Interview Olga Vesta Button

by

Mandy Hager

1.      Tell me a little about the motivation behind “Run Joy Run”. What first started you thinking about this story?

Olga: “Run Joy Run” is my first effort....I outlined it completely in one evening working until 4:00 A.M.. I thought of this story through observations and personal experience as a teenager.

2.      Your previous Wings Book, “Phoenix Farm”, was your first published novel. How has publication affected your life? What insights have you gained from this experience? When did you tackle the writing of “Run Joy Run?”

Olga: Phoenix Farm was my first effort to write a Romance, but romance didn’t work for me until, I just relaxed and wrote like I wanted to. It felt great to have something published, and people have a different viewpoint about you as a published writer, maybe more respect. I learned my method in our writers groups. The idea for this book came from a news article , about a farmer who buried the bodies of his farm workers on his farm. This book doesn’t have much of myself in it except the bickering and the closeness of the sisters, and that good-looking hero. Still, my favourite character is Dubb the red headed Crazy. I’ve met that kind of person, too. Compared to “Run Joy Run” it was a different type of story-telling.

3.      “Phoenix Farm” was, obviously, set on a farm! You live in this environment--how much of your own story is incorporated into that book? Are there slices of your life in “Run Joy Run”?

Olga: See above. Not many of my stories will be about my life, but I think we can’t help but write from a lot of our experiences... Eagles Nest is coming up, (none of me in that.) It’s about a man who is half Native American and his care for and rearing of his children.

4.      I notice that you also write screenplays. In what ways does writing for film differ from writing novels? Do you find places where they overlap? Has writing one form of fiction helped in other forms? How?

Olga: I love screen-play writing. From every novel I write, I write a screenplay. Yes, they overlap. But screen plays are hard to sell. Still, it’s fun.

5.      If you could project yourself into the future by 5 years, where would you like to see your writing career taking you? 10 years?

Olga: I’m a determined, fairly healthy old lady. I hope to have more books published. I have so many, and I have a grandson to carry on whatever parts of my writing he wants to.

6.      What advice would you give to a new writer, if asked?

Olga: I’ve begun giving a few talks, My favourite subjects are, “The dreaded first sentence”, and “The dreaded first page”, and “How to get your work to the publisher”.

7.      Wings Press is predominantly an e-publisher. What are your thoughts on e-publishing in general? How have people reacted to this format, in your experience?

Olga: I think we will continue going further with ebooks. I wish we were more wide spread in the stores. Since I live on a farm, and a farm is on my book Phoenix Farm, a lot of these farmers think I have a real farm story and they buy it.

8.      Who do you see as your ‘audience’ for “Run Joy Run”?

Olga: First, I may get a lot of flack, and mostly from women I think, except guys give the cover a second look..

Thanks Olga, I’m really looking forward to reading your new book!