This month I will be checking in with some very busy authors to see how they are doing during this Covid-19 health crisis.  Today the spotlight is on Lynne Constantine.

Lynne Constantine

Lynne Constantine writes with her sister Valerie under their pen name of Liv Constantine. Their debut thriller, THE LAST MRS. PARRISH, was a Reese Witherspoon book club selection, a People Magazine book of the week, a Target book club selection, and is in development for television. Their second book, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, was published by HarperCollins in May and is in development for film. THE WIFE STALKER, their third book, will be published May 2020.  Lynne and Valerie are national and international bestselling authors with books available in over 32 countries.

Lynne also writes solo under the pen name of L.C. Shaw. The Network was published in late 2019.  Her family wonder if she is actually a spy, and never knows what to call her. She has explored coral reefs all over the world, sunken wrecks in the South Pacific, and fallen in love with angelfish in the Caribbean. Lynne is a former marketing executive and has a Master’s in Business from Johns Hopkins University. When editing her work, she loves to procrastinate by spending time on social media, and when stuck on a plot twist has been known to run ideas by her Silver Labrador and Golden Retriever who wish she would stop working and play ball with them.

Q & A with Lynne Constantine

Q:  Who are you quarantined with and how is it going?

A:  I’m at home with my husband, two college-aged children, and two dogs. For my husband and me, it’s been relatively seamless since we already both work from home. Of course, we miss our extended family and friends, but are grateful to be close to the beach and able to see our neighbors from a safe six foot distance. It’s been much more difficult for our children who miss their friends, classes, clubs. This was not how they envisioned their freshman year of college but they are doing their best to stay positive and hopeful. 

Q:  Have you learned a new skill, accomplished something unexpected, tried a new recipe, cleaned your closets?

A:  I’m upping my tech game – becoming a Zoom expert and even started hosting a weekly author chat. I’m re-learning how to use i-Movie so that I can edit these recordings. I’ve also signed up for a forensic psychology course on Open University to help me better understand criminal investigations. 

Q:  How has this social distancing impacted your world when it comes to book marketing, writing?

A:  We had a wonderful book tour planned for May to launch our new book, THE WIFE STALKER, and of course, all those events have been cancelled so we’re doing virtual ones instead. All of the book conferences have been cancelled too which is so disappointing as I really miss connecting with my author friends. 

Q:  Do you think this odd time will show up in book settings moving forward?  

A:  Most likely, although not in mine. I want to get as far away from this as possible! 

Q:  What is the silver lining for all of us and specifically for authors when it comes to the Covid-19 shut down

A:  It’s forced us to slow down and given us time for introspection. My typical day used to be filled with so much running around which in retrospect seems in large part unnecessary. I know that I for one will be much more appreciative of the simple pleasure in life—meeting a friend for lunch, inviting friends into my home, hugging loved ones. 

Q:  What do you have going on right now? 

A:  As you know, I write with my sister Valerie under the pen name Liv Constantine. Our newest book is THE WIFE STALKER, which takes place in Westport, CT and is about a woman fighting to hold on to her family when a stranger in town lures the husband away. It comes out on May 19^th and we’ll be doing a virtual launch with Fairfield University Bookstore on the 19th as well as a Zoom happy hour on May 27^th for those pre-ordering the book. It can be pre-ordered here: https://livconstantine.com/books/the-wife-stalker/  and pre-order receipts can be sent to livconstantine2@gmail.com to receive an invitation to the Zoom happy hour.