Fiction Scribe

Happy Friday everyone! Today I am putting up the interview I had with women’s fiction author Sheila Roberts. She’s written a very funny book called On Strike for Christmas. I hope you’ll join me in welcoming her to Fiction Scribe.

Hello and thank you for stopping at Fiction Scribe, Ms. Roberts. Tell the readers a bit about yourself.
Well, here’s me in a nutshell. I am a very social animal. I love parties, dancing, volleyball, and playing games. I am a chocoloholic. I’ve got a great husband and a wonderful family, and I have fabulous friends. In short, I’m rich in all the things that count.

What brought you into the world of writing? When did you start?
Although I’ve been writing since the third grade (and let me tell you, that’s a verrrryyy long time), I really wanted to be a songwriter. Worked for years at that, banging on a closed door. And then I came up with a fun book idea, thought what the heck, I’ll send it to an agent. The agent loved it. The publisher she sent it to loved it, and suddenly I found I’d stumbled through an open door and I was an author. Which was probably what I was supposed to be all along.

You’re currently on virtual tour for your women’s fiction novel On Strike for Christmas. Could you tell us a bit about the book?
I love this book. It’s just plain fun. The book follows a group of girlfriends who decide that they are tired of manning the holiday machine single-handed and so put their men in charge of Christmas… with some very interesting results. If you want to get an idea of the flavor of the book, check out my book trailer on Utube.

What inspired you to write On Strike for Christmas? Where did the idea begin?
My naughty husband inspired it. He’s not quite as social as I am, and a couple of Christmases back I finally got perturbed listening to him grumbling about the upcoming holiday social onslaught and threatened to put him in a book. Of course he wasn’t at all afraid. In fact, he thought that sounded like fun. Well, that was such a double dog dare I had to take it. Anyway, it got me wondering what Christmas would look like with the men in charge since we women do just about everything to make the holidays happy. It didn’t take much to launch from there. I had a great time writing this book. And, by the way, I am not on strike. I love Christmas too much.

What character do you relate to the most and why?
I think I enjoyed Glen Fredericks. He was the quintessential clueless husband, and I had such fun torturing him. We writers are sick puppies!

What is your favourite part of the book?
I think my favorite scene is Glen’s disastrous trip with the kids to see Santa. I crack myself up!

What draws you about writing women’s fiction?
I love writing about things that are important to women: friendship, family, love.

Are there any authors who have inspired you in your writing?
Actually, Debbie Macomber. She is simply amazing. Many of the things I do in my own career I have modeled after her. And I love to read Donald E. Westlake (the funniest writer on the planet) and Elizabeth Peters.

What are you working on now?
My second book for St. Martin’s Press, BIKINI SEASON, is in the pipeline now and will be out in May of 2008. Right now I’m something really fun that follows the lives of three women who meet at a community garden and become friends. The first two books have got great recipes. This one is going to have great gardening tips. (Not because they come from me. I’m going to be getting those from experts who actually have a green thumb!)

What are your dreams for your writing?
I would love to touch people’s lives in a positive way by giving them humor and hope.

When you’re not writing novels, what do you do? How do you find time to write?
Well, I party a lot. I have company over almost every weekend (my poor husband), go out to lunch with my girlfriends whenever possible, host chick flick nights - in general enjoy the people in my life. I’m very excited because this Christmas my friend Susan Wiggs is going to the Nutcracker ballet with me and we’re taking my little granddaughter. I can hardly wait. I’ve only seen it once in my whole life… on TV. Oh, yes. How do I find time to write? I do that in the morning so that the rest of the day can be free for living. Writing is important, but so is living a balanced life.

Do you have any advice for writers?
I know the common advice is to write, which of course, we all must do. But you have to do more than that. If you’re a bad writer and all you do is write, well, all you’ll do is turn out more poorly written material. Read tons of books on writing, take classes, and attend conferences. Get in a critique group where you can get input. Be a lifetime learner. That’s what I’m doing. And let me tell you, the more I learn the more I realize how much I still have to learn!

Thank you very much for your time.
Thanks so much for having me. Happy writing!

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If you liked this interview, check out my interview with women’s fiction author Sandi Kahn Shelton