What
inspired you to write A Modest Proposal?
The
idea for this story was born about six years ago when my
oldest daughter turned sixteen and we began looking for
prom dresses. What started out as a fun mother/daughter
excursion soon turned into a traumatic nightmare! Even
here in Utah we had a horrible time trying to find a dress
that was modest, affordable, and something she liked.
Thank goodness I know how to sew a little because I
suddenly had to learn how to do alterations and get
creative with modifying immodest dresses. This has evolved
recently as my daughter has done a few pageants. We have
had to do some pretty serious modifications to help her
maintain modesty without giving up style and fashion. I am
convinced you can have both! So that's why I wrote this
book. I wanted to make a statement about modesty not being
old-fashioned and boring, but being fun, fashionable, and
exciting.
Where
do you get ideas for your books?
We
all have access to story ideas in our everyday lives. But
it's a writer who takes an idea and turns it into a story.
I like to play the "What if" game with ideas.
I'll take a simple concept and ask, "What if . .
." and then fill in the blank. Sometimes nothing
comes out of it and the idea flops. Other times the idea
grows and multiplies until it takes on a life of its own
and a story is born. When I get stuck for ideas I call
friends and family and ask, "What would you like to
read about? What things do you feel are important issues
we need to learn about?" If I can write about
something we can all relate to, then we can all learn and
grow together.
How
do you juggle writing and family at the same time?
Juggle
is the key word in that question. "Not very
well," is the answer. I do my best, but being a mom
is a full-time job, and the last thing I want my writing
to do is infringe upon my time with my family. I make it a
point to put my family and my Church callings first. As
long as I keep my priorities straight, things seem to go
fairly smoothly for me. I write two to three hours a day,
Monday through Friday. I'm pretty stingy with this time
and don't usually answer the phone or the door. It works
out to only ten or twelve hours a week, but somehow I
manage to make progress.
Is
your writing based on your real- life experiences?
So
far none of my stories have been autobiographical at all.
There are always little snippets of my own experiences in
some parts of the books, but nothing I could really claim
as my own. I try to pull emotion from personal
experiences, but many times I have to "borrow"
emotion from someone who actually has been through what my
characters go through. If I have a gift with writing, it's
being able to empathize with and internalize other
people's emotions, then infuse them into my stories.
Are
your characters real people?
Sometimes
my characters are loosely based on people I know. Mostly I
take single characteristics from people rather than use
them as a whole, although Rich, in my first series, was
patterned a lot after my husband. On the first draft of
the story I was told that Rich was just too perfect, too
nice (just like my husband). I had to give Rich some flaws
after that to enrich the story, but I like my husband just
the way he is! I have to say, I do a lot of
people-watching and studying. I love to observe mannerisms
and figure out people's motivations, then I use those
observations on my characters.
How
much research goes into a book before you write it?
A lot
of that depends on the story and how unfamiliar I am with
what I'm writing about. It's always better when you can
experience what your characters are doing, but that's not
always possible. The best I can do is read, study, watch
videos or movies, and interview people to get my
information. Thank goodness for imaginations to help us
"imagine" what it's like to get caught in a
snowy blizzard and nearly die, or be sailing on a
turbulent ocean during a life-threatening squall, or have
a stalker kidnap you and try to bury you alive in the
desert. These are things I'd rather not experience
firsthand, but I can imagine what they would be like.
I usually do months of research-sometimes more-before I
write a book. The research for my Vietnam books took a
year. My favorite part of research is traveling to the
places where the book is set, like Europe, the Oregon
Coast, and Cancun. Research is sometimes my favorite part
of writing.
Your
books are "safe" to read. I feel good after I've
read one of them. Is this something you try to do?
Absolutely.
I wouldn't feel good about what I write if my
eight-year-old couldn't pick it up and read it, or if my
ninety-eight-year-old grandmother couldn't read it. My
books will never contain anything inappropriate or against
my beliefs. I don't feel it's necessary to write stories
with garbage in them. I feel that cheapens the story. My
books are about issues, emotions, and relationships. My
goal is to give my readers hope and inspiration, to lift
them and give them something of value.
What
is something interesting or quirky about you that no one
knows?
Aside
from the fact that I'm pretty dull, I do have a few
addictions I can admit to. I love, love, love cinnamon
(we're talking bears, gum, candy, breads, cookies,
rolls-anything cinnamon). I can't burn cinnamon-scented
candles because that would make me crave cinnamon all day.
I also am a ginormous Doris Day fan. My mom turned me onto
Doris Day when I was a young girl, and I now have
collected every movie she's ever made. My goal is to
someday meet her. Anybody have any connections?
