As an insider in Top 40 radio in the 1970’s, she experienced its culture and many of its seamier practices first-hand. Top 40 Honeypot is fictional, but it is based on a real era, industry, and culture. This is her first novel.
1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
Top 40 Honeypot is my first novel.
2 - How did you come to fiction first, as opposed to, say, poetry or non-fiction?
I have published book reviews and concert reviews but Top 40 Honeypot is a story that needed to be told. It is based on my experiences in Top 40 Radio in the 1970’s. I told it for all the women who were afraid to come forward about what happened to them in those days.
3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes?
I was convinced this story needed to be told and researched the details for quite a long time. I worked with a professional editor and the process was slow, but I learned quite a bit about writing fiction from my editor.
My first draft was too long and was extensively edited.
4 - Where does a work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?
This story is a fictitious memoir of two years in the life of a corrupt Top 40 program director. It was written as a book from the beginning, using real time to mark each chapter.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
My book is written for a global audience who read most, if not all of their books, in electronic versions. The novel is action-driven and fast-paced, written with a male audience, aged 24-60 in mind. There are so few books specifically written for men, I think this is a niche that I can fill.
The book could also appeal to those interested in the 1970’s, those interested in the history of radio, and women who want to explore the mind of a predatory male. It’s a “Me Too” book in the voice of the perpetrator. As such, public readings would not fit my audience, and I would probably not enjoy giving public readings.
6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?
The reader might want to think the subject matter of this book is long in the past. But if one looks at the multiple current accusations against Sean Combs (P. Diddy) you will see that corruption and sexual exploitation in the music industry is far from over.
7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?
The role of the writer is to educate and entertain.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
I wrote Top 40 Honeypot working closely with a male professional editor. His help was valuable in toughening up the dialogue to the way a man would speak. He also helped with the dialogue of the villainess.
We only clashed on one thing—curse words. He put them in, and I kept taking them out. In the 1970’s average people did not curse in public. In particular disc jockeys didn’t curse in everyday speech, because a curse word slipping out on air could cost their station its license.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Maya Angelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?
I like to write in the late afternoon and early evening. My typical day begins with a protein shake and vitamins.
11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
Regular progress appointments with my editor kept me on track writing Top 40 Honeypot. I earned my Master’s Degree as an adult learner, and writing my novel was like turning in assignments.
12 - What fragrance reminds you of home?
Cigar smoke and Chanel No. 5.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
I watch a streaming series or movie almost every night. I especially like dramatizations based on novels.
14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
I have a group of author friends and I always read and review their work. Also, I belong to a woman’s writer’s group in my area. Its members inspire and motivate me.
15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I would like to put together a genealogy book for my whole extended family, especially since we have some very well-known people on our family tree.
16 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
I wrote Top 40 Honeypot after I retired from a career at a major University in Human Resources.
17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
I waited 50 years to write, then publish, Top 40 Honeypot. It took a great deal of courage to get this story out.
18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End by Neil Howe, and Oppenheimer.
19 - What are you currently working on?
I currently run social media platforms for a national non-profit organization and I am doing research for two projects.
12 or 20 (second series) questions;
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