What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Shit That We Should Never Pass Along, And All That We Cannot Leave Behind?
This is a fictional memoir, which takes its basis from my own real and true life traumas. What makes the memoir fictional is that I built lots of dramatic dialogue, dark humor, and outright offensiveness throughout the book.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Shit That We Should Never Pass Along, And All That We Cannot Leave Behind, what would they be?
Mara and her mother Gina are the two main characters, and the book is actually filled with song references from both the boomer and the Xer Generation. Gina's character absolutely hates the music of her daughters' X generation. While Mara abuses the music of the boomer generation to avoid having real and true conversations when challenged to do so by concerned boomer townsfolk.
Readers will find references to Bon Jovi, Prince, Motley Crue, The Beatles, Billy Preston, and Carole King-to name a few. John and Ringo might be looking to beat me over the head by the time they are finished reading what I allowed my character to do with their music.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
Historical Fictional Romance. As I'm writing my second book, the first in a series of three I have planned, I'm discovering that it's so much more fun to write and comment on society through this genre, than it was to write through the trauma of a fictional memoir.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
These days I'm an Audible Gal. I am a voracious lover of the written and spoken word. So, I don't allow myself to have a TBR list. Once I download a book, I'm devouring it right away. Typically my favorite authors aren't writing and or having their books put into audible format fast enough for me.
Also if you're lucky enough to get Rosalyn Landor to narrate your book(s), then I'm probably a huge fan of yours, and you need to hurry up and keep writing so that I can keep listening to my reads!
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
The final church scene in which Mara essentially calls the entire town, and her mother out for the double standards in which they all stood inside of. Of course, I'm not looking forward to the phone calls from the NAACP, PETA, Kansas Cow Farmers, The United Methodist Church, or any of my boomer family members once they have all read through that scene. But in my own Xer defense here it was a necessary offensive bridge gap scene to help the reader understand and interpret part three of the book.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
I'm not afraid of writing offensive dialogue between characters. I believe in writing things that keep people talking and considering even the most horrifying of notions. I believe that this is how we learn to take on challenges head-on. When we allow ourselves to simply acknowledge and agree that a thing is offensive, and simply rest at that, then nothing will change. But if we learn how to read through and interpret each other's painful experiences, and challenge each other to put down things that don't work, and pick up things that are entirely new to try out and build upon together, that's when we'll all start seeing and living inside of significant changes.
The reader is going to run right into deliberately placed run-on sentences in this first novel. Because this one was written with the express purpose of keeping the characters authentically inside of their trauma challenges, I had to find a way to indicate to the reader that they are now reading through a character that's in pain and trauma. So, I acknowledge trauma by writing with an understanding that trauma dialogue isn't editable when one is in the midst of it. At the same time the reader will find themselves needing to slow down their read to carefully consider what a character in trauma is saying in the moment. This is actually something that the traumatized character needs, but doesn't recognize it in the moment.
Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.-Evelyn Beatrice Hall
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
What is it that you, dear reader, need to put down? And, what is it that you now need to pick-up?
