Q&A With Linny Mack

Victoria Cardoso was kind enough to connect me with author Linny Mack. Linny is the author of Changing Tides. 

Q: Linny, would you give a brief description of Changing Tides?

A: Absolutely! Changing Tides is a story about a woman named Sophie who discovers her husband having a sordid affair on her birthday. Not only that, but she’s been struggling with infertility for years and his mistress turns up pregnant. Sophie seeks solace in a childhood coastal haven, Cape May, New Jersey, where she meets her grumpy neighbor, Liam. Liam is walking around with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Gaining recent custody of his one-year-old niece, Liam doesn’t know the first thing about parenthood, and his prickly exterior makes it hard for him to ask for help. Liam is also still reeling from his own tragic past. When these two new neighbors meet, they get off to a rocky start, but as time goes on, their annoyance becomes indifferent and then eventually affection. Faced with difficult decisions about her future, Sophie pulls away from Liam and he puts his guard back up. Will they let each other go forever or will fate step in and see them through?

Q: Where did the idea for Changing Tides come from? Would you say that the characters and places in the novel are taken from real people and places?

A: Would you believe me if I said I just woke up one day and sat down to write? Because that’s the truth. First, I thought about characters that I could relate to, and I developed a character outline. Shortly after, I outlined the whole book. I’m not sure where the idea came from, only that I knew I wanted to write a transformative story about love. As I wrote, the idea became more developed.

I knew I wanted to write about Cape May. It’s always been a special place for me and my husband. Just setting foot in the little town can literally melt your troubles away. I also like to write about real subjects with relatable characters. Sophie isn’t taken from anyone I know personally, but some of her experiences are things I’ve experienced. Liam is completely fictional but truthfully, I love a broken man that needs love and fixing. He was a lot of fun to write.

Most of the places in the novel are real places that I have frequented, but some of them are fictional about what they needed to be. For instance, there wasn’t a yoga studio fitting the description I wanted in the book, so I made it up. 

Q: Are you writing a sequel to Changing Tides or will your next book have a different plot and characters?

A: Changing Tides is part of a series called the Cape May Series. As of now, there will be three books, with the potential for a fourth. They are all interconnected standalone novels based around a group of lifelong friends in Cape May, New Jersey. All my characters navigate life’s complexities and discover the power of found family. Together, they cope with the unpredictability of love in your 30s and 40s, healing from past wounds, and the delicate balance of second chances. 

You will see different main characters in each book, but past characters will have cameos as secondary characters in each book. It’s fun to write past characters into new books so readers can see how far they’ve come. 

Q: If Changing Tides were to be made into a movie or series, who would your dream cast be to play the characters you created? What lessons & emotions do you hope readers learn and feel after reading the book?

A: This question is so fun!! These characters are so real to me, I half expect to see them every time I walk around Cape May! I haven’t thought about an entire cast, but my three main characters have lived in my mind as these fabulous actors below:

Sophie – Elizabeth Olsen

Liam – Brant Dougherty

Ellie – Bonnie Bedelia

After reading Changing Tides, I hope people realize the power of being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes, bad things happen to make room for better things and to trust fate. I hope Sophie and Liam’s story stays with readers long after the book.