Meet Linda K. Sienkiewicz, Author of Women's Fiction and Contemporary Romance for #EggcerptExchange

In our ongoing #EggcerptExchange I'm featuring Linda Sienkiewicz (and the true Polish way to say it is shin-KEH-vich). For diehard Jim Morrison and Doors fans, Linda has a beautiful story about visiting Jim's grave in Paris on her blog. What a story, I loved it, as a kindred soul, a history buff who has been known to sneak around historic sites after closing (Carisbrooke Castle) and touch every historical artifact I see...and I've gotten into a bit of trouble doing that (touching Chopin's piano keys, for instance).

Meet Linda and read about her debut novel IN THE CONTEXT OF LOVE.

Linda attributes her creative drive to her artistic mother, who taught her to sew, and her father, who let her monkey around with the gadgets in his workshop. Her poetry, short stories and art have been published in more than fifty literary journals. She has a poetry chapbook award from Bottom Dog Press and an MFA from The University of Southern Maine. She lives in Michigan where she and her husband like to spoil their grandchildren then send them back home.

In In the Context of Love, Angelica Schirrick wonders how her life could have gone so far off-track. She remembers her forbidden high school romance with Joe Vadas, the son of Hungarian immigrants. Scandal tore them apart, Joe disappeared, and shes spent years trying to recover from the split. Shortly after, a devastating family secret shattered her sense of self, leading to a multitude of bad choices that include marrying a man with a missing finger and secrets of his own. She leaves her husband and, with two children in tow, begins a journey of self-discovery that leads her back home to Ohio. She must find a way to put the past to rest before she can be open to life and a second chance at love. And what if Joe returns? Will he help her or tear her family further apart?

Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of #1 NYTimes Bestseller, DEEP END OF THE OCEAN, says: With humor and tenderness, but without blinking, Linda K. Sienkiewicz turns her eye on the predator-prey savannah of the young and still somehow hopeful.

Bonnie Jo Campbell, author of Michigan Notable Book MOTHERS TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS, says Sienkiewiczs powerful and richly detailed debut novel is at once a love story, a cautionary tale, and an inspirational journey. It should be required reading for all wayward daughters, and their mothers, too.

Eggcerpt:

I had convinced myself I could stomach seeing Gavin since social services told me it was in the childrens best interest to see their father. Despite his trespasses, I knew they missed him. They needed to see for themselves where he was, and that he was in one piece, but I certainly didnt need or want any such assurances. The closer we got to the Madison Correctional Center, the sicker I felt. I knew it wasnt going to be a picnic, but Im not sure I can convey how awful it was.

Michelle, age ten, remained glued to my side, chewing her lip. Jude fidgeted like a typical eight-year-old. Id brought games and books for them to share with Gavin, which, as it turned out, we had to leave in the car. They shuffled nervously into the visiting room, eyeballing the prisoners. Many of them looked like any man you might see working behind the counter at the post office, stocking soup cans at the supermarket, or delivering a package to your front door. Some flinched oddly; others had bristled jaws or tattoos on their necks. I studied their hands, wondering if theyd forced a woman to her knees, pulled a trigger, or simply written a batch of bad checks.

Gavins face looked etched with lines, and his clothes hung on his wire-hanger frame. The four of us sat at a metal table, falling into the same seating arrangement we used to take at the dinner table. He seemed unable to look us in the eyes. I was glad hed ditched his typical smugness. There was no way he could clown his way out of this onethe damage hed caused was as clear and tangible as the waxed floor and steel bars. In a weaker moment, I might have pitied him, but mostly my heart ached for our kids. I was fuming that that we had to be here at all.

Hey. Thanks for coming, he said quietly, sitting rigidly, shoulders clenched, kneading his hands in his lap.

I glared at him for a few seconds, then smiled. Gee. Thanks for having us.

In the Context of Love can be purchased in paperback or e-reader on Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Here’s an interview with Angelica Schirrick, the narrator of In the Context of Love:

1. What is your birthdate?
I came screaming into this world on June 30, 1958, weighing a mere 6 pounds and 5 ounces.

2. Where were you born?
I was delivered by midwife Rose Rumble at my great aunts farm in Wisconsin.

3. What’s your favorite type of pet?
I grew up with a gorgeous fluffy collie named Cookie, so Im awfully fond of dogs, but at this point in my life, Id rather have something low maintenance. Im thinking goldfish, canary, or a rock. Yes, a pet rock would be swell.

4. Who is your significant other?
The Gypsy King or Hungarian heartthrob Joe (Jozsef) Vadas will always be my first and only love.

5. What is your secret desire?
Believe it or not, I would love to surprise Joe with a trip to France to visit Jim Morrisons gravesite in Pere Lachaise. Hes such a Doors fan. Im not (please dont tell) but a whole week in Paris with Joe would be heavenly.

 

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