Happy Friday! Today I have the privilege of featuring author Linda Kozar on Everything Writerly. If you're not familiar with Linda and her work. here's her bio:

Linda Kozar is the author of Babes With A Beatitude—Devotions For Smart, Savvy Women of Faith (Howard/Simon & Schuster, Hardcover/Ebook, 2009), Misfortune Cookies (Barbour Publishing, Print, 2008). Misfortune Cookies, A Tisket, A Casket, and Dead As A Doornail (Spyglass Lane Mysteries, Ebooks, 2012), Strands of Fate (Annie’s Attic Mysteries, Hardcover, 2012).

Linda will be giving away a FREE BOOK, so please leave a comment and your name will be entered into the drawing. We'll announce a winner on Monday morning.

Here's a blurb of Linda's latest book:

A Tisket, A Casket (Book Two--ebook) When The Fat Ladies Sing Mystery Series

When Lovita Mae Horton wins a trip for two to attend a cooking school in Paris, she invites her best friend Sue Jan Pritchard along. Their joy is short-lived however, when they find out the trip is to Paris, Texas. Sue Jan has family there—Aunt Lila and Cousin Pouncey, but discovers her eccentric Cousin Pouncey has just passed away. When Sue’s Jan’s unique antique platinum engagement ring goes missing, they suspect she lost it when saying her last goodbyes. With her wedding only a few months away, Lovita, Sue Jan and Aunt Lila decide to unearth the ring on their own, but instead dig up the dirt on an international ring of art thieves intent on brushing them off for good.

And now for the interview with Linda!

What genre do you write in? (Historical, contemporary, romance, etc.)

Mystery, Historical suspense, contemporary.

How does your faith affect your daily life?

My faith is my life. Jesus and I spend time together every morning before I do anything (with the exception of slurping a cup of coffee). I read and study my bible every morning and pray. That’s the way I like to start my day.

How much spirituality do you weave into your story?

The tunics Jesus wore were woven by His mother, top to bottom, without seam. I believe that our faith in likewise fashion, should be woven throughout whatever God calls us to write.

What is your general purpose as an author?

To be a pointer. And by that, I mean, to point the way to Jesus. I was on a canoe trip in a Louisiana swamp years ago with The Sierra Club. Somehow we lost track of the trail markers and got turned around. Now, being lost in a swamp with alligators and lots of snakes is bad enough during the daylight hours, but evening was beginning to set in and none of us wanted to spend the night  there. Besides, swarms of mosquitoes were beginning to zero in on us. So we looked in earnest for the trail markers, some of which were covered by vegetation.  It was by those trail markers that we were able to reach the dock. I always compare that experience to faith.  God will never lead us where His faith won’t keep us. Pray, trust and look in earnest for direction and He will always provide it.

Do you believe there is evil in the world and, if you do, how do you portray it in your novels (or do you portray evil in your novels?

Yes, we live in a fallen world. Until Jesus comes back, our job is to be salt and light to everyone God puts in our path or leads us to. In books as in life, I most people/characters are not purely evil or purely good. I think it’s best to portray antagonists and protagonists with foibles. Heroes often miss the mark, and sometimes a villain surprises everyone with an about-face, an unexpected act that could be regarded as kindness.

 As an author, what are your goals for the future?

I grew up reading Victoria Holt and Daphne du Maurier and love gothic romance. So my latest manuscript is a “historical romantic suspense with a touch of southern gothic.”

Did you ever have a memorable books-signing? (Sad, humorous, or awesome?) If so, please share it. 

The most memorable books-signings I had were in Mardel’s and the Baylor University bookstore. Those two signings were special because I wasn’t worried about selling books at all. Instead, I wound up ministering to people who spilled out their life stories and heartaches to me. It was a total God thing.  On the funnier side, I’ve been to some really dead signings where I gave out directions to the bathroom more than signed or sold books.J

Is or was there a person in your life who made a remarkable difference in your writing? Who (if you want to disclose his or her identity) and why?

My former crit-partners, Janice Thompson, Kathleen Y-Barbo Turner, and Martha Rogers. Also, I am forever grateful to my first editor, Susan Downs for giving me my big break.

How do you deal with rejection letters or an irate reader?

Chilli Cheese Fritos for rejection letters. Irate readers get prayed for, but I’ve made the decision to stop reading reviews. Read too many nice ones and you get a big head. Read too many bad ones and you’ll blow your top.

What’s next for you as an author? Any books in the hopper?

Strands of Fate, Book One of the new Creative Woman Mystery series, Annie’s Attic Mysteries, releases in October.

Strands Of Fate (Book One) Creative Women Mystery Series COMING IN OCTOBER

Shannon McClain is struggling to make ends meet since her husband died three years ago. A mother to 18-year-old twins in college, she started an online business to showcase her high-end handcrafted jewelry and knitting designs. Raised in Wainscott, Scotland by her father, Shannon’s mother disappeared from her life when she was four, so she is surprised when a registered letter arrives at her door from an Oregon law firm representing the estate of a woman she’s never met—her maternal grandmother. Shannon must travel to the United States to claim the sizeable portion of the estate willed to her, which includes a mansion and the family business—an arts and crafts mall in the small town of Apple Grove. But a series of ominous warnings and close calls prove that someone is knitting together a sinister plan of their own.    

Thank you, Linda, for being my guest today! I envy you for having such marvelous critique partners. I adore Kathleen, Janice, and Martha!

And, Readers, this interview will run through the weekend so there is plenty of time to leave a comment for the FREE BOOK drawing. But don't delay, lest you forget and miss your chance to win a copy of A Tisket, A Casket (Book Two--ebook) When The Fat Ladies Sing Mystery Series