BIO: With the introduction of the Annie Tillery Mysteries, Linda has been happily launching a new career writing great teen mystery books. Inspired by a childhood passion for Nancy Drew books and the popular television series, CSI, she successfully combined an appealing heroine, Annie Tillery, with a gripping story plot to create new fiction books for mystery readers. Before venturing into writing, Linda’s first love was teaching science. She taught in Seaford’s Middle School and High School and was awarded the Seaford High School Teacher of the Year in 1989. Linda ended her career in the high school as Department Chairperson, teaching biology, chemistry and forensic science. Linda went on to teach forensic science and biotechnology at Hofstra University. She recently retired from Adelphi University where she supervised science student teachers. In 1995, Linda Maria Frank received an award from the American Association of University Women for inspiring young women to pursue the field of science.
It was the forensic science courses that gave her the story lines for her heroine, Annie, who is based on a composite of her former beloved students.
Today, when Linda is not writing chapters for the next Annie Tillery Mystery, she is out there doing presentations of her books. In addition to writing awesome teen mysteries, she also produces a local TV Show in East Hampton called “The Writer’s Dream,” a series of shows with writers in many different aspects of the profession.
Linda is a native New Yorker, born in N.Y.C. and a lover of the greatest city in the world. She lives on Long Island, which affords the best beach experience on the East Cost and led her to years of sailing. She loves to cross country ski and also travel. It’s those interminable waits at the airports and long flights that afford her the opportunity to still write long-hand on a yellow pad before committing text to the word processor. http://lindamariafrank.com
BooksAndAuthor.com: Who are your literary influences and why?
Linda Maria Frank: It is extremely important for writers to be avid readers. My early influence was the Nancy Drew series. I read the classical authors like Jules Verne, Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. I loved Thomas Costain in my youth, and James Michener. Today my favorites are Michael Crichton, Stephen King, Elizabeth George, Steve Berry and an occasional non-fiction political or historical work, like Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. My degrees are in science, and I tend to like books that are based on something scientifically plausible, but have a high adventure component.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Tell us about your new book - Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys.
Linda Maria Frank: Annie Tillery Mysterys book three ‘Secrets In The Fairy Chimneys’ can be summed up as Indiana Jones meets Nancy Drew with the skills and precision of CSI. A mystery unfolds amidst a mix of ancient history and modern innovation, in an ageless Eastern country where time moves at a camel’s pace.
Dedicated research by author Linda Maria Frank leaves no stone unturned while great description text transports the reader to the streets of Turkey with it mosques and minarets, towers and modern buildings. One of my favorite quotes from the book is “Water droplets plunked into the pool from the vaulted ceiling. After the heat of the bazaar and the street chase, it was deliciously cool. Ornate columns with carved capitals supported the ceiling. The bases were decorated with animal and human figures. There were a few visitors, but the enormity of the space muffled their conversations.”
Strong characters with great dialog brings us to dusty archeological site in one of the oldest towns in human history called Catalhoyuk. Nothing can explain it better than this quote: “We were in a valley of shapes I couldn’t believe were not made by humans, humans with a fabulous imagination. Conical formations called fairy chimneys in various sizes spread away from us in every direction. The color of bleached bones, they sat majestically among the gray-green brush and white claylike soil. The air shimmered from the heat. I could smell the odor of clay mixed with a faint herbal scent that must have come from the brush.”
Cosponsors from Vermont University are looking for a DNA connection between residents of Catalhoyuk and our original nomadic ancestors in Africa. Annie Tillery and her team go to work excavating this archeological site with all its inherit dangers and a mystery brings out the detective in Annie.
From the spell of an Ouija board to a magical balloon ride in the sky nothing is lost as this time and space makes all their senses come alive with amazing black and white graphics that bring the main characters to life.
Students and young adults of all ages will enjoy Annie Tillery Mysteries. Although a series each book is unique and stands alone with no need to read in a particular sequence.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Who is Annie Tillery ?
Linda Maria Frank: Annie Tillery is a 17-18 year old teen sleuth. She is smart without being too nerdy, attractive without being a beauty queen all tied up in being beautiful. She has a love of adventure, and a sense of humor, both of which serve as qualities that help her solve mysteries. She lives with her aunt, who is a NYPD police detective. Her father works for the State Dept., and together with her boyfriend, Tyler Egan, dares to investigate the mysteries she seems to bump into, whether on vacation, or involved in art lessons, and even at an archaeological dig.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Your Annie Tillery Mystery's are describes as Nancy Drew Meets CSI. Explain.
Linda Maria Frank: I taught forensic science for over twenty years, the last eleven at the university level. I wrote a number of stories (case studies) for my students to solve using their forensic knowledge. I loved Nancy Drew as a kid, and I decided to do a series with a girl teen sleuth who uses modern forensic science to solve mysteries.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Tell us about your local access TV show. About The Writer's Dream
Linda Maria Frank: The Writer's Dream is a local access TV show providing a forum for authors of published works to provide information about the world of writing publishing and marketing, as well as the events they do to promote their work. The Writer’s Dream is a marketing opportunity for authors. The team is dedicated to providing accurate and interesting information about the writing profession and authorship.
The Writer’s Dream is a marketing opportunity for authors. This half hour show, recorded by a team of trained director and camera crew, in an attractive and professional studio gives them a platform to speak about their experiences as writers, publishers and marketers. Today authors find themselves confronted by a new publishing industry, where the opportunities to self-publish, be your own agent, and market your product abound, and they are taking on much of the responsibility for their book's promotion. Authors now rely on social media to market. The Writer’s Dream experience provides the author with the interview which is aired on Local TV, and purchase of a DVD of the show for $10.00. The DVD can be edited and shown on the author’s website, facebook and youtube pages, as well as in presentations. The Writer’s Dream Channel can be viewed on YouTube. Visit Frank’s facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Writers-Dream/144688198966801. The show is a strong tool, allowing authors to link TV air time to their social media and other marketing strategies.
BooksAndAuthor.com: How has your back ground; teaching science, help as a writer?
Linda Maria Frank: I taught forensic science for about 30 years. I taught chemistry and biology for about the same amount of time. It gave me the background to flesh out some very interesting types of crimes and mysteries.
BooksAndAuthor.com: If Hollywood called and asked you to cast Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys - Who would you cast and why?
Linda Maria Frank: Emma Stone for Annie. She can be made to fit the physical description, and I loved her performances as a daring young ingenue. For Ty Egan, maybe a young Jude Law. The young actors change so rapidly, I'm sure there is a perfect fit somewhere. Maybe you can help me out.
BooksAndAuthor.com: What do you hope to achieve with your books ?
Linda Maria Frank: I want to provide young people with books that entertain, but also teach. My books contain mystery, history, and science, AND they are just pure FUN!
BooksAndAuthor.com: What's Next?
Linda Maria Frank: Book #4, The Mystery of the Lost Avenger, should come out in the spring. It is essentially a ghost story involving Annie's great grandmother, who was a test pilot for an aviation company during WWII.
It was the forensic science courses that gave her the story lines for her heroine, Annie, who is based on a composite of her former beloved students.
Today, when Linda is not writing chapters for the next Annie Tillery Mystery, she is out there doing presentations of her books. In addition to writing awesome teen mysteries, she also produces a local TV Show in East Hampton called “The Writer’s Dream,” a series of shows with writers in many different aspects of the profession.
Linda is a native New Yorker, born in N.Y.C. and a lover of the greatest city in the world. She lives on Long Island, which affords the best beach experience on the East Cost and led her to years of sailing. She loves to cross country ski and also travel. It’s those interminable waits at the airports and long flights that afford her the opportunity to still write long-hand on a yellow pad before committing text to the word processor. http://lindamariafrank.com
BooksAndAuthor.com: Who are your literary influences and why?
Linda Maria Frank: It is extremely important for writers to be avid readers. My early influence was the Nancy Drew series. I read the classical authors like Jules Verne, Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens. I loved Thomas Costain in my youth, and James Michener. Today my favorites are Michael Crichton, Stephen King, Elizabeth George, Steve Berry and an occasional non-fiction political or historical work, like Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. My degrees are in science, and I tend to like books that are based on something scientifically plausible, but have a high adventure component.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Tell us about your new book - Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys.
Linda Maria Frank: Annie Tillery Mysterys book three ‘Secrets In The Fairy Chimneys’ can be summed up as Indiana Jones meets Nancy Drew with the skills and precision of CSI. A mystery unfolds amidst a mix of ancient history and modern innovation, in an ageless Eastern country where time moves at a camel’s pace.
Dedicated research by author Linda Maria Frank leaves no stone unturned while great description text transports the reader to the streets of Turkey with it mosques and minarets, towers and modern buildings. One of my favorite quotes from the book is “Water droplets plunked into the pool from the vaulted ceiling. After the heat of the bazaar and the street chase, it was deliciously cool. Ornate columns with carved capitals supported the ceiling. The bases were decorated with animal and human figures. There were a few visitors, but the enormity of the space muffled their conversations.”
Strong characters with great dialog brings us to dusty archeological site in one of the oldest towns in human history called Catalhoyuk. Nothing can explain it better than this quote: “We were in a valley of shapes I couldn’t believe were not made by humans, humans with a fabulous imagination. Conical formations called fairy chimneys in various sizes spread away from us in every direction. The color of bleached bones, they sat majestically among the gray-green brush and white claylike soil. The air shimmered from the heat. I could smell the odor of clay mixed with a faint herbal scent that must have come from the brush.”
Cosponsors from Vermont University are looking for a DNA connection between residents of Catalhoyuk and our original nomadic ancestors in Africa. Annie Tillery and her team go to work excavating this archeological site with all its inherit dangers and a mystery brings out the detective in Annie.
From the spell of an Ouija board to a magical balloon ride in the sky nothing is lost as this time and space makes all their senses come alive with amazing black and white graphics that bring the main characters to life.
Students and young adults of all ages will enjoy Annie Tillery Mysteries. Although a series each book is unique and stands alone with no need to read in a particular sequence.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Who is Annie Tillery ?
Linda Maria Frank: Annie Tillery is a 17-18 year old teen sleuth. She is smart without being too nerdy, attractive without being a beauty queen all tied up in being beautiful. She has a love of adventure, and a sense of humor, both of which serve as qualities that help her solve mysteries. She lives with her aunt, who is a NYPD police detective. Her father works for the State Dept., and together with her boyfriend, Tyler Egan, dares to investigate the mysteries she seems to bump into, whether on vacation, or involved in art lessons, and even at an archaeological dig.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Your Annie Tillery Mystery's are describes as Nancy Drew Meets CSI. Explain.
Linda Maria Frank: I taught forensic science for over twenty years, the last eleven at the university level. I wrote a number of stories (case studies) for my students to solve using their forensic knowledge. I loved Nancy Drew as a kid, and I decided to do a series with a girl teen sleuth who uses modern forensic science to solve mysteries.
BooksAndAuthor.com: Tell us about your local access TV show. About The Writer's Dream
Linda Maria Frank: The Writer's Dream is a local access TV show providing a forum for authors of published works to provide information about the world of writing publishing and marketing, as well as the events they do to promote their work. The Writer’s Dream is a marketing opportunity for authors. The team is dedicated to providing accurate and interesting information about the writing profession and authorship.
The Writer’s Dream is a marketing opportunity for authors. This half hour show, recorded by a team of trained director and camera crew, in an attractive and professional studio gives them a platform to speak about their experiences as writers, publishers and marketers. Today authors find themselves confronted by a new publishing industry, where the opportunities to self-publish, be your own agent, and market your product abound, and they are taking on much of the responsibility for their book's promotion. Authors now rely on social media to market. The Writer’s Dream experience provides the author with the interview which is aired on Local TV, and purchase of a DVD of the show for $10.00. The DVD can be edited and shown on the author’s website, facebook and youtube pages, as well as in presentations. The Writer’s Dream Channel can be viewed on YouTube. Visit Frank’s facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Writers-Dream/144688198966801. The show is a strong tool, allowing authors to link TV air time to their social media and other marketing strategies.
BooksAndAuthor.com: How has your back ground; teaching science, help as a writer?
Linda Maria Frank: I taught forensic science for about 30 years. I taught chemistry and biology for about the same amount of time. It gave me the background to flesh out some very interesting types of crimes and mysteries.
BooksAndAuthor.com: If Hollywood called and asked you to cast Secrets in the Fairy Chimneys - Who would you cast and why?
Linda Maria Frank: Emma Stone for Annie. She can be made to fit the physical description, and I loved her performances as a daring young ingenue. For Ty Egan, maybe a young Jude Law. The young actors change so rapidly, I'm sure there is a perfect fit somewhere. Maybe you can help me out.
BooksAndAuthor.com: What do you hope to achieve with your books ?
Linda Maria Frank: I want to provide young people with books that entertain, but also teach. My books contain mystery, history, and science, AND they are just pure FUN!
BooksAndAuthor.com: What's Next?
Linda Maria Frank: Book #4, The Mystery of the Lost Avenger, should come out in the spring. It is essentially a ghost story involving Annie's great grandmother, who was a test pilot for an aviation company during WWII.