Local Author Spotlight: “Gone,” by Linda K. Olson (interviewed by Robin Kardon)
As all of us navigate through a period of challenges none of us ever envisioned, San Diego author Linda K. Olson tells the story of an unimaginable injury followed by the stunning obliteration of obstacles in her memoir, “Gone.”
At 29-years-old, Linda and her husband were on vacation in Germany when a catastrophic train accident took both of her legs and her dominant right arm. There she lay on the tracks, with only one arm, and her marriage, career as a physician and family life possibly permanently severed as well.
Her memoir, “Gone,” which released onOctober 27, 2020, tells the story of how she literally picked herself up from this tragedy and moved on…sometimes slowly, always one step at a time. Because of her extraordinary story, we’ve chosen Linda is our inaugural author for the San Diego Writers Festival’s Local Author Spotlight.
Here is my brief interview with her:
Q1: Linda, congratulations on publishing “Gone.” It was a gripping read. In the book, you focus mostly on the obstacles you had to overcome to achieve your goals after the accident. When they’re done with the book, how would you like readers to think of you? Who is the person you want them to see?
A1: I want them to see me as a disabled person who is just like them—just missing some body parts. A wife and a mom with a successful career as a radiologist. A happy person who is living life to the fullest.
Q2: As I read “Gone,” a question arose about what emotions you wanted this book to evoke in your readers. Can you speak to that?
A2: Hope. Humor. Courage. Optimism. Happiness. Commitment. Determination.
Q3: What would you say was the most difficult part of the book to write?
The critique of my writing was usually that it was too happy-go-lucky and way too upbeat. I found it very difficult to show the dark moments. And perhaps that’s why, because they didn’t last very long.
Q4: Did you face any challenges during your publishing journey? Describe them and how you either conquered or moved on from them.
A4: My biggest challenge was being an unknown, first-time author without a social media platform. I’m not a show-and-tell person and I saw Facebook and Instagram as an invasion of my privacy. It was like pulling teeth to get me to post anything.
Then, with a lot of prodding and hand-holding from Jeniffer Thompson, I realized I had two messages. First, I wanted people to get outdoors and take joy in the world around them. And then, because I’m disabled and also have Parkinson’s Disease, I wanted to promote chair cardio workouts. Not your grandma’s kind of work-out, but the sweaty, raise-your-heartbeat kind of work-out that Caroline Jordan creates. That resulted in my “Get Out and Go” and “If I Can Do It, You Can Do It” messages.
Another big challenge for me was the discovery that I had been writing individual stories, not a book. Just as I despaired of finding the right literary agent, Lilly Ghahremani took me under her wing and helped me find a remarkable developmental editor, Cristen Iris. Cristen took my stories and segued them into a story arc and then created chapter titles with a punch.
Q5.:What advice would you give to other memoirists who are not as far along in their writing/publishing journey?
A5:
-Have a compelling story and figure out who your audience is.
-Take writing classes. My first were the on-line classes at UCLA Extension. And then the in-person writing classes here at UCSD where I first met Judy Reeves and Marni Freedman. But the place with the best selection is our own San Diego Writer’s Ink.
-Find a mentor. I was blessed to have Zoe Ghahremani take me under her wing. Her kicks-in the butt were always accompanied by lots of hugs and praise.
-Join a writing group. San Diego Writer’s Group Ink is a great place to find one. Once you’ve taken classes here in town, you’ll find like-minded writers and you can join or create your own group.
*Learn more about Linda Olson and pre-order your copy of her memoir, “Gone” here.*
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Robin “R. D.” Kardon is a bestselling, award-winning author based in San Diego. Both of her novels, Flygirl and Angel Flight can be purchased at our bookseller partner, Warwick’s. Robin lives in North Park with her beloved rescue pets. Learn more about Robin at www.rdkardonauthor.com.
