Interviewed by R. Murry. A Review of Groom and Doom is forth coming.
Can you tell me a
little about yourself?
I grew up in Minnesota and now live in South Florida. I’m a recovering English teacher, having
taught for about fourteen years. Every
minute I can get, I’m writing or doing research for my next project. I would love to read more. Finding symbolic or thematic meaning in a
writer’s work is so much fun, which is one of the reasons I became an English
teacher. Also, I’m very interested in
psychology and how people think and act.
Every day is a great lesson in character studies. I’m also very fascinated by the unexplained,
whether that be the possibility of past lives or the paranormal. Ghosts, angels, demons, all interest me very
much.
Do you remember the
first story you wrote?
I’ve always been writing and creating things. As a child I would write my own greeting
cards for my parents and relatives. I
then started keeping a diary or journal.
There are notebooks upon notebooks of stories that I’ve started writing
that are sitting in my closet right now.
I had the most fun in school when it came to creative writing—whether it
be a poem or short story.
Were you inspired by
someone or something?
Groom and Doom was inspired by my wedding in Greece.
The experience was so unbelievable, I knew that truth was stranger than fiction
and I had to write the story. Things are fictionalized and exaggerated,
but there are definitely some real truths in it. The whole process of
writing it and making parts of it even more ridiculous was very cathartic for
me.
What do you like
about writing a story?
I love the process of writing and getting in touch with the
deepest part of myself. I’d like to
think that comes out in my work. It’s
also such a thrill to write a sentence and wonder, did I really write
that? I really believe that we often can
tap into the collective unconscious.
That’s really what bonds us as human beings—we’re all somehow connected
and can respond to universal truths.
Shakespeare is proof of that—it’s why he’s still relevant today.
Can you tell us about
your book?
The main
character tries to make sense of tragedy in her life and search for spiritual
answers/meaning. She tries to look at what happens to her as a way to
find self-empowerment and be a stronger person. One of the themes is
"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger." The book covers a wide range of life
questions like can we live happily ever after with a soul mate, or is it more
complicated than that? I also try to get
the reader to wonder why things really happen to us. How can we learn from life experiences? Although there are some tragic moments, I
also make an effort to make situations and reactions to them humorous. I feel we need to laugh at life and its
circumstances as much as possible. If we
don’t laugh, we cry. Laughing is always
better.
How did you come up
with the story?
During the wedding in Greece, I found myself taking notes and knew
I would use them in a book. To me, that
was a sign I had to write the story.
What genre best fits
for the book?
I’m not really sure how to answer that. It’s part family drama, part romantic
tragi-comedy; it’s spiritual, and so many other things. I would probably say it falls most closely
under chicklit, partly because my target audience is women.
Are you working on
something new at the moment?
I've already begun writing another novel set in Renaissance
England. It will have more sex and
violence in it and will be part of a series. The main character struggles
to find herself and her personal empowerment in a time period when women had
little power. Gender roles and issues of
self-esteem really fascinate me.
Do you have any tips
for aspiring writers?
Write, write, and write some more.
Set aside a specific time to write and always carry a little notepad to
take down thoughts. What really helped
me was to join a writers’ group. I found
great ones on Meetup.com. It’s a way to
get feedback and to network. I also
found that it would make me write something every week to bring to the
meetings—it’s a fabulous way to have a deadline. Twitter has also been an incredible way to
network. There are so many writers who
post tips or have blogs on writing.
Which authors inspire
you?
The list is endless and it really depends on my mood. Vonnegut is one of my favorites because he
took so many risks in his writing and because he often surprised me with his
subject matter. I love gothic
literature—Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I
also enjoy great satire—Catch-22 was
an amazing read for me. Books sometimes
find me when I need them. Eat, Pray, Love was given to me by a
friend when I was going through a tough time.
It was the right book at the right time.
I really could go on all day about my favorite books or authors. David Sedaris is such a superb comedic author—and
I’ve met him personally. He takes the
time to talk to all of his fans and is very gracious. That truly inspires me.
Where can people go
to read your work?
The book is on Amazon and on Barnes and Noble. Sample chapters are available on my website.
Where can people find
you on the internet?
http://www.theresabraunauthor.com
Is there anything
else you would like to share with your readers?
I just hope that my readers will not only enjoy my books,
but be able to gain something meaningful.
A successful book leaves us with something—an inspirational thought or
discussion. That is my wish for my
readers.
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