Interview with Rosemary Goodwin

by

Diana Lee Johnson

It appears Rosemary is not only new to Wings, but having her first novel released in May as well. Let’s offer her a hearty “Wingie” welcome.

1. How, or why, and when did you realize you’d caught the “writing bug”?

I’ve always written stories. I had my first article printed in my school magazine (in England) when I was eleven years old and won a writing award at age fifteen. I’ve written many environmental research articles on such topics as whales and uranium mining. The research is my favorite part of the writing process.

2. I visited your website to get a “line” on you, so I could think of some appropriate questions. I see you’ve traveled extensively. What’s the most romantic place you’ve seen and why?

There are so many beautiful places in our world--and to me, they all bring different feelings. I “feel” history mostly when I’m in certain places. It’s difficult to describe. The most mysterious was Morocco while English thatched cottages remind me of my childhood. The most dramatic--I wouldn’t say it was romantic--was hearing the Lone Piper play the bagpipes on the darkened ramparts of Edinburgh Castle. It was nighttime during the Military Tattoo at the base of the Castle. The audience was silent when a floodlight shone on the kilted piper as he played a haunting lament. (http://www.edinburgh-tattoo.co.uk)

3. I also see you’re originally from England. Unless you came to the U.S. as a child, I’d love to know how long it took you to get used to American spelling and pronunciation. Which do you prefer?

I came to the U.S. as a young woman. America is my home now, but, at first, it was difficult to understand the American version of English. We truly are two countries separated by a common language.

4. You’ve practiced law! Tell us how that helped or hindered your creative side.

I’ve always used both sides of my brain so law didn’t hinder my creative side--luckily.

5. What significant part of yourself did you give to Lavender and Love?

I gave my wonderful memories of all of the places depicted in my book.

6. Do you drive your story, or does your story drive you?

My characters took over about half way through the story. It was a struggle to get them under control at times.

7. What key attribute, talent, character trait or flaw makes your characters believable?

My heroine is strong and fights back from two bad marriages to become a successful entrepreneur. As the review from Road to Romance states: it “…is a must read for anyone who needs encouragement in their personal life.”

8. Why are people surprised or not to find out you’re a writer?

Most people have never met a writer and so I find that people are always surprised when they learn that you’re a writer.

9. What subject, setting, or point in history do you promise yourself you’ll write about someday? And why?

I’ve done all of the research for a Viking story but won’t have time to write it for awhile. My hometown, Bury St. Edmunds, is named after a king, Edmund, who was murdered by a band of Vikings. That’s a great story waiting to be told.

10. What else would you like to tell prospective readers about yourself or your novel Lavender and Love?

The Head Manager of the Norfolk Lavender Farm in England, gave me a “backstage” tour of the facilities so that I’d learn the process of making lavender oil and drying the flowers. They’re waiting for a copy of LAVENDER AND LOVE.

My work in progress is: THE DRAGONFLY. It's a time-travel novel where the heroine must find her way back to her husband in the present. After receiving head injuries in a car accident, she travels back to Anglo-Saxon times, then to the 1500's, World War II, and with a surprise ending back in the present. All of the history in this novel is centered around my hometown of Bury St. Edmunds in England.

Also on the horizon is: CURTAINS IN STONINGTON (working title), a cozy mystery. This is a story of the residents of a small New Jersey town with the main protagonist being a woman in her 40s. One character will be the new undertaker in town whose arrival causes a ripple in the traditional-minded inhabitants. The main protagonist is a British-born interior designer--thus the reference to “curtains” in the title.

Thank you for giving us an inside view, Rosemary. Good luck with Lavender and Love and your subsequent stories.