The Blog

Tell our readers about your background. Where are you from, and how did you start writing for a living?

I was born in St. Helena, California, and raised in a small town East of San Francisco. I began writing thirteen years ago after leaving a career in Human Resources and starting my own consulting practice.

Where did you get the idea for your first novel, Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever and how did you come up with the title?

I’ve always wanted to write about the value of enduring female friendships. I have been blessed with the friendship of a group of women I first met in high school. We’ve helped each other through many a crisis in our lives. The title was an actual toast made by one of my friends after the announcement of a divorce.

Tell us a little about the heroine of your book.

Elizabeth Reilly-Hayden is a successful executive about to turn sixty and a divorced mother of two. Emotionally armored and living alone, she wants only to maintain the status quo: her long-term significant other, her job, and her trusted friends – five feisty women whose high school friendship has carried them through multiple marriages, dramatic divorces, and maddening menopause. Yet in a matter of days, the three anchors that have kept her moored are ripped away.

What is your favorite scene in Husbands?

I have so many favorite scenes, it’s hard to choose. It’s like asking me which of my children I love more. One of my favorites is the scene where the six young woman attend a sex toy party in the late seventies. I cracked myself up writing that scene!

Are the characters in this book based on people you’ve personally encountered?

My characters are combinations of people I’ve known, met, or observed. Fleshing out interesting characters is one of my favorite parts of writing fiction.

Tell us about your writing process.

I’m pretty traditional when it comes to my writing process. I use a computer in a room set up as my office. When I start a new book, I start with Chapter One and don’t stop until I’ve finished the first draft. I don’t outline because I like to see where the characters take me.

Many of our readers are creative types, but struggle with balancing time for creative pursuits with the mundane tasks required to live life. Walk us through a typical day in your life.

I get up, have breakfast, then go to my office to check email, do a little social networking, and do at least one thing to promote Husbands each day. Then, if I’m feeling creative, I’ll work on my second novel, Staying Afloat. If not, I’ll leave it for another time. I worked for more than twenty-five years and the last thing I want to do now is be confined to a strict schedule. I have to have time for my tap dancing class and my Zumba lessons.

In what ways did your childhood influence you as a writer? As a person?

As a child, I spent a lot of time at the movies, slumped down in the dark feasting on Milk Duds and Jujubes. I always dreamed of someday writing something that would appear on the big screen. But life got in the way. I admire people who can write and hold a full-time job as well. I couldn’t. It wasn’t until I left Corporate America that I was able to pursue my dream of writing.

Most writers are also avid readers. What authors did you read as a child? What authors do you read today? Do you have a favorite book or author?

I didn’t read as a child. I had ADD (although we didn’t have that label then), and much preferred movies. As an adult, I enjoy reading. Reading has made me a better writer. One of my favorite books of all time is The Other Side of Midnight, by Sydney Sheldon. I also love Richard Russo.

What projects are on the horizon for you?

At present, I’m negotiating an offer for the screen rights to Husbands, which is very exciting. I’m almost finished with my second novel, Staying Afloat, and have started a third, Bitter Acres.

Tell us where readers can learn more about you?

JudithMarshall.net. I also have a fan page for Husbands and a fan group for First-Time Authors on Facebook, and I Tweet occasionally.

Posted by Roxanne in Arts: Books, Music & Movies, Book Talk |

This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 4:44 am and is filed under Arts: Books, Music & Movies, Book Talk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.