While
living in Wyoming, Shelia became interested in The Oregon Trail. Both she and
her artist/writer husband, Bud, had seen and read about much of the overland
trail. Shelia created three frontier children, each with a storybook of their
own--the first as a journal, the second as a collection of letters, and the
last as a novella. The dolls and their computer-printed books sold in gift
shops and craft galleries in Wyoming, Idaho, and California.With the local success of Shelia's dolls and books, she set out to write her
first novel--a story based on her life, "Child of My Heart."
Today, we’re talking to Shelia about her book, Transmutare.
We’d like to know a little about your main character in your book Transmutare.
Please tell us what drives and motivates Shelli Segal and what does she do for a
living?
Shelli is a third year
medical student and she’s driven by her Orthodox upbringing and strong family
ties.
What does Shelli mean to Gregoire when they first meet?
Shelli is the
protagonist. Gregoire is the antagonist. Gregoire reinforces Shelli's sudden
psychosis. (Shelli suffers from Alcohol Induced Psychosis after her favorite
niece dies and her husband is suddenly sent to Prague just days after their
wedding.)
Why did you choose the location and was it a real-life connection?
Shelli lives in Chapel
Hill, NC but visits New Orleans when her psychosis begins. I set the story in
the town where I live (Chapel Hill) but my protagonist develops her first
symptoms of psychosis while participating in one of her best friend's weddings
in New Orleans. Shelli makes friends there who only know her in her psychotic
state.
Do you have a favorite scene that you can share?
From Chapter 13:
Some people put a conch
shell to their ear to hear the ocean. Not me. The glorious sound of the
crashing waves is ingrained in the totality of my consciousness. For six days I
have been here at the condo in Wilmington with Zack. This is the only reality I
know right now. This place makes sense, maybe because this beach holds my first
memory. The condos were brand new then—three story structures built on stilts
as close to the water as the building code allowed, twelve condos in each of
four buildings. My father bought one on the north end, on the top floor with a
balcony overlooking the vastness of the blue ocean with its majestic, ever
changing surf. If there’s a paradise, it’s right here on Kure Beach.
My teenage sister and
brother screeched with delight as they ran to the edge of the sea and dove into
the tumultuous waves while I stood enchanted, mesmerized, unable to move,
barely able to breathe. I knew I was standing on sacred ground. I was touched,
moved to tears. Mama thought I was afraid but I wasn’t. I was home. Grounded.
This place was mine. Every grain of fine sand, every shiny bubble in the surf,
every coquina rock, every worn and broken shell belonged to me. Even the
pelicans with their lofty callings and full gullets, even the snowy white seagulls
that fought the wind to find their dinner—all of it, all of it was mine.
No one believes that I truly
remember that day. It was then that the blue of the water blended with the blue
of the sky. I bonded with that blue. I was eighteen months old. I’ve tried to
remember what happened after that moment but my next recollection is years
later..
As I watch the surf here at
this place I call paradise, I’m trying to remember who I am and how, after
twenty-five years of a blissfully happy, privileged life, I came to be so
horribly sad.
What are you working on now? All the Voices in My
Head
Blurb: Gloria Romano finds herself torn between
her recently brain-damaged, dependent husband and her ex-college sweetheart.
With children and friends pulling her in different directions she has to find
her own path. How deep do marriage vows go?
A couple of quick questions so my readers can get to know you as
an author:
What do you do to relax? Read and imagine\
Favorite spot: my garden
Cat or dog: 2
cats: Dodger and Q
Favorite drink: Tanqueray Martini
Favorite season: Spring
Hobbies/past time: photography, writing, walking
Favorite movie: Atonement
Favorite color: Pink
Favorite smell: Stargazed lily
Special words for your fans: I call myself an accidental writer. I was a nurse for 45 years
and only began writing because I wanted to sell a collection of dolls from the
Oregon Trail era. My gimmick: an historical fiction journal, a collection of
letters, and a very short novella--one for each doll. Unfortunately for me The
American Girl dolls and books were being created at the same time. But that
small taste for writing spurred me on to write four novels. My motto: I'm not
retired. I'm a writer!
Thank
you Shelia for being a guest on my blog. Your book, Transmutare sounds amazing,
especially after reading your favorite scene from Chapter 13. I can’t wait to
start reading my copy. And, we’ll look
forward to your WIP, All the Voices in My Head.
If you haven't tried one of Shelia's novels, you're missing out. CHILD OF MY HEART was one of five novels I gave a five-star review in 2012 out of the 53 novels I chose to review that year. Yeah, it's that good.
ReplyDeleteShelia is a wonderful author and a real lady. Do yourself a favor and purchase one of her books to try. You'll be glad you did.
ReplyDeleteI haven't got to Transmutare yet, but I have read other books by Shelia so I'm confident this is a well-written and interesting novel.
ReplyDelete