An Interview with my Madre, the AUTHOR!

My mom's novel, Thirty Days to Glory, is available today! After visiting Felicity's Blog and Serenity's blog this week (my sisters), she has skipped on over to my blog to answer some of my questions about the book and the writing process. And, she answers the most burning question of all...which one of us kids is her favorite.

Me: Publishing a novel has been a lifelong dream of yours. In what ways is it better

that it happened for you now at 50, rather than when you were 20?


Mom: I probably have more realistic expectations now about what publication means.

I’m not looking for fame and riches at this stage. (Although I wouldn’t turn them away).

I can see this more as “what I do” not “who I am.” Also, I think twenty-somethings have

wonderful energy and creative ideas. Some of them even have a clear worldview and

know what they want to say. I didn’t. Like the Glory Circle Sisters, I needed some life

seasoning. As a fifty-something I think I have much more to offer than I did in my early

years.



Me: Your novel is set in a Christmas backdrop, and you are the biggest fan of

Christmas ever. Was this purposeful, or did the characters just tell you it was Christmas

time?


Mom: You know me well. Catherine and Emily did it. I didn’t start out writing a

Christmas story. Then one day I saw the scene where Emily comes in stomping her boots

from the snow. And I saw a Christmas wreath on a door. I knew I wanted to frame the

story around a calendar month, so December became the perfect setting.



Me: The main characters in your book are all older. I think our American culture

makes elderly people feel useless. What can we, as young people, do to change that?


Mom: Marvelous question! I think our culture is terrified of age. We don’t know what to

do with old people, and none of us wants to become one. I’d love to see your generation

restore honor to the white-haired segment of society. As artists, maybe you can find ways

to celebrate the contributions of previous generations. Write songs. Invite us to speak at

your gatherings. Take us out to dinner and listen to our stories. Stand up when we enter a

room. J



Me: Do the 30 days before a novel comes out, and the 30 days before a baby comes

out compare at all? Just curious if we've been sharing similar pains lately.


Mom: Oh, so much! The same restlessness when you can’t make the time go quickly

enough. The same panic when you worry time is going too fast and you don’t have all the

details covered. The same awe at the creative process, and the realization that you only

played your little part. Most of it is mysterious and miraculous, really.

The similarities do break down though. After delivery, I won’t face sleep deprivation.

And you won’t have to post pictures of your baby on Amazon and hope people give him

five stars for cuteness!



Me: Let's get real now. We all know I'm the kid you were homesick for before I even

existed, so I'm the true favorite right? It's ok, I won't tell. Wait, yeah, I will.


Mom: Well, it is true that I was homesick for you before you were even conceived. All

three of you girls are such amazing, talented women. The Poet, The Novelist, The Singer/

Songwriter. And such wonderful wives, mothers, sisters, and friends. The truth is, I really

do love all three of you the same.

Joseph is my favorite.

Here we all are, "There at the end", as Joe is famous for saying (he's the guy in the middle) before we ruined our family unit with marriage and grandbabies.

I'm going to pretend I didn't notice that I'm the only one to which she didn't at least pretend to say, "You're my favorite." And YOU are going to go grab the novel, Thirty Days to Glory, from Amazon or her publisher, CrossRiver Media. I can't wait to get my hands on a real live copy.