Hi.

I’m Lina, a writer of literary suspense and aspiring novelist. My first novel, Semblance, is out on submission, and my second, Over in the Buildings Painted Pink and Minty Green, is in the last stages of editing. I have a drawer novel that came before Semblance - it is a massive tome (of course): A labour of love, sweat, pain and tears. As it goes with drawer novels, it’s terrible, and I love it dearly.

When I’m not reading or writing, I like finding rare long words on the Guardian’s Wordiply. Besides that, equal shares of my heart belong to film and music, and, in what is left of my time, I enjoy travelling, painting, pottery, crocheting and sewing and a host of other crafts, I take long walks through the forest in autumn and spend as much time with loved ones as I can. All of which serves as inspiration for further writing. To my friends: Yes, you inspire my characters. And no, I won’t tell you which ones.

Photo by @annaiskphotography

Biography

The long version

I was born and raised in central Switzerland, to an American mother and German father, balancing between three languages and cultures. Once I embarked on my studies of history and English linguistics in Zurich, I knew the city is my chosen home: I’ve lived here for a decade now.

I completed the Faber Edit and Submit your Novel course in 2025, polishing Semblance — perhaps my debut literary suspense novel — to a shine. It's now finished, and agent submissions are underway.

While holding out in the querying trenches, I’ve completed my second novel, Over in the Buildings Painted Pink and Minty Green (which you can read about in the ‘books’ section) and am currently editing it.

Because editing and writing belong to different universes and I cannot exist outside the writing one, I am drafting my third novel, One Question, and am about half-way through. There may also be a standalone companion book to Semblance after that, but let’s see about that.

Outside the desk: forest walks, especially in autumn, when the leaves turn and the fog sits low; long swims in the lake in summer; travelling the world armed with meticulous itineraries (supplied by me) and a very patient travel companion (my husband).