Lynda Rutledge
Before becoming a full-time novelist, Lynda Rutledge was a professional writer for over 25 years. Lynda has a MFA in creative writing and a BA and MA in American literature. After finishing her education, she worked as a junior high teacher, copywriter, travel writer, and freelance journalist. She has travelled the world and “petted baby rhinos, snorkelled with endangered sea turtles, hang-glided off a small Swiss mountain, and dodged hurricanes to write articles for national and international publications.”
During these years, she pursued creative writing as well. Her debut novel Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale won the 2013 Writers League of Texas Novel of the Year. It was also adapted into a major French film starring Catherine Deneuve (French title: “La dernière folie de Claire Darling”).
In 2023, West With Giraffes was released and became a bestselling novel selling millions of copies worldwide. The novel was inspired by the forgotten true story about a hurricane-surviving pair of giraffes who were trucked across America during the Great Depression. The novel won multiple accolades and was named the Texas Center for the Book’s 2023 Great Read.
Lynda’s latest novel, Mockingbird Summer, was released in January 2024.
