Lynn Marie Sager

“You do know that we still have to update your Author's bio,” she reminded me before leaving.

I groaned, and rolled my eyes. “I detest writing bios,” I informed her. “Teacher for over twenty-five years, professional actress, author, world traveler, public speaker, improvisational comedian, online tutor, personal counselor, sales professional, entrepreneur, theatrical producer, computer instructor--blah, blah, blah. I have been all of those things, and more. I just want my books to stand on their own.”

“But your readers want to know about you. They need to know why they should trust you.”

“I just think my fourteen rules should speak for themselves.”

“Okay fine,” she agreed. “When did you first discover your rules?”

“I discovered them while teaching business courses in Los Angeles, way back in 1999. I learned a lot teaching those courses, mostly from my students. Eventually, I got tired of the books that the college wanted me to use. I thought that some of the authors made everything too complicated, so I began coming home each day, and writing down what I wanted to teach instead. And behold, in 2005, A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life was born. It's my perfect course for building a worthwhile life.”

“And you've already told me why you decided to write your second book, Navigating Life in Turbulent Tides. You'd been thinking about updating your previous book for some time because so many of the dynamics within our country had changed. You also wanted to make the book more of a story and less of a lecture, so you personified your rules, giving them personality, character, even humor. You let them yell at you; not only reminding you how they worked, but also why they were still important.”

“More important than ever,” I amended.

“Right,” she acknowledged. “So what made you begin your third book?”

“The pandemic had been going on for over a year--a year that had been filled with political campaigns, civil unrest, and climbing death tolls. Misinformation was everywhere, and it occurred to me that a book on logic wouldn't hurt, and might even help. I had been tutoring online, so it made sense to invent a girl as confused, lonely, and angry as I saw the world around me. I would tutor that girl, and teach her how to recognize logical fallacies, give her a dash of critical thinking, and a few tools to empower her in this increasingly Whackadoodle world. Logical fallacies were all over the news, so my characters used real world examples. And so, Teaching Logic in a Whackadoodle World came into being.”

“And your fourth book, Finding Sense in a Whackadoodle World?

“That book began once I realized that logic wasn't enough. I used the same characters, but this time they discussed civics, alliances, accountability, influence; basically whatever was on the girl's mind. Together they tried to focus on finding answers, not just pointing fingers. Being empowered instead of exhausted and overwhelmed.”

“Bringing us to your most recent book, Navigating Life in a Wackadoodle World. Why, after only two years, did you feel that Turbulent Tides already needed updating?”

“Because after two years of pandemic, a second impeachment, a Capitol riot, a war in Europe, economic forecasts, mounting gun violence, and multiple weather disasters, the world was no longer merely turbulent, it was down right Whackadoodle. My student had questions, and she needed answers. I decided to have us read the original book together, and allow her to ask questions at the end of each chapter. It was my way of including the original book's full text, but with updates that made it more relevant to our current times.”

“Do you feel that you will be writing any more books in the future?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On whether or not, I decide a new book is needed.”