FIVE MINUTES WITH...Doncaster author Lynda Stacey

When Lynda Stacey set out for work at Intec Office Systems Ltd, on February 7 of 2008, she thought it would be a very ordinary day. How wrong she was.

Coming to a stop on the M18, Lynda watched in horror as the driver of a van careered towards her and ploughed at speed into the back of her car. Injured, but independent, Lynda got her car to the top of the slipway at J4, where a second vehicle hit her. In this crash, Lynda took the full impact, causing extensive damage to both shoulders. The result was that she spent the next ten years barely unable to lift her arms above her waist.

Lynda has continued to work at Intec. She’s worked there for twenty-five years and sells everything from office products, to office furniture and personalised workwear. However, her working hobby as a PADI Scuba diving Instructor had to stop. She could no longer dive safely and quickly concluded that there was no point in trying to continue and her school was sold.

“The problem was, I’d spent so many years’ working all the evenings and weekends, to build my business. Life had been busy and sitting on the sofa, doing nothing, just wasn’t for me and after a few weeks of doing this I just knew that I had to do something.

Lynda said: “From being very young I’d always wanted to be a published author but had no idea where to start. I spent years looking for the magic formula, the perfect computer programme that would obviously assist me in writing the very next ‘best seller’, but nothing seemed to be available. Then, I saw a documentary on BBC about Ian Rankin. He literally went through his writing process, how he began, how he did research and how he put the book together, chapter by chapter. That night, I began to write, and I never looked back.”

In 2015, Lynda won the Choc Lit Search for a Star competition. Finally, she was going to be published and after the announcement, social media went wild. “I had over a thousand comments and good luck wishes in one day, the response was phenomenal. Since then, I’ve simply kept going. I’ve now written five full length novels, my latest ‘Keeper of Secrets’ being all about Doncaster and its famous Sand House. Writing about Doncaster was an opportunity I just couldn’t miss. I love my hometown, my roots are here and with that in mind, I wanted to put Doncaster on the map.”

“I love getting emails from readers, they absolutely brighten my day, along with seeing my paperbacks in print. All are available on sites such as Amazon, Kobo and I-books. They’re all found in the romantic suspense or psychological thriller section. And yes, this means that my heroines tend to get quite a bumpy and treacherous ride. But then, who doesn’t love a good ‘kick-ass’ type heroine. All my ladies are

relatable, they tend to be normal woman like you and me. They have a bit of sass, a lot of get up and go, along with the attitude that no matter how many times they get knocked down, they’ll jump right up, dust themselves down and get back on with life. These are the kind of women I admire and would like to think that I’m most like. Over the years, even when in pain, I’ve kept going. I turn up for work, I put in the hours and on a lot of those days, (over the years) I’ve gone home to sit with heat pads on my shoulders, or I’ve taken pain killers or simply tried to sleep, in the hope that when I wake up, I’ll be ready to start another day.”

“A lot of people often ask how I work full time and write… and all I can say to anyone out there who has an ambition, do whatever it takes to achieve it. If you want something enough, you make time. Most days I start at Intec at around 8.30am, I get home and have had tea by 6.30pm, I then sit down and write till around 10pm. Life is busy, but that’s the way I like it.’

“In 2016, my ‘keep going’ attitude was tested. My novel, House of Secrets was shortlisted for an award at a swanky London party, held by the Romantic Novelists Association. The day before, I went to my doctor. I literally begged him to give me a cortisone injection, because when it came down to it, I was determined that this Doncaster girl wasn’t missing out, she was going to London.”

For more details go to: www.Lyndastacey.co.uk

What one reviewer said about Keeper of Secrets:

‘Lynda Stacey is up there with Nora Roberts when it comes to writing jaw-dropping, nerve-twisting and addictive tales spiced with intrigue, passion and suspense and she is on top form with her latest novel, Keeper of Secrets. An outstanding tale full of menace, danger and desire, Keeper of Secrets is a book guaranteed to keep you reading long past your bedtime.’