From Retail Executive To Debut Novelist
Linda writes women’s upmarket and historical fiction.
As a former retail executive specializing in e-commerce, for years she channeled her story-telling passion into writing thousands of words in the form of published articles, white papers, website and social media content, marketing materials, documentation, and blog posts.
Her degree led her through a long and successful career in retail. It allowed her to travel the world to 22 countries to create and find products, providing a first-row seat to meet and work with thousands of people from all stations in life.
Linda experienced all the highs and lows of demanding leadership roles and in all of that busyness of a career and raising a family, she was never able to find the space and time to treat writing as her professional focus.
I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the 2024 Page Turner Awards team.
My historical fiction novel The Last Gypsy Queen won in two categories - 1st Place of all Writing Award unpublished submissions and 1st Place for the unpublished Historical Fiction genre. I attended the virtual awards ceremony and it was thrilling and an honor to win. The book had a winding path to completion over a period of 12 years, and I had been querying for a few months. Within 2 weeks of winning the awards, I had offers from two small presses. It will be published in April 2026 by Black Rose Writing.
She began writing her first novel over eleven years ago, often while stuck in an airport or late at night, finally able to pursue becoming a serious writer in early 2022.
Though she has lived in New York City and rural Ohio, the majority of her life travels have brought her home to Texas.
Inspired by Linda Paul's success, aspiring writers can now take the plunge and submit their work to the Page Turner Awards, confident that their voices can be heard and that their literary dreams can come true.
Embrace your passion for storytelling and let your own literary journey unfold today!
THE LAST GYPSY QUEEN
In the summer of 1942, in a world filled with oppression and prejudice, a young Romani Gypsy woman is forced to work as a tarot card reader at a popular lakeside amusement park for survival, though she longs to become a doctor. A forbidden romance with the son of a wealthy railroad tycoon blossoms and the park manager's wife tries to help her learn in a secret room hidden beneath the Crystal Ballroom in the park. By summer's end, she is faced with defending her family's honor and livelihood and choosing between abandoning her heritage or her dreams.
To follow along with Linda's publication journey, you can connect with her on Instagram @lindapaulauthor
