Meet Musician and Author, Linda Jämsén
Linda Jämsén is an American ex-pat writer-musician living in Helsinki. She grew up in New York, holding a book in one hand while exploring the piano keyboard with the other. She later received a B.A. in Music (piano performance) from Bard College and as an avid choral singer, has performed in Hungary, the UK, Israel, and Finland.
During her many years in Boston, where she received a Management diploma from Radcliffe-Harvard, Linda worked as a development director for several nonprofits and over the years, has raised funds for people with HIV/AIDS, at-risk elders, homeless artists, and refugee musicians. In 2001, longing to return to her musical roots, Linda moved to Budapest, land of her idol Franz Liszt. Her musical, romantic, and travel adventures abroad inspired Odyssey of Love: A Memoir of Seeking and Finding, her literary debut that was launched in June 2021.
Her book Odyssey of Love : A Memoir of Seeking and Finding is available for purchase on Amazon.
Be sure to connect with Linda online - her Author website is: www.lindajamsen.com and you can also follow Linda’s author channels on Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and her novel Odyssey of Love: A Memoir of Seeking and Finding also on Facebook.
A fairly common thread in the SWF community is that many of us have dreamed of writing for years before we ever had the time, resources, or ability to sit down and actually do it. When did you first decide writing was something that you wanted to actively pursue, and then how long was it before you started writing seriously?
When I was in grade school, I enjoyed creative writing and might have considered it a career path had I not discovered the piano and become glued to it for most of my youth and early adulthood. However, I have always kept a diary and started journaling at age 11 after being inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank.
Then, as is the case with several memoirists I know, I started writing again after a major tragedy struck. While mourning my father, who died suddenly before my wedding, I was encouraged by a social worker to write about him as part of the healing process. These stories were followed by others about my recent ex-pat adventures while living in Budapest and traveling in Europe. Over time, chapters emerged and eventually formed Odyssey of Love: A Memoir of Seeking and Finding. It was a long process because I was also immersed in musical projects.
I started taking writing more seriously after the first pages of Odyssey received positive feedback at two pitch slams in New York City. At this point, the manuscript was about half finished. Then, an excerpt from Odyssey was run in the Helsinki Times; another received Honorable Mention in a Writer’s Digest contest. I seemed to be on a roll, but again, many stops and starts ensued. I was also undecided as to whether to self-publish or explore the traditional route. Attending SWF19 helped clarify these options, and I went with the former. I’m happy to say that after a very long journey, Odyssey was launched on my June birthday last year.
What is your primary creative writing genre, and did this change over the years, or has this always been your main focus?
For reasons stated above, memoir has been and continues to be my primary genre. I’m currently working on Triptych, the sequel to Odyssey, and recently created an outline for a third memoir. I’ve also ventured into writing for children and completed a series of fairy tales inspired by my visits to Middle Finland, where my husband is from. It has been comforting during times of stress and uncertainty, such as we are experiencing now, to disappear into an enchanting magical world. These projects will have to compete in my publishing queue, though!
Can you tell us about some of your favorite SWF moment(s) and what really stuck with you after the festivals? (Takeaways)
As soon as I walked into SWF19, I received a warm welcome from the organizers and the other attendees. It was wonderful! As a native English speaker living in Finland, I often feel in a creative vacuum because of the language barrier, so it was a relief to listen to and discuss topics of interest in English. I’m still in touch with other SWF19 authors and am grateful for their support of my first self-publishing effort.
One pivotal moment came during Jane Friedman’s workshop, where she emphasized the importance of creating an author website or page. At that time, I had neither and cringed at the thought of prematurely calling myself an “author,” as Odyssey hadn’t yet made the leap from my computer to the printing press. Jane reassured us that this was part of the publishing process, which became apparent when other aspiring authors showed me their business cards with “Author” centered below their names. Impressive! As soon as I returned to Finland, I found someone to help create my author website, a very big step for me.
During that same weekend at SWF, I participated in Literary Idol, which can be a bit intimidating if you’ve submitted your first page to be judged. Thankfully, the Stockholm version was much kinder than others I’ve attended where the judges ring a bell as soon as they stop reading. That’s usually within the first paragraph or sentence! I’m happy to say Odyssey not only survived to the bottom of the page but was applauded. Coming from other writers and professionals in the field, this was encouraging. It was also interesting to listen to opening pages in different genres and get a sense of what other writers are working on.
Overall, has attending SWF helped you in pursuing the “path to published” and if so, how?
Absolutely! When I attended SWF19, I was debating whether to self-publish Odyssey of Love or go the traditional route. I had previously submitted my manuscript to literary agents who advised me to totally fictionalize my memoir to make it easier to pitch to publishers. I reserved spots with two agents at SWF19, curious if they would have a different perspective. When they did not, that cinched the deal for me. I decided to stick to the story’s authenticity and self-publish. While both publishing options have their advantages, I’m glad I trusted my instincts.
Can you tell us a little about a piece you’ve written in the past that you are particularly proud of, published or not — just something that still moves you every time you revisit it?
Yes, there are several that still move me. When I read parts of my memoirs (either Odyssey or Triptych), I become quite emotional because some of the real-life characters who were very dear to me, such as my parents and best friend, have since died. Re-reading these sections feels like I’m visiting with them again and is bittersweet. On the other hand, it can be difficult to write passages for the sequel memoirs, as they bring up painful memories of illness and loss. When this happens, I disappear into my fairy tales and start conversing with the kingcups or ladybugs ☺
If you plan on attending SWF22, (and we certainly hope you do) is there anything specific that you hope to learn more about this time around?
After so much isolation, I look so forward to attending SWF22 in person. Now that I’ve gone through one round of self-publishing and have decided to again with Triptych, I’d like to learn more about the pitching, publishing, and marketing of children’s books. Due to the high cost of producing picture books, I will pursue the traditional route for these projects.
I am also interested in taking classes in writing in other genres, such as cozy mystery, something completely different without the pressure to publish, just for the fun of it.
Nädään pian! (“See you soon!”)
We asked Linda to include include a short piece that she’s written — a short poem, a 100-word story, or something creative that we could share in this feature for inspiration, and she has included this short excerpt from Odyssey of Love:: A Memoir of Seeking and Finding
As I steadied my camera to capture the alluring arc of Havis Amanda’s voluptuous bottom, a bright red flash filled the viewfinder. When it wouldn’t go away, I looked beyond the statue to find an attractive man wearing a windbreaker of that same color walking toward the Fish Market. Suddenly, everything and everyone—the shops and park around us, the children throwing coins into the fountain, the approaching tram—froze in time and space. All I noticed was the tall man in red; everything else receded from sight. Intrigued, I shoved the Pentax into my bag and felt compelled to follow him.