Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

From Southern Lit to Midwest Values: Author Karen Garloch on telling the stories we overlook

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Karen Garloch asks: Why is there such a rich mystique surrounding Southern literature, but we rarely talk about Midwestern literature in the same way? After I met Karen at the Regal House Publishing conference in Chicago, I became curious about her writing. Her debut novel, Stray Voltage, captures the rhythms of rural Indiana with remarkable authenticity, exploring family, community, faith, and … [Read more...]

Blackbeard… the Polite Poet?

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Everything you thought you knew about pirates is wrong Many legends and stories still swirl over the seas about Blackbeard the Pirate, some of them erroneously furthered by the likes of People Magazine and National Geographic. In fact, they seem to be getting worse because no one bothers to fact-check these days. For example, a 2023 issue of People claimed that “Blackbeard was a real-life … [Read more...]

From dumpster finds to new beginnings: love letters turn into a life reboot

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It began with a song: “Objects in Motion” by Jim White, a southern gothic storyteller and musician. The industry labels his work alternative country but I find his music poetic and filled with offbeat humor and empathy for broken humanity. In this particular song, White tells the story of finding a suitcase full of undelivered love letters floating down a river, unsigned, unanswered, and … [Read more...]

My Guest Essay on Midstory about reclaiming who you are!

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. Learned self-doubt often wears the costume of imposter syndrome, but it isn't always a failure of confidence. Sometimes it's the legacy of subtle criticism and years of absorbing other people's fears about what we should or shouldn't do. I’m thrilled to have my essay on reclaiming yourself in midlife on Midstory Magazine! This essay explores how the beliefs we absorb in childhood and … [Read more...]

The Books That Taught Me How to Write a Character Like Serenity

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Reading my Way into Love and Other Incurable Ailments: Stories about neurodivergent characters have fascinated me for years, long before Love and Other Incurable Ailments was even a glimmer of an idea. Maybe because writers don’t always get these characters right, I notice when they do. I pay attention to the way an anxious mind is portrayed, to the contradictions and quirks, to the things … [Read more...]