Please welcome author, Helen Gillespie on her book tour for her latest book, The Goodbyes…
TWL-Why and when did you decide to become an author?
Although writing a novel took many years, I had previously written many newspaper articles that centered on personalities and their achievements. I found myself on this trajectory when I signed up to become a U.S. Army Journalist.
TWL-What’s a typical writing session like for you?
My writing time is usually fast and focused. I don’t care what appears on the computer screen. When I come up for air, I delete and rearrange a lot of what I’ve written.
TWL-What have you learned most from being a writer?
I’ve learned that the information swirling in my mind doesn’t always communicate well on paper. I must painstakingly study and edit what I’ve written so that readers understand my intentions. This is precisely why I love writing novels so much. Putting words onto pages that come from a character’s mouth helps form communication of ideas, situations, lessons, motives, and so many things that are part of a story.
TWL-What’s been the biggest struggle, and how did you overcome it?
I tend to overschedule myself. Of course, having and using a calendar helps. I also have a whiteboard next to my desk where I write commitments in large letters if it’s something I absolutely can’t miss or show up late.
TWL-What’s been your biggest victory?
I completed my first novel. Thanks to a fabulous team at Audecyn Books who assisted me, my book, The Goodbyes, is now published.
TWL-If you could give advice to your pre-author self, what would it be?
I would tell myself daily, perhaps several times a day, that I can do this. Also, I would counsel myself to have the motivation and purpose of writing a book to tell a story that burns inside. Don’t worry that someday it will be in someone’s yard sale. I would aspire to write because it’s enjoyable and there’s a story to be told. And so what if someone doesn’t like it? We can all only put forth our best effort.
TWL-What writing tip would you offer to a new author?
Write. Even if it’s for no reason, write. Never have writer’s block. Have your own mantra or starting sentence. I have started writing many times, thinking about a red rubber ball. The first sentence always reads something goofy like: “My red rubber ball seems a bit deflated today. I think I’ll look for the bike pump to inflate it.” I allow myself to be as corny, mundane, and boring as I feel. I often end up laughing to myself. At that point, I’m ready to focus.
GENRE: Women’s Fiction
BLURB:
Struggling with becoming an adult in a small mid-western town, Dianne must confront family secrets, deception, and discovery during her last year of college. As she cares for her ailing mother, her world begins to unravel and she is challenged to navigate through lies, friendships, love…and murder.
Meeting the wrong person makes it possible for her to recognize the right ones and to find the strength she needs to survive. Realizing that she is responsible for her own destiny, she learns that to say hello to a new life, she must first say goodbye.
Excerpt
All living creatures hold secrets for basic survival. Humans keep secrets to preserve their image, hide their misjudgments, or protect those they care about. Only in the safest conditions, absolute trust or vulnerability, can humans feel safe divulging their secrets, laying bare their hidden selves.
Katrina England and her husband did not keep secrets from Dianne or indulge in the usual childhood fantasies of princesses or fairy godmothers with her daughter. Even Santa Claus was introduced from a historical perspective rather than as a magical elf. The Englands were doting parents who disciplined their daughter when necessary and answered her questions honestly, only withholding information that surpassed Dianne’s maturity. Yet, despite this philosophy, Katrina did hold a few secrets, one very close.
As Dianne approached adulthood, Katrina began to share these secrets. By then, Dianne’s father had died, leaving the two women to navigate life together as a family with no other relatives living close by. Katrina often grappled with the lifelong weight of a childhood secret and her secret of late, a terminal cancer diagnosis. Both became weightier as her cancer took hold. When Dianne began dating the MegaMart store manager, Katrina’s concern of her daughter’s future turned to worry.
Dianne, nearing graduation while dealing with her mother’s illness, found herself facing unexpected challenges. When Michael D. Glossen entered her life, her challenges became problems. Oddly, she met “Michael D” when a cream rinse emergency arose.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Throughout grammar school and college, Helen Gillespie loved developing story sketches or full stories but kept them hidden within herself. That creative spark proved valuable in unexpected places, first on assignment as a musician in the US Army, and after leaving the Army, when she earned a degree in elementary education. After reentering the Army in 1981, she put pen to paper, or rather, “fingers to an Olivetti.” She officially learned the art of journalism to serve the Army, but it quickly became a personal passion. Interviewing fellow soldiers, exploring their jobs and personalities, and publishing useful information for the military community formed the basis of her skill and enjoyment. Those years of thought, training, education, and experience laid the foundation for crafting her first novel, The Goodbyes.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565442142189
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hgillespie/
Website: https://www.helengillespiewrites.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hgillespe/
Personal Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.gillespie/
Helen Gillespie will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.