Linda McGinnis – Author in our Midst
By Robin Shepherd
Linda McGinnis is a name to watch in the South Valley cultural arts community. McGinnis is a local author with a passion for her craft and a savvy approach to a publishing world that’ s gone digital. She also welcomes opportunities to share ideas, experiences and resources with other writers.
Creative Roots As a young girl, Linda treasured time with her friend from across the street. The two girls would set up a card table, sift through their cache of paper and pens, and spend hours together creating poems, stories and drawings. At the age of five, McGinnis was sowing the seeds of what would become a lifelong passion.
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“ My early inspiration came from my family,” said McGinnis.“ My father was a great story teller. He and my mother both encouraged me to express my creativity through writing, photography and music, and my grandmother taught me how to quilt.”
Today, McGinnis is flourishing as an author of Young Adult fiction and more recently of New Adult fiction, an increasingly popular category that appeals to readers aged 18 to 30. She has six novels on the market with a seventh book already underway.
“ I became interested in history while in college,” said McGinnis,“ but as I explored history more deeply in the years that followed, I noticed a lack of historical fiction written about and for this age group. I decided that I wanted to write for them.”