Your biographical note on your Amazon home page includes this quote
from Henry David Thoreau: "How vain is it to sit down and write, when you
have not stood up to live?"
At what point did you realize you needed to write about what you'd lived?
My husband passed away in August
of 2004 and 3 months later I made my first solo trip in my motorhome from California to Florida. People
referred to me as an inspiration, that I gave them courage to tackle things
they had been afraid to try.
Six years ago when I wrote my
first book, COAST TO COAST WITH A CAT AND A GHOST, I felt
my story needed to be told. An author, Louis Urea said, “Sometimes, God tells
you what to write.” I believe it is the
same for me. I intended the memoir to be somewhat of a travel log. Instead, it
evolved into a story about not just dealing with the loss of a loved one, but also
of facing spousal abuse and finding courage to stand up for myself and through the process, becoming stronger and greater than I ever dreamed of becoming.
Your books are listed as
novels, but the main character shares your name. How much of the character's
experiences in your books ("Coast to Coast with a Cat and a Ghost"
and "Going Home with a Cat and a Ghost") mirrors your own life?
Coast To Coast With A Cat And A Ghost
is definitely is the closest to a memoir. It was my first book and was well received,
surprising me. So, as a new author, flying by the seat of her authorial sweat
pants I wondered if I could make something up.
And wa-la!
Going Home With A Cat And A Ghost was born. My sister called me egotistical
because I didn’t want to lose the character, Judy Howard. If she worked in the
first book, why not keep her? I hadn’t
planned a series but they say that’s how to sell book. Why not? So how much is truth and how much is fiction?
I’ll leave that as part of the intrigue
for the reader to ponder.
Why did you choose to
write fiction rather than autobiography? Your life sounds bigger than fiction!
I find writing fiction to be fun, filled with my
dreams. I can fly high on my fantasies,
and unlike reality, I control the
ending. The dark moments in a world of fiction
may be difficult to write but never as painful as revealing the
reality of a personal truth, which didn’t turn out as I had hoped.
You are right, Ellen, Ellen, my
life is as big as the Montana sky and thrilling as lightning in a thunderstorm.
Compared to a time in my life when suicide became a tempting option, the life I
live today is more fulfilling and magical than I ever imagined. But the those deep potholes from which I dragged myself out , and the long detours I took wandered through are easier
for this author to address with distance
, in a novel. Sometimes I do take the easy way but my usual mode of operation is the hard way.
John F. Kennedy said, “We choose
to go to the moon, not because it is easy, but because it is hard.”
When did you start RVing?
Do you still travel by RV? I
began Rving solo in 2004. In January 2017, at the young age of 71, I rented my
house out and now live full-time in my twenty-four foot Winnebago which I have named, “The Big
Story.” I tow a Smart Car, appropriately
named, “The Short Story.”
Do you write in your RV?
I
had a custom desk built in my RV. It is my favorite place to write. There is
nothing more inspirational than pounding the keyboard while the rain beats on
the roof, or when the ocean washes incessantly onto the beach, or the wind
whispers ideas to me through the trees. On beautiful days, my cat, Sportster, will not stop howling until I move
out side
with my computer, It is there he can absorb the sights and smells of his
surroundings and plot his next novel …or his autobiography? By the way, his nose is bent out of shape
because no one yet has asked for an interview. I told him when he gets a couple
more books out he will be taken more seriously as an author. He just twitched his tail, spit and then took
a nap.
Do you write in your RV?
I
had a custom desk built in my RV. It is my favorite place to write. There is
nothing more inspirational than pounding the keyboard while the rain beats on
the roof, or when the ocean washes incessantly onto the beach, or the wind
whispers ideas to me through the trees. On beautiful days, my cat, Sportster, will not stop howling until I move
out side
with my computer, It is there he can absorb the sights and smells of his
surroundings and plot his next novel …or his autobiography? By the way, his nose is bent out of shape
because no one yet has asked for an interview. I told him when he gets a couple
more books out he will be taken more seriously as an author. He just twitched his tail, spit and then took
a nap.
Many of you have asked,
"What's it like writing on the road?" This is my office, highlights
from left to right.
1. The muse. And famous author Sportster @Sportsterandme.com.
2. If you enlarge the photo you will see a
timer. I'm trying out a new productivity strategy.
3. Gifts from a couple of my
favorite people who keep me charged up with believing in myself on a
professional level. The painted rock. Thank you Deb
Sanders. And my latest
nonfiction book to insure that someday I will be climbing up on the stage to do
my very own Ted Talk. Thank you Lynne
MorganSpreen.
4. Oh!! Don't overlook the most impressive feature,
my picture window that changes scenes with the twist of the ignition and a step
on the accelerator!!! Welcome to my office!
What inspires you most when you're traveling?
Nature, nature and more nature! And
always the people and their stories.
Every person should be required to serve a two year tour, living
with the locals of several of the small towns in every fly-over state.
Using one of your
books as an example, could you walk us through how you got the idea through the
final version of the book? What was the toughest part of the process for you?
Why?
By the time I finished my first
book, Coast To Coast With A Cat And A Ghost, I was hooked on writing. I figured
anyone can write their own story, but I wondered, could I make something up? So
I tackled the familiar Hallmark romance story, reuniting with the old high
school boyfriend. I mixed it up with some
tragedy and intrigue and wrote, Going Home With A Cat And A Ghost.
Sportster the cat (featured
in earlier books) has for some time narrated a blog. What inspired you to give
him center stage as main character in "Activate Lion Mode"?
After writing MASADA'S MARINE, which was about a dog named Masada who becomes a service dog for an Iraq veteran
with PTSD, I was emotionally exhausted. It took me two years to write and I
considered laying down my pen and shutting off my computer. But writing is like
a drug, and I couldn’t give it up. So I decide I would write something fun, ACTIVATE LION MODE.
"Activate Lion Mode"
is the first in a new series. When can readers expect the second book? Does it
have a title yet? Yes they certainly can. Sportster promises Activate
Love Mode will be out mid 2018. I too will have an autobiographical novel out
in 2018.
Will RVs continue to play
a role in your books?
Until they pry my cold dead hands
from the steering wheel.
What motivated you to
write the Masada series, featuring a service dog for a PTSD-afflicted veteran?
I discovered a nonprofit organization
which raised puppies and then sent them to local prisons to be trained as
service dogs for veterans. The prisoners
win, the dog wins and the veterans wins. What a great story!
Your experience as a pet groomer clearly has
influenced your writing. Do you have any advice for others who are thinking of
incorporating aspects of their professional life into their fiction?
Write about what you know even if your career seems ordinary to you.
Your individual perspective and passion
will give inspiration and passion to a story that no one else can.
What have I not asked that
you'd like to mention?
An issue which writers are rarely asked is, “Writing is hard, lonely
and full of doubt. How do you keep going?”
Perhaps the public believes we have a gift, a talent which drives us
and that it is easy for us. It is not.
To be successful, we all have to do the work. Everyday.
Every day I study the craft, and its many divisions –– writing, character
building, plot and structure and so on –– updating my knowledge of the constant
changing world of marketing and social media and publishing –– and most of the time
I do this alone.
So how do I keep going? I give
it away. Through my writing and inspirational seminars, I try to help writers
on their journe,y and like magic, they help me. I keep going on, giving away the
knowledge and support that others have lavished on me.
Oh, and don’t let me forget!! Readers’ reviews keep us writers motivated.
USEFUL LINKS
Thanks, And safe travels!
Everyone has moments they remember from childhood. Maybe it
was lying in a pile of fresh fallen leaves, or a snow drift creating angels. Perhaps
the memorable moment is a place in the safety of darkness, on a rainy day,
crouched in a tent made of sheets. But it was a certain place and time in which
the spirit soared high, free to touch
the sun, without being told you might get burned.
Did you notice
the crisp fall air, or listen to the leaves showering from the trees like the
rain? Probably not. You were eight years
old. You lay spread eagle on your back, swishing your arms and legs to the
crackle of your leaf angel that would never be as distinct 
You gazed up into
the thundering, billowing clouds, too young to wonder about boys ,or who your friends would be. You imagined wild
horses thundering across the endless storm filled heavens. Your world was
small, just Mom, Dad and Punkin, who was the boss of you because she was a year
older. Oh yes, and Andy, Dad’s black lab,
who went everywhere with you. No wonder Mom and Dad never worried. 
