Taking risks or growing as a writer?

Every new author faces the same dilemma.  When you begin writing you are learning your craft, aiming to raise your game every time you publish another manuscript.  You learn quickly – it’s a fast-paced industry and anything is possible as long as you can keep up!

When I first began I spent hours and hours Googling advice and guidance, I didn’t even know enough to understand what I didn’t know and that’s tough.  I’d always been a consummate professional in my working life, but this was my dream! 

My latest novel was a huge risk – I think the words over-ambitious spring to mind.  Six stories plus a cameo appearance from a spirit, all wrapped up in one book.  All written from difference perspectives.  Would the readers keep up with me or feel I had asked too much of them?  As writers we become very hung-up on technical perfection – or as near to it as we can achieve.  We agonise over commas and conventions for text.  We check for over-use of our personal list of ‘favourite’ words – all writers have them!  I have a long list …. just, always, really, very … and I love exclamation marks!!!

Of course, all of these little technicalities are hopefully caught during the editing stage.  However, a novel can be technically perfect but the REAL test is when the readers get to the very last page.  What will they think?  Will the author have carried them along or dragged them kicking and screaming?  Will the readers find themselves unable to pull away, or find themselves merely skimming words to find out how it ends, then feel a sense of disappointment?  As a writer I find that I simply cannot evaluate my own stories.  I’m too involved with the characters, it’s too personal.  So when The Restaurant @ The Mill was released in August I waited with baited breath.  Actually, it was a nail-biting time as I was also on holiday desperately trying to get an Internet connection whilst I was touring Europe (this is me on the car ferry crossing Lake Garda, in Italy)!

Well, the reviews are rolling in and it seems that there are readers out there who were with me every single step of the way throughout this rather complicated story.  One reviewer felt the ghost was unecessary, another felt the character of Hilary was a little two-dimensional (she is a very efficient, controlled and capable woman – not cold exactly, but to-the-point) but equally there were readers whose reviews I found overwhelming.

Here are a few of the early reviews, including one from a lovely lady who lives in Baltimore and I’m honoured to say I refer to her as ‘my fan’.  Susan Livington is an avid reader, she has read all of my books and Emailed me as a surprise to say she had just read The Restaurant @ The Mill.  I’ve included her review here because when I sat down to write this novel I hoped to connect with readers who enjoy life, love and relationships.  Susan was the PERFECT reader, she represented my target audience – the people I want to please so that when they reach the end they don’t feel disappointed but uplifted and satisfied.  If you like fantasy, demons, zombies, horror – you won’t find it in my novels.  If you love the way people interact, the way misunderstandings complicate our lives and feel that we are all seeking the same thing – to be loved and to love – then The Restaurant might just be for you!  It’s also featured in a Goodreads giveaway (link below), so why not enter now?  If you win be sure to let me know what you think – new writers like myself listen read every single comment, that’s how we learn and grow!  So to all those lovely reviewers out there, and Susan who has become a real friend, a HUGE heart-felt thank you!

“Ms. Halton takes a unique and refreshing approach to storytelling in The Restaurant @ the Mill. Each chapter is written in first person from a different characters’ perspective. This provides the reader with clear insight into their lives, their private thoughts and the emotions they are experiencing.

The Restaurant @ the Mill is well-written and quite compelling. The various characters are interesting, well-developed and at different stages in their lives. The issues facing them are believable and all of their storylines are wrapped up in a realistic manner. Linn B. Halton’s epilogue is the perfect ending to a truly wonderful novel.” K. Branfield  (New Mexico) posted on Amazon.com

“Hilary and Ben opened The Restaurant @ The Mill together as business partners and distant friends. As time passed, their relationship deepened. Their restaurant developed a set of regular patrons whose lives and relationships also are chronicled. And in the background is Sarah, the original hostess of the Mill who has never quite left.

The Restaurant @ The Mill is a series of chapters chronicling the lives of Hilary and Ben, the owners, and their customers and friends, Charlotte and Nick, Grace and Lawrence, Isobel and David, Sadie and Sam, Thomas, and the aforementioned Sarah. Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the characters with the chapter title giving a hint of the topic and direction of the chapter. The fascination of the novel lies within the growth of the characters as we watch Ben’s personality develop, as we follow the relationship of Charlotte and Nick, and learn the fate of Sadie and Sam, as well as the others. This is a well-written novel with a fascinating premise. I think any reader will enjoy Isobel’s burgeoning career as an author, and as a food blogger and fantasy restauranteur, I loved the restaurant setting. This was the first of Ms. Halton’s novels for me, but I will be looking for them from now on. ” The Self-Taught Cook posted on Amazon.com

“When I decided to read The Restaurant @ The Mill I couldn’t wait to start.  As I have said previously in my blog, Linn has quickly become my new favorite author, passing Dean Koontz.  Not an easy feat, considering I’m a huge Odd Thomas fan.  I was not disappointed in Linn’s latest book.  She has the ability to intricately weave several different stories into a grander scheme.  The Restaurant @ The Mill is a brilliantly written work of art.  The characters blend together beautifully expanding on story lines which began in Touched by the Light.

Linn, you’ve done it again.  If you haven’t purchased this book, go now and get it.  You’ll love it!!!!”  Susan Livingston (Baltimore) posted on Amazon.com- visit Susan’s review website Fascinating Books