m/f situation and finished it. So I guess I inspired myself to start it, but my mom inspired me to finish it.

What books have most influenced your life?

I think I took tips about how a man feels from reading the incomplete draft of Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, which told the story of Twilight in Edward Cullen’s prospective.

Also, the middle part of Breaking Dawn is in Jacob Black’s prospective, so I used that too.

Other than Stephenie Meyer, I have been influenced by JK Rowling and VC Andrews. Kelly Yeakle’s The Legacy Keeper’s Treasure so far is a brilliant read, which gave me an insight about different writing styles.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading The Legacy Keeper’s Treasure as I stated before, but then after that, I’m planning to read my mom, Brita Addams’, draft of the second part of The Mysterious Moonlight Series. Also her book she wrote under Tina Ordone, Her Timeless Obsession.

What are your current projects?

I may write a sequel to Most Eligible, but I haven’t decided yet. I also have three beginnings to books sitting on my desktop, which I hope to get to and finish one of these days.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

I learned that anything is possible and that your characters take you where they want to take you. The best time I had when writing Most Eligible was when I let Gavin dictate his life to me. He wanted to do this or that and so I told you all about that. He was quite happy with me.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Just write. Try and do it every day and then one day you’ll be finished with your first book. It’s quite a lot of fun. Don’t ever doubt your abilities, don’t listen to negativity and trust your own instincts.

Nobody knows your story better than you do.

How important is the support and friendship of other writers?

It is very important. I’m the type to be very self-conscious of my writing. I’m always scared that it will only be entertaining to me. Knowing that I can trust my mom to be completely honest with me is also helpful. In her words, “You wouldn’t send me on American Idol knowing I can’t sing and I wouldn’t tell you to send your book to a publisher if I thought you couldn’t write.”

My friends have been a very important part of the process as well. I don’t have very many friends, but my best friend of all time made me promise that as soon as I found out anything, she’d be the third to know, my parents being first. I kept my promise, as I always do.

How does your family feel about your writing career?

My family is ecstatic. My mom said she thought she was happier than I was, but that’s not possible. *laughs*

Share a factoid about yourself that we don't know.

I like watching TV and movies targeted to teenagers. *smiles*

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Lindsay is the youngest of three, having been born in nineteen eight four. She grew up in New Orleans and in July 2010, she moved to Lafayette, LA. She has been writing for as far back as she can remember, but it wasn't until recently that she got the confidence to try and publish her first completed book, Most Eligible. Her confidence and drive came from the most encouraging parents a girl could ask for, as well as some friends who have read the many short stories and other works she has written over the years. She is now living in a great place with her parents and their cat, Stormee and puppy, Fiona.

You can visit Lindsay at her blog and site, or follow her on Twitter.