Welcome Marilyn
1. Have you ever cried while writing a
book?
I cry with every large emotion, so
the tears start every few chapters. In
Strawberry Shifters book 1: Bear with Me, I cried with Alison over Grant’s
mistakes as each one unfolded. When she
takes some responsibility for the problems in their marriage and vocalizes her
frustrations to him, I sobbed for the rest of the day. I was so happy for her and hopeful for their
future. The emotions were too powerful
to contain.
2. Do you have set times during the day
that you write?
Even though I am a natural night owl, I get up at 5:00 am to
write until my son wakes. Being a
homeschool mom, I am on the clock his every waking hour. I love the peace of my quiet kitchen with a
beautiful Kentucky sunrise lifting over the back of my laptop monitor. I can play my music, light my choice of
candles, and get lost in my thoughts without interruption. Plus, I don’t have to share my writing
snacks!
3. How do you get past writer’s block?
My specific type of sensory processing disorder makes me a
sensation seeker with each of the seven senses except taste/mouthfeel. To engage intellectually, I must have these
senses invested in the process. Having a
song for each couple playing on repeat, a candle scent assigned for each
character’s point-of-view, and wearing a selected ring for each heroine are
tricks to getting into character on a daily basis. When there’s a block, I go further to change
my appearance to channel the character, like method acting.
In writing Strawberry shifter’s book 3: Go Scorch Yourself, I
struggled in generating Betty’s snappy comebacks and vile swears. In general, I do not curse and she is
introduced to the series as the “fun aunt who says all the bad words”. I dyed my hair black and wore goth make-up so
my reflection in the computer screen was distorted into hers.
In writing Strawberry shifter’s book 4: Bad Guy, I struggled
with Orchid’s limited English-speaking abilities. I love big words, complex metaphors, and
long-winded sentences which do not fit her backstory. When writing her POV, I wore fairy wings, so
my reflection is much more Fae than human.
4. Is there a message in your novel that
you want readers to grasp?
The Strawberry shifters series is
about accommodation and inclusion. I
want my readers to feel empowered to include those differently-abled and/or
neurotypically diverse. I preferred to
be asked about my accommodations rather than isolated, which I feel is common
amongst all human beings. With a few
conversations, we can expand not only our social circles but our society to
explore the talents of those members currently left out. Everyone has something to contribute and it
is through accommodations, not isolation that we thrive in our communities.
5. Which phrase in the book are you most
proud of?
I love Alison’s statement in
Strawberry Shifter’s Book 1: Bear with Me when she stands up for herself and
says: “I’m not the delicate flower to be left in a greenhouse alone all the time,
only to be taken out to be admired when you feel like it. I’m more like the
dandelion growing between the sidewalk cracks. I look small and sweet despite
the inhospitable conditions. It is only because of my strength that you enjoy
my softness. I choose to be docile. Do not mistake that for my only option.”
And for a little fun
1. What's the most blatant lie you've
ever told?
In elementary school, I convinced the class (including the teachers) that
I was producing a play I had written based on the 1980’s character, Rose
Petal. My mother, who didn’t sew, was
making the costumes and my Dad was building a stage. I got class time to write out my script as
well as block out the stage directions for my peers turned actors. Imagine my parent’s reaction when they
learned of this at parent/teacher conferences.
While I never got to see my play in
action, my parents found it too funny to punish me. However, I may still get the last laugh. Alison the Green Witch, in my debut novel
Strawberry Shifters Book 1: Bear with Me, is inspired by Rose Petal so if it is
adapted to a play…
2. Do you ever wish that you had an
entirely uncreative job, like data entry or working in a factory?
I never wished for one, but I have had a few of them. My first job after earning my bachelor’s
degree was as a microbiologist in a research hospital. Sounds exciting, right? It was a biosafety level three lab which
required special personal protective respirators, chemical decontamination
showers, and working in special cabinets.
I was shocked at the monotony. Doing cutting edge science is characterized
by life-saving drama or exploding experiments in the movies. I was counting beige dots on a colored background
for six to eight-hour stretches, called enumerations. In Strawberry Shifters book 3: Go Scorch
Yourself, I rant about the boring nature of real-world microbiology as
Mild-Mannered Lucien Von Popescu. The
Prince of Darkness yearns for the excitement of being in a rock band but his
social anxiety and dependence on Bergan Pharma’s blood bank keep him in the
lab.
3. Have you ever found true love?
The weekend before I started college classes my high school boyfriend
dumped me in favor of my best friend who didn’t go away to college. Screaming at the universe in frustration, I
asked for one good reason to ever date again.
On the following Tuesday, I was late to my first class. I carried my contacts in one hand and my
shoes in the other when sliding into the last open seat in Engineering Calculus
level 3.
I spent the class doing my hair and putting in my
contacts. With a few minutes left in
class, the most handsome man I had ever seen tapped my shoulder to give me back
my shoe. I had dropped it on him, and he
had been holding it for the hour. While
I was mortified, he was smitten. We have
been together for over twenty-one years.
He holds me together while I force him to have fun.
4. If you came with a warning label,
what would it say?
Warning: Homeschool Moms are not their stereotype.
I know the stereotypical super-religious cult member wearing
a denim jumper still exists but they are the minority in today’s homeschool
community. When I tell people I
homeschool my son, I get one of two reactions.
First, they wince like I’m going to give them a sales pitch
to my religion. Homeschoolers today come
from all religions, even the absence of religion, and like my family, they do
not homeschool for religious reasons. My
son is medically fragile with over thirty food allergies. I cannot limit his exposure to foods with the
adult-to-student ratios in school cafeterias.
An alternative would be to isolate him in instances where food is
involved. Why not homeschool him where I
can separate social, academic, and food-related experiences while supervising
his exposure to allergens?
Second, often people assume homeschoolers have a problem with
public schools. That couldn’t be further
than the truth. In fact, I taught high
school science for seven years. Most
homeschool families have no problems with public school but have an
accommodation (or more) their child requires to learn. My son is often sick and has many
appointments with specialists. He would
miss so much school, he would be assigned to home instruction. Why not use my teaching expertise and save
the district from hiring a home instruction tutor?
In the Strawberry Shifters, Alison and Rosie homeschool their
boys because the nearest public school is over an hour’s bus ride (each
way). The boys do not learn in isolation
but have experiences my son has had in our homeschool community. Parents with certain areas of expertise teach
classes in those areas and trade with parents to cover their deficits. It is no surprise that science is taught by
Strawberry’s Green Witch.
5. Do you have any hobbies?
I love writing song parodies.
I grew up in a musical family where everyone took piano lessons starting
at age 6 on our family heirloom piano.
On long car trips, we take turns changing lines to songs on the
radio. This is a game I still play with
my husband and son today. My son is
currently taking piano lessons on the family piano and takes music composition
classes. We write song parodies in protest
of unwanted activities. In Strawberry
Shifters book 3: Go Scorch Yourself, Lucien Von Popescu writes original songs
as well as punk parodies about his boring job as a microbiologist.
Pre-order Bear with me on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Me-Strawberry-Shifters-Book-ebook/dp/B087M25QHS
