Linda K. Sienkiewicz
Author Interview - Linda K. Sienkiewicz
Author of Love and Other Incurable Ailments
Serenity Tomczyk isn’t dying—she just has anxiety, a WebMD habit, and a cat named Margaret Thatcher. After breaking off her engagement and losing both parents, she retreats into a predictable life of retail shifts, group therapy, and the safety of solitude.
Then a box of passionate letters appears in a dumpster behind her aunt’s home décor shop, and Serenity becomes captivated by the mysterious man who wrote them. Soon, she’s chasing a fantasy 900 miles from Michigan to Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, in search of the stranger she knows only as “Birdy.”
Thrown from her carefully padded comfort zone, Serenity discovers unexpected friendships, uncomfortable truths, and the possibility of love. But when her imagined happy ending begins to unravel, she must decide if holding on—or letting go—is the bravest thing she can do.
With wit, heart, and irrepressible warmth, LOVE AND OTHER INCURABLE AILMENTS is a story about connection, courage, and becoming yourself—just when you thought it was too late.
Author Interview - Linda K. Sienkiewicz
Author I draw inspiration from:
Ever since I read THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, I can’t get enough Anne Tyler. She’s written a lot of books, and not all are great, but she always excels at everyday people in strange situations, or maybe it’s strange people in everyday situations! I’ve learned so much from her about characterization and dialogue, especially the things that are revealed in what’s not said. This is something I try to carry into my own work, where the emotional undercurrents often matter more than the plot itself.
Author Interview - Linda K. Sienkiewicz | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In bed late at night where it’s quiet and cozy. Second favorite might be waiting rooms— and it's funny that I am always disappointed when my name is called since that nice, quiet time ends.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Stuck in an elevator? Definitely Lucy Barton from Elizabeth Strout’s ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I’d settle in with her, ready to hear her life story, again and again, savoring every detail and bit of wisdom while trying not to panic about being trapped.
Author Interview - Linda K. Sienkiewicz | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
One summer afternoon when I was about twelve, I sat on my front steps folding manila paper into little stapled book and filling them with illustrated stories. A few neighborhood kids gathered around to see what I was up to, and I’ll never forget when one of the older boys, who was quietly handsome, looked down at me and said, “Cool.”
That small moment of realizing that something I made could reach someone else stuck with me. I kept writing all through school, though I wandered off into art for a while before finding my way back. But that was the first time I understood the magic of storytelling, and that I wanted to be part of it.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I like them all. I’m a visual learner, so when I read a physical book, I map it in my head. I can remember where certain passages are and easily flip back to the ones I love. I lose that with e-books. That said, e-books are perfect for nighttime reading when my husband is trying to sleep, and I want “just one more chapter.” And I definitely appreciate being able to enlarge the font when my eyes are tired at the end of the day.
The last book I read:
By the time you read this, it will probably have changed, but the last book I read was LITTLE ONE by Olivia Muenter. It’s a masterpiece of suspense, and the ending completely blew me away. Catharine isn’t an easy narrator to like, manipulative and frustrating. But the more you learn about her past, the more those contradictions start to make sense. It’s the kind of book where your feelings about the character keep shifting, and that’s what makes it compelling.
Sometimes I have trouble reading because I’m hyper-aware of plot devices, dialogue and characterization—but this one held me completely captive.
Author Interview - Linda K. Sienkiewicz | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I have notes and notebooks everywhere—even on my phone. For longform writing, I have a lovely HP desktop with an ergonomic keyboard and mouse, and an adjustable standing desk. I cannot write on a laptop; my neck gets stiff, my hands go numb, and my bifocals make everything difficult.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Damned if I know. Oh, maybe Linda from Kate Folk's SKY DADDY. I understand her obsessions, having gone through a number of them myself. Now that she’s done stalking 737s at airports, we could fly off to explore the next obsession together.
Author Interview - Linda K. Sienkiewicz | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I’d be pursuing some kind of art, such as mixed media, crafting, or sewing. I love creating things from recycled materials or fragments. I used to make purses from books and album covers. In a way, this creative work isn’t so different from writing: assembling meaning from what’s been taken apart.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
The seventies. Pop fashion, bright colors, oversized florals, unapologetic self-expression through clothes that were handmade, embellished, and entirely their own. Fur pieces, platform shoes—all of it. I still have the hand-embroidered patchwork maxiskirt I sewed in 1972. I will carry that era’s boldness with me forever.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I’d love to visit the Nordic countries. Partly for my Finnish heritage and the cousins I could track down, and partly for the fjords, reindeer, and the quiet magic of landscapes.
My signature drink:
Butter Pecan Smoky Mountain Tennessee Moonshine over a single, oversized ice cube. It's sweet and smooth like a milkshake, and just a little bit dangerous. Or a lot dangerous, when you stand up and forget about gravity.
Favorite artist:
Vincent Van Gogh. We’re related. Not actually blood related, but if he were getting married, I’d definitely be invited to the wedding!
You have to follow the trail from my mother’s mother’s brother’s first cousin’s husband’s second-cousin’s wife’s first-cousin’s wife’s husband’s brother, who happened to be Vincent van Gogh. It feels like a miracle, considering my family is made of stoic Finns.
I credit Armas Brummer, a Finnish painter who spent time in Amsterdam in 1907 and fell in love with a Dutch woman. So, Vincent and I share something—maybe not blood—but the way we stare too long at a sky until it speaks to us.
Number one on my bucket list:
Mastering tai chi. This has been on my list for years, and I finally, finally! started classes. I enjoy the physical aspect but also the fact that the busy, crazy, chaotic world completely vanishes while you're practicing.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thanks for asking! My fiction explores what happens when life doesn’t go as planned. I show the fallout honestly, but with wit and tenderness, because I've learned life isn’t just "getting over" tragedy, it’s humor and resilience that carry us through it.
I write for readers who see themselves in that chaos. Readers who want stories that feel honest, comforting, and a little wry. Stories that recognize life’s upheavals but also the courage it takes to keep going.
Find more from the author:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lindaksienkiewicz/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lindasienkiewicz.author
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lindaksienkiewicz
Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/lindaksienkiewicz.com
About Linda K. Sienkiewicz:
Linda K. Sienkiewicz
Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet and author whose work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She was scribbling stories in the margins of books before she even knew the alphabet. Her debut novel, IN THE CONTEXT OF LOVE, was a finalist for several awards, including the Hoffer Award and the Sarton Award for Women’s Fiction. Her second novel is LOVE AND OTHER INCURABLE AILMENTS. She is the recipient of a Heartland poetry chapbook award and has published four additional chapbooks, as well as a children’s picture book that she wrote and illustrated. Linda holds an MFA from the University of Southern Maine. When not writing, Linda can be found volunteering at Neighborhood House in Michigan, or walking her corgi, who believes he is the protagonist in every story.
