A few months ago, AllAuthor offered to place an interview with me on their website. They sent these questions, and I answered.
Your multicultural background has taken you to various places. How has this diverse upbringing influenced your writing, especially when crafting fiction or nonfiction narratives?
My parents are from the Netherlands; I was born in Canada; my husband and children were born in England; our adopted son is from Bulgaria. Perhaps as a result, I’m fascinated by the way different people think and behave in a way that is both unique to them and often in keeping with their culture. This interest is part of what propels me to write. And, although the stories in my books happened (nonfiction), my reconstruction of the characters’ thoughts, motives, and conversations based on investigations into their culture, their time, and conversations with those who knew them, may be fictional. After all, who of us really knows what motivates another person’s actions?
For example, my paternal grandmother was known as a hard and unfeeling woman. This elicited my curiosity. She wrote a fictionalized autobiography, but it left me with more questions than answers. So, my next project will be to research what was happening in her lifetime (WWI, the Depression, WWII), her circumstances, her family dynamics, her culture, and more. From that, I hope to be able to craft a book that not only contains actual incidents but also helps the reader to live her life through her eyes.
From research scientist to professor to movie star to nonprofit cofounder to entrepreneur to author, your career has seen many phases. How have these diverse experiences shaped your perspective and approach to different aspects of your life?
Yes, I’ve had many careers, now ending up as an author. Nonetheless, I am one person. It reminds me of a poem by DJ Edwardson comparing life to a tapestry, which consists of many threads and colors. In my case, the commonalities in my life have been a passion for truth and a love for writing. Biologists are all about discovering what is true in the natural world; professors are about passing on those truths to their students while helping them to tease out and discern the truth for themselves. My brief time as a movie star was when I was in a movie about what happens to scientists who follow the evidence instead of keeping in lock step with the current ideas. I then started a nonprofit that was aimed at helping people to distinguish truth from scams in science and medicine. For example, my nonprofit exposed a person working at a California university who faked both his Ph.D. and his MD and finished up by causing irreversible harm to an Olympic athlete! When I posted these things, he threatened me with a lawsuit, but I note that he has since taken down the more egregious lies and has been warned by the FDA.
Of course, the above jobs all required copious writing. Scientists publish their findings; professors write PowerPoints and exams, and I also wrote a Cell Biology book, as well as a lab book for use during the time of COVID. For the nonprofit, I researched and wrote articles, some of which are now posted on my blog. Starting a nonprofit involved amazing amounts of very diverse writing: business plans, legal documents, patent applications, presentations for potential investors, letters, and more. It was during this time that I began writing for fun, simply because I needed to do something less intense.
When I retired, it all came together. I revel in teasing out the truth; I enjoy research; I love telling stories; for me, writing is fun. Now I have the best of all my careers put together. Well, apart from earning a living wage. Not many authors achieve that, and I haven’t either. Yet.
Your nonprofit work involved tasks such as managing websites, newsletters, blogs, and public speaking. How did this experience influence your communication skills, and how do you apply these skills in your current endeavors, including writing books?
Many people don’t realize that authors must do more than write books. Once the book is written, edited, formatted, and published, they then have to let people know it’s there. It is shocking to me that, only a third of books published by the top ten publishers sell more than 1000 copies in the first year. That’s mostly because it is up to authors to do the publicity. The experience I gained with managing a website, blogging, and public speaking in previous careers has stood me in good stead. Brave Face sold very well in the first year and continues to do so. It is early days for Unforgivable, but preorders suggest it will do even better.
You mentioned writing patents and negotiating with lawyers during your entrepreneurial journey. How did you navigate these challenges, and what advice would you give to someone entering the world of business and intellectual property for the first time?
I would suggest that anyone entering that realm consider seriously that it’s not easy; most businesses fail. Then, if they have the drive, a great idea, lots of cash, and good partners, don’t be afraid to trust yourself. Read all legal documents carefully and ask questions. The patent attorney gave me the document he used to train those working for him, and I found I could apply it. There were aspects of the job I enjoyed, but I won’t pretend I wasn’t relieved when I could step down and leave it in the hands of the inventor and various investors. The cutthroat world is not for me.
You’ve written books for various age groups. How do you adapt your writing style and content to cater to different audiences, from adults to children?
It is usually advised that people stick with one genre. But that’s for those who have writing as their career. For me, it’s a post-retirement occupation. I enjoy learning new things—like using AllAuthor, Canva, and various social media platforms; designing and building websites; and figuring out where to get good illustrators and how to format a book. Apart from professional publications, I started my writing journey with an older children’s book. Now, I really think it needs rewriting–eventually. Then came a memoir of sorts that needs updating—eventually. Next, I cowrote an adult narrative nonfiction book. It took five years to write and was published by the premiere publisher of Holocaust memoirs. After that, I rewrote four children’s picture books about my dog, hiring an illustrator and editor to be sure that they were top-notch. I’m told they are. In April of 2024, the next narrative nonfiction book will be published, but with my hard-won experience, it only took 18 months to write. How do I make sure the books are age-appropriate? I read them aloud. The kid’s books to my grandchildren and the books for adults to myself.
Your family includes members from different cultural backgrounds. How does this multicultural dynamic influence family traditions, and have you incorporated these cultural elements into your writing?
Having different cultures, but also different languages, in the family brings both benefits and challenges. Benefits include having seen more of the world than some. I’m familiar with the Dutch, English, and Bulgarian cultures and have been flabbergasted at the cultural differences between Iowa, Texas, California, and Northern Virginia. Doubtless, the understanding that brings and the humorous situations that can occur have informed my writing.
The disadvantages are that I am never sure which spelling and turn of phrase is British, which expressions are Dutch, and which words are uniquely American. The unanswerable question is: who am I writing for? My Dutch publisher insisted I use American spelling but put distances in kilometers, pleasing neither culture. In Unforgivable I’ve increased the complexity. Frits was born in the Congo and his family speaks French. He moves to the Netherlands and then speaks Dutch. But the German occupiers speak German. I put words in all the languages in the book, just to give the flavor. And to keep it complex, I spelled everything like an American! We live in a connected world.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers who may be embarking on a similar journey of discovery and reinvention?
There are lots of writer’s groups. Join a few and see which are the most helpful. Realize that the vast majority of writers are lucky to break even. Writing costs money if you want to do it well. Editors, illustrators, a website, and even conference fees add up. Do it for love, not money. Think carefully about whether you want to self-publish or try to get an agent and publisher. But do not sign with a publisher who asks for money. Edit, edit, edit. Badly written books don’t sell. And be aware that you’ll have to do more than write—you’ll need to become a publicist!
Do you have any new projects or book ideas on the horizon that you’d like to share with your readers?
As I’ve mentioned, I have a book that will be/was published on April 5, 2024, called Unforgivable: Through a Child’s Eyes. It is the true story of a part-Jewish boy who struggles with a lack of familial comforts, maltreatment, exploitation, bereavement, and probable neurodivergence while living through and in the aftermath of World War II. Despite all that, he became a functional and even successful and beloved adult—and my father. What was his secret? It was fun to tease this out by reading his father’s letters to him, his brother’s notes, his own writing, and listening to his wife reminisce, all the while placing the book in the historical context.
Next, I want to hop into a different genre and write about my experiences as a Dutch child moving from Canada to Iowa and encountering typical immigrant problems, while also experiencing the usual issues of childhood. It’ll be called Becoming an Iowan Girl and, besides being humorous, may be thought-provoking to children who have immigrants in their classroom.