Tell
us a little about your new book.
Crossing
the Street is my second novel. It is about a
world-weary-way-too-soon young woman who has moved back to her small Ohio town
after she leaves her boyfriend. Rebecca Throckmorton writes erotica, works as a
barista, and loves her cat. Her best friend is her 83-year old neighbor. As the
book opens, “Beck” Throckmorton is reeling at the news that her sister, now
married to Beck’s ex, is pregnant. Life gets further complicated when Beck,
thus far unenthusiastic about children or family, becomes tangled up with her
sister, her newborn nephew, the 8-year old great granddaughter of her 83-year
old BFF, and a new and boring boyfriend. Over one turbulent summer, Beck’s life
is turned upside down by a series of surprising events.
What
genre do you write in, and why?
I am a humorist at heart, and I write
women’s fiction. I like to approach complex issues in a light-hearted way, and
so my books are easy reads. I am a character driven writer, and I get very
involved in my characters’ quirks and inner workings. I also love precocious
young people, as I was once one myself. So far, my two novels have incorporated
main characters under the age of 18. I am also fascinated with the family
dynamic, and I seem to use family as a starting point for my books.
What’s
the best thing about being a writer?
The freedom. Both to write whenever and
wherever I want to; but more importantly, the freedom to create my own stories,
using the unusual and vivid characters in my imagination. My first book was a
self-published compilation of flash fiction, using characters that sprang from
invented names I posted on Twitter with a one sentence description, i.e.: Loretta Squirrels makes moonshine and beats
her husband. From these, I wrote Characters
in Search of a Novel. That was followed by my first novel, Keep the Ends Loose. Both my novels are
published by The Story Plant.
How
long did it take you to write your book?
It took what seemed like a hundred years!
In actuality, it was about two years. Working with my astute editor and
publisher, Lou Aronica, we did at least six rewrites. It takes me a long time
to work out an extended plot line, and what I come up with doesn’t always work.
At Lou’s insistence, I kept at this book, revising and redoing until finally it
came together! I learn as I go. Lou is a great teacher.
Who
is your favorite character in your book and why?
I would have to say it is Bob Bowers. She
is an 8-year old innocent, who has the empathy and emotional genius of a crone.
She is based upon a mash up of Anne of Green Gables, myself as a child, all of
the sisters in Little Women, and the son of a friend of mine, who is an
extremely precocious boy named Bob. I decided when I met my friend’s son that I
wanted a character based on all of the above, but I wanted it to be a girl
named Bob. Voila!
What
inspired you to become a writer?
I have always loved to “create.” As a
corporate trainer, I researched and developed curriculum for a team of
trainers, and I loved writing the scripts and coming up with innovative ways to
convey information. I think that provided me with a creative outlet that I
didn’t realize at the time was essential to my wellbeing. When I retired, I
began blogging. I won The Erma Bombeck Writer’s Competition twice, and that opened all sorts of doors for me as a writer. I haven’t
stopped writing and blogging since.
Where
can readers find your work?
I blog at www.mollydcampbell.com, and I also
write for Literati Magazine on Medium. I have been blogging for so many years,
I can’t even remember when I started! I have also guest posted on The Story
Plant’s blog: www.thestoryplant.com.
Who
are your favorite authors?
I could go on forever answering this
question. I like two types of books: ones that delve heavily into family
relationships, either humorously or with dramatic insight. In that vein, I love
these authors: Elizabeth Buchan, Lily King, Lauren Groff, Frances Whiting,
Craig Lancaster, Jamie Ford, Jon Cohen, and Joanna Trollope. This list could be
endless, so I will stop here!
I also love women’s fiction, naturally!
Some of my favorite authors: Catherine Ryan Hyde (although she writes for everybody), Beth Hoffman, Elinor Lipman,
Robin Black, Elizabeth Berg, Fannie Flagg, Anna Quindlen, and Jhumpa Lahiri.
Again, I could go on and on.
But the books that got me started as an
avid reader were the Anne of Green Gables books by L.M. Montgomery. I have read
them all many times over, and I never tire of them. I named a daughter Anne, in
honor of Anne Shirley!
What
is your advice to other writers?
Write a lot. The fact that I blog weekly
and have for years is a habit that I think has stood me in very good stead. I
am not one of those writers who can discipline myself to write “1000 words a
day” or “write for two to five hours each day.” But forcing myself to live up
to that self-imposed weekly blog column has been a way for me to hone my skills
over the years. Writers write—it is just that simple!
When
you are not writing, how do you spend your time?
I am also an artist. Not trained, not that
skilled, but I love to draw, and I illustrate all of my blog posts myself. I
have my own online shop, where I sell stationery, clothing, and other items
with my designs on them: www.cafepress.com/notexactlypicasso.
