Pump Up Your Book Chats with Emily Sue Harvey

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Emily Sue Harvey writes to make a difference. After writing nonfiction for years, she turned to fiction and now has six mainstream fiction books to be released by Story Plant in 2011. Song of Renewal and a novella, Flavors are both already available at online bookstores. Her other four upcoming titles, two full-length and two novellas, are Homefires, Space, Unto These Hills and Cocoon. All include components of love, family, disappointment, betrayal, forgiveness and renewal. Her websites are www.emilysueharvey.com , www.renewalstories.com . Also, check out Emily Sue Harvey’s Profile and Fan Page on Facebook for her book reviews and updates.

Thank you for this interview, Emily Sue. Do you remember writing stories as a child or did the writing bug come later? Do you remember your first published piece?

A: I remember writing essays in elementary school that the teacher would read aloud to the class but I thought everybody could write. No big deal. In college, even straight A’s in English courses didn’t convince me I had a gift. The writing bug actually didn’t come until after the tragic loss of my eleven year old daughter, Angie. Writing began then as therapy turned into a passion.

What do you consider as the most frustrating side of becoming a published author and what has been the most rewarding?

A: The most frustrating thing about becoming a published author is not enough time in the day. Hello? I have no problem staying focused and productive, I just hate to quit when my eyelids begin to droop and the clock says twelve-fifteen a.m. The most rewarding? Oh, definitely great feedback from readers, especially those who tell me that my stories inspire them and help them in some way. Too, the great reviews are like getting dozens of your favorite flowers and chocolates every single day.

Are you married or single and how do you combine the writing life with home life? Do you have support?

A: Married. My family is most supportive of my writing. They are so very proud of my writing accomplishments and will move mountains to accommodate me. I simply hibernate in my office and they give me my space. Interestingly, the title of one of my upcoming novellas is Space. I’m very blessed in having the familial support and encouragement that I do.

Can you tell us about your latest book and why you wrote it?

A: My latest book? Flavors. This novella was the most fun thing I’ve ever done because Sadie Ann Melton represents the child in each of us and for years I’ve been dying to write and just let her cut loose to do her thing. In Flavors, she does just that. Sadie Ann engages the reader by looking back on a nostalgic 1950 summer that forever alters her life after she’s dropped off at her grandparents’ farm for the season. Their passel of kids, that rival Ma and Pa Kettle’s brood, swallow up Sadie Ann and her little brother until Sadie feels like a minnow in an ocean of sea bass. Sadie Ann’s journey is at once heartbreakingly tender and crushingly brutal. As she searches for herself and, ultimately, her place, she struggles with the juxtapositions of Heaven and Purgatory. Good and evil. At times, she is her own worst enemy, drawing dark arrows of disfavor. At other times, she floats in the light, seeing beauty in others, even with their warts and warped psyches. Her ability to reduce the good, bad, and ugly down to flavors helps her keep a floatable perspective during this pivotal summer. In her darkest hour, this slice of time takes Sadie to an aloneness she’s never before faced. A time when she’s truly a girl/woman without a place. The Melton women in Sadie Ann’s odyssey inadvertently help shape her into the woman she becomes. They love, coax, and command her maturity into being. But it is Sadie Ann herself who pulls it all together and emerges as a woman in her own right. Ultimately, I wrote Flavors to inspire each of us to stay in touch with that child within us.

Can you share an excerpt?

A: “To me, life is a huge pie, each slice a different flavor. Childhood is definitely lemon. Yet youth cannot completely contain it because a bit of its tanginess pops up still, a half century later. Not as often, and maybe not as strong, but during an exceptionally joyful time of love or discovery, or triumph, I whiff it. That summer of my early earthly odyssey was indescribable lemon zest. It proved to be a quest to somehow discover the real me. A person with depth and wisdom. For nearly twelve years, that unearthing eluded me. I didn’t analyze too closely. That was strange, considering I evolved into a near neurotic overachiever by my mid-teen years. Heck, during those lemon drop preteen years, I had no idea where my life was heading, nor did I particularly care. I lived in each sterling moment, savoring every sight, touch, and smell of it.” Pp. 19-20

Where’s your favorite place to write at home?

A: In my office. It is sacred, my space there. However, my desk, when I’m writing, resembles a jumbled disaster area. Yet I know where everything is. My family knows not to touch anything.

What is one thing about your book that makes it different from other books on the market?

A: I write reality. No sugar coating. Flavors shows the reader the warts and the worst of human nature. It shows the innocence and childlike resilience of Sadie Ann as she faces darkness like she’s never before encountered. Sadie Ann’s nature is tempered by sometimes startling sensitivity. Underneath that, however, lies strength of character and an over comer zeal that helps Sadie Ann meet each crisis head on. That she already, at twelve, has developed the survival technique of reducing epiphanies and crisis into flavors, shows her unflappable, triumphant spirit. In Flavors, Sadie Ann’s character inspires us to occasionally wake up that inner child that hibernates deeply inside each of us and take whimsical spins with her/him. Those sporadic journeys do us a world of good because they conjure up supreme joy. They teach us to laugh again, to leave the troubles behind. Flavors’ theme is universal and speaks to each and every heart, regardless of gender or age. It inspires readers to never, ever give up, no matter what catastrophes life hands them. And if one lives long enough, he/she will face them. But remember I said earlier that there is sunshine above those dark clouds that one may be forced to walk through but oh my, when they break through, the light and joy is glorious!

Tables are turned…what is one thing you’d like to say to your audience who might buy your book one day?

A: “I write for Story Plant, a secular publishing venture, yet every time I sit down to write, I devote my mind and heart to the Almighty to guide me in my thoughts and words. That way, I know that my stories have depth, strong messages and solid characters that touch hearts and inspire folks to keep on keeping on along this often difficult road called life. Too, I believe that finding humor in difficult times has marvelous benefits for our mind, spirit, and body. So I can unreservedly recommend my books for the entire family. Try them. You’ll get hooked! And that’s a promise.”

Thank you for this interview, Emily Sue. Good luck on your virtual book tour!

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Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach