Boasting About Books Interview by Janet Leibert

BOASTING ABOUT BOOKS   by Janet Leibert

AUTHOR INTERVIEW with S.R.Claridge

POSTING DATE of May 22, 2012

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I’ve read some of your other interviews and will try not to ask you the same questions.  Let’s start easy and random.  Do you dream and if so, do you dream in color?

Wow, that is random.  Yes, I dream almost every night; and I usually wake up remembering at least a portion of my dream.  I always dream in color.

Do you have any reoccurring dreams?

I do, though I haven’t dreamt it in a long time.  When I was younger I used to have a reoccurring dream that I was being chased through the woods by cannibals.  Up ahead was a tree root that stretched across my path.  I tripped over the root every time….every time…despite the fact that I saw it coming and would tell myself not to trip this time.  It is quite frustrating.  I also have a reoccurring theme in my dreams.  Whenever I shoot a gun in my dreams, my bullets always travel in slow motion.  I can’t hit anyone because my shots are easily dodged.  It’s exasperating!

Do you have many dreams where you’re trying to shoot people?

LOL!  Now you’re do a psychoanalysis of me, aren’t you?   Yes, actually I do, but I’m always trying to shoot a bad guy and always out of self-defense.

Maybe this is why so many people are shot in the Just Call Me Angel series?

Oh, so you think I’m overcompensating for the inadequacy I feel in dream.  Hmmmm, I’ll have to think about that one.

If you could have lunch with one person, who would it be and why?

God.  Because I have lots of questions.

Okay, if you could have lunch with one human being, who would it be and why?

That’s hard because there are too many to choose from.  For example, if I want to pick a highly motivated, excellent business mind in the entertainment world, I might choose Madonna.  But, if I want a brilliant brain from the political realm, I might ask Bill Clinton to lunch.  On the other hand, if I want to laugh through lunch I might ask Tim Allen or Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler.  If I want to lust my way through the meal, I’d ask George Clooney, Cary Grant, Patrick Dempsey or The Rock.  If I want some older, female wisdom I might seek out Betty White, Judi Dench or Julie Andrews.   And if I just want a lunch with some fun girlfriends, I might ask Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz.  If I get the urge to kiss a girl, I’d ask Angelina Jolie to join me.  So…. it’s impossible for me to choose one person… there are too many things that factor into my decision.

Holy Cow!  No one has ever answered that question that way.

It seems like a pretty straight forward answer to me.  J

Onto your personal life…

I have to interrupt your sentence…sorry…but it bugs me when people differentiate between “personal” life and some other sort of  life.  The very word “life” is personal, right?  I mean, everything about your life is personal to you… so whether it’s something going on in your business or in your family or in your neighborhood, school, church, etc…. it’s “personal” to you because it’s about your life. I hate when people say, “it’s not personal” or “don’t take it so personally.”   If life should be anything, it should always be personal.  I think if more people lived that way, we’d all hurt each other a lot less.

(You’re right, I’ve never really thought about it that way.)

You have a husband and children, correct?

Yes.  My husband and I are celebrating twenty years together this year, and we have two incredible kids.

How do you make your marriage work?  Like, how has it lasted twenty years when so many marriages fall apart within the first few years?

Sex. 

(LOL!  Once again, I didn’t expect that to be your answer)

Can you elaborate on that?

Obviously, you have to love each other, respect each other and like each other.  But even with all of that in place, marriages….especially in today’s world….are difficult.  Couples have less time together because both work or one or both travel for work and it’s easy to grow apart.  That’s why I emphasize the importance of having a lot of sex.  See, it’s virtually impossible to be intimate with someone and not feel close to them.  It’s hard to make-love and stay angry at them.  Sex between a couple, who already shares a solid foundation of love and respect, becomes a conduit that opens communication and keeps their connection strong.

So, do you believe in divorce?

Of course.  Even Jesus, Himself, said there is just cause for a couple to divorce.  I wish couples would try to stay together because I think when you make it through the hard stuff, you come out stronger on the other side.  But I also realize there are circumstances where divorce is the best choice.  I don’t judge anyone based on whether they stay together or not.

This is a great lead in to your first novel, No Easy Way, where Tom and Kate are separated and both engage in some questionable behavior with other people.   Do you think a real marriage can survive what Tom and Kate’s marriage survives in your novel?

Absolutely.  In every marriage there are a hundred justifiable reasons why each spouse has a right to walk away; but just because you have the right to do something doesn’t make it the right thing to do.  Sometimes you have to dig down deep and find the one reason to stay.

If you could describe your husband in just a couple words, what would they be?

Logical. Strong.  Intelligent.  Devoted.

How do you think your husband would describe you?

Creative. Emotional. Passionate.

Is it safe to assume you are opposites?

Yes, extreme.  We are a testament to the statement that “opposites attract.”

Let’s talk about you, the writer.  You have a background in entertainment, commercials, films, stage, songwriting, do you think all of that helps you be a better writer?

Definitely.  I think anything creative in your life enhances your creative productivity.  With every new experience you acquire new tools that help to equip you for the next experience.

What is your favorite outlet for entertainment?

Right now, it’s writing novels.  In the past, it was performing on-stage, which I still love to do, but don’t have the time. 

Will you perform again sometime?

I think so, maybe.  I don’t have a great desire to do it right now…. I think because my life is just so busy and I don’t want my schedule to be a strain on my family.

Is your writing ever a strain on your family?

Yes and no.  I can write anytime, anywhere so I can easily work it around everyone else’s schedule.   That’s one of the wonderful things about being a writer.

You’ve written five novels and one short story, all published since October 2010.  That’s a lot of writing!  When do you write?

Usually during the day while the kids are at school and sometimes late at night after I put them to bed and my husband is traveling.  Summer is harder to write because there is constant interruption, but I manage to sneak away every now and then and drop a few thousand words from my head to the page.

Do you ever feel like you’re coming apart at the seams, and if so, what holds you together?

No, I’m always calm and completely stable.  LOL!!  NOT!!  I’m usually one thread from coming apart at the seams, but it’s my faith in God that holds me together.  That, and He has blessed me with an incredible family and friends that love me and are supportive and there to strengthen me whenever I need it. 

Do you believe things happen for a reason in life and can you look back and see how you got to where you are today with your writing?

Definitely.  Everything happens for a reason and I love the verse in the Bible that says, “God makes all things come together for good for those that love him.”  Sometimes things look and feel devastating, but if we hold on and we walk through them, I believe we’ll come out in a better, stronger more peaceful place.  There were many ups and downs with my writing.  I received a lot of rejection letters and critiques that were less than encouraging.  You just have to keep putting yourself out there and keep getting back up every time someone or something knocks you down.  It’s hard sometimes… but it’s worth it.

Tell our readers where they can find your books:

All of my books are available in ebook and paperback from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords, OmniLit and AllRomanceEbooks.  You can order them into any local bookstore by calling and requesting the books.  For detailed information on each one, including a free read of the first several chapters, visit my website at:  www.AuthorSRClaridge.com     You can also join me on my blog site:  www.FeelingTheFiction.blogspot.com    

Thank you so much for allowing me to chat with you today.  J