Friday, July 25, 2014

An interview with Rossandra White

loveyoubye_Cover 19Sept2013.indd






































“Loveyoubye is jam-packed with warmth and humor, heartbreak and healing, and unexpected twists.”~Ana Maria Spagna, author of Potluck: Community on the Edge of Wilderness
“Any woman who has stayed in a marriage, or relationship, longer than she should have, will see herself in these pages.”~Deborah Batterman, Pushcart nominee and author of Shoes Hair Nails
A collision of crises on two continents forces Rossandra White to face the truth. Just as her American husband disappears to Mexico, her brother’s health crisis calls her back home to Africa, and her beloved dog receives a fatal diagnosis. She faces down her demons to make a painful decision: stay in a crumbling marriage, or leave her husband of twenty-five years and forge a new life alone.
You can read the first chapter on Jukepop Serials.


1. Hello Rossandra White What inspired you to write this particular story?


_65R1228--croppedIt started out as a way for me to let off steam (and gain a sense of sanity) after my husband of twenty-five years started disappearing for weeks at a time without apology or explanation.
2. Describe your writing in three words.
That’s a hard one. Instead, how about I share a couple of Amazon reviews for my memoir, Loveyoubye : “. . . an honest book written by a woman with the soul of a poet.”  “. . . the author tells her husband's side of the story with generosity and love, with sympathy and candor.” And finally, people say my books are an “easy” read.
3. What authors inspire or influence your work?
Barbara Kingsolver, Carol Shields, Mary Karr, Abigail Thomas, Raymond Chandler, and countless others.
4. Is the Thesaurus one of your best writing friends?
Definitely. I want each and every word to count. Finding the exact word is vital.
5. How Does Your Writing Process Work?
So far I've been prompted to write by a need to resolve some issue deep inside me, to scratch an itch I can't quite locate.  I've done this without an outline, without a particular direction. I've "pantsed" it—flying by the seat of my pants, discovering as I go. However, I’d love to be able to outline a story. Hasn’t worked so far.
6. What project(s) are you working on now?
I'm doing a final sweep through Monkey's Wedding, my YA novel set in Zimbabwe. It was almost published back in the late 90s, but my publisher merged with another house and I was dumped. I went on to write the sequel, Mine Dances (set in Zambia), which I'll spiff up next. Then it’s on to getting them both published. Wait. There’s more, I’m going to turn Loveyoubye into an audiobook. Yes. I know, I’d better get cracking.
7. Where can readers find you and your book(s) online?
What people are saying about the book
loveyoubye_Cover 19Sept2013.indd 
 
Loveyoubye: Holding Fast, Letting Go, and Then There’s the Dog
“…the heart of this satisfying memoir is White’s inner battle to find her peace with the ever-intriguing, ever-unanswerable conundrum: What do we owe those we love—and what do they owe us?” ~Jill Smolowe, author of Three Funerals and a Wedding
 
“…a bold and powerful voice…something we could all learn a lesson from.” ~RedCity Review
 
“…from the jungles of Africa to the beaches of Southern California. Rossandra writes with heart and wisdom.” ~Anita Hughes, author of Monarch Beach, Market Street, and Lake Como


 
Loveyoubye captures in one word the dual themes woven with grace and agility throughout this magnificent memoir—the universal and often simultaneous experiences of love and loss.” ~Thomas White, author of The Wisdom of Sons

ROSSANDRA on AMAZON

Rossandra White was born in South Africa and grew up in Nkana, Zambia. Family holidays were either trips down to South Africa to visit family, over the border into the Congo, or trips up to East Africa accompanied by Corky, their parrot. As well as Loveyoubye, she is the author of two YA novels, Monkey's Wedding and Mine Dances, which are set in Zimbabwe and Zambia.


Available in paperback, Kindle and Nook.

 

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