Linda Kass
Author Interview - Linda Kass
Author of World News from Waverley High
A tale of identity, activism, and finding your voice in a world on fire, this coming-of-age novel set at an urban high school captures a singular moment in American history—through the eyes of one unforgettable girl.
1969. Lena Rosen is an intelligent, observant teenager torn between spontaneity and self-consciousness. During her junior year, she becomes attuned to the pulse of her times in her first-period Current History class, where rebellion, social change, and musical innovation of the 1960s dominate discussion. When Lena becomes the associate editor of the school newspaper The Beacon, she is drawn into the swirling discourse surrounding the Vietnam War, civil rights, environmental disasters, and campus protests—while also grappling with her growing attraction to Jack Stone, the paper’s editor.
As the year progresses and the antiwar movement gains momentum, the unrest builds at Waverley High. Lena wrestles with her own cultural and religious identity as a Jewish teen while she and her fellow students struggle to cope with racial discord, a bomb threat, and the emotional toll of a world that seems to be unraveling. When tragedy collapses the distance between headlines and Lena’s own life, she must decide what it means to stand for peace—and to hope for a better world.
WORLD NEWS FROM WAVERLEY HIGH reveals the crossroads of personal growth and national unrest, filled with the sights, sounds, and cataclysmic events that changed American history forever.
Author Interview - Linda Kass
Author I draw inspiration from:
Ann Patchett (BEL CANTO); Kazuo Ishiguro (THE REMAINS OF THE DAY)
Author Interview - Linda Kass | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Anywhere it is quiet--early morning in bed, on a lounge chair in my den, at the library.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Count Alexander Rostov, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW. While the elevator is stuck, the Count reminds me of what the Grand Duke Demidov, his godfather, told the Count when his parents died: that adversity presents itself in many forms; and that if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them. Given the Count's reassurance that we will be "unstuck" before too long, I begin to ask him questions about his past, given my interest in Russian history. As my nerves settle, I absorb the wisdom and wit of this storied character.
Author Interview - Linda Kass | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
When the idea for my first novel hit me and wouldn't let go.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I like to read hardback books and then shelve them in my personal library. I like the paperback for its ease in traveling. I really don't read e-books because it's the physicality of the book that is so appealing to me. I rarely listen to audiobooks because I like to know my place in the book, although I know many who only read by listening. However, when I listened to the audiobook version of my third novel, BESSIE, I was struck by how, with a good narrator, the characters can rise off the page!
The last book I read:
BUCKEYE by Patrick Ryan. As I turned each absorbing page, I couldn’t help feeling like I was reading an old classic. Epic yet intimate, Buckeye tells about war and adultery, the fallibility of human attraction, and the vast journey we must travel to arrive at truth.
Author Interview - Linda Kass | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I jot ideas that come to me on the run on paper wherever I am. But I write on my laptop and take it everywhere I travel.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Lara Nelson in TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett. She's creative, reflective about her past, deeply family‑oriented, and quietly woven into her local community as a grower and storyteller.
Author Interview - Linda Kass | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I actually have a second career I love! I own Gramercy Books in Columbus, Ohio and curate all its programming: https://gramercybooksbexley.com/ourstory
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I like the 1960s and '70s because they strongly reflect social change, youth culture, and new freedoms, something I explore in my upcoming novel, WORLD NEWS FROM WAVERLEY HIGH, which takes place during 1969-1970.
Place I’d most like to travel:
Throughout my life, I've traveled to many wonderful places. Perhaps returning to London to see some fantastic theatre is next. But, frankly, New York City has everything and it is somewhere I visit multiple times a year (and where my daughter and her family live).
My signature drink:
I love a cup of strong coffee every morning.
Favorite artist:
I adore the music of the Sixties and have included so much of it in my upcoming novel. I even created a playlist of all the music in the book on Spotify and Apple Music!
Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6TgbQLJ9S1BJ0GA54XvrtK
Apple Playlist: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/waverley-high/pl.u-WE1PHAe790
Number one on my bucket list:
I'm living in the moment and happy with all the things on my plate--writing books, managing a bookstore, spending time with my expanding family, and road cycling!
Anything else you'd like to add:
For my upcoming novel, WORLD NEWS FROM WAVERLEY HIGH, I have a Reader's Guide and other fun information for readers, like the playlist and a trailer.
Find more from the author:
http://www.facebook.com/linda.sternkass (FB personal page)
www.facebook.com/lindakassauthor (FB author page)
http://www.instagram.com/lindaskass (Instagram)
www.linkedin.com/in/lindakass/ (LinkedIn)
About Linda Kass:
Linda Kass
I began my career as a magazine journalist and correspondent for regional and national publications. Along with my forthcoming novel, WORLD NEWS FROM WAVERLEY HIGH (September 2026), I am the author of three previous works of historical fiction: TASA'S SONG (2016), A RITCHIE BOY (2020), and BESSIE (2023). For several decades, I've been active in my community in the areas of arts, education, and literature. I'm the founder and owner of Gramercy Books, an independent bookstore in Central Ohio (est. 2016). I live in Columbus with my husband, Frank; we have four children, six grandchildren, and a labradoodle named Wally.
