      
      
      
An Interview
With
Bonnie Drury
ER!-I have
the best "job" getting to interview
authors. Thanks so much, Bonnie, for agreeing to
let me pick your brain:-) You have five books with
Starlight Writer Publications, right? One of your
books, THOSE FLANNIGAN BOYS, was featured at the
launching of eBooks Rock!, so readers can sneak over
there for a peek. Currently, I'm reading DAUGHTER OF THE
HEART, which I will not comment on until I'm ready to do
the review<g> But you have three other books,
WAIT THE MORNING LIGHT, A MATTER OF DESTINY, and OZARK
DAWN fabulous titles by the way). Can you give us a brief
"blurb" of these books?
BD-Yes,
Cass, here goes:
Wait the Morning Light is about the perfect
family. When a secret from the past walks
through the door, their lives are shattered. This
story is about love and forgiveness and the miracles
that follow.
A Matter of Destiny is the story of Joseph, a
guardian angel, who’s given the mission of
helping a widow and her two teenaged sons through
their grief. When Joseph falls in love, he agonizes
over the consequences of this forbidden human
emotion. Will his fall from grace be fatal, or simply
a matter of destiny?
Ozark Dawn is about a young woman who must go home to
face the past before she can live for the future.
Will her wandering soul ever find peace?
ER!-Do you
have a favorite of the books you've written, one that is
especially close to your heart?
BD-Yes,
Wait the Morning Light is my favorite. I liked those
characters a lot and found them very strong and
inspiring. I was surprised, and thrilled, at how many
reviewers told me they cried. I love it!
ER!-What
are you currently working on?
BD-I’m
working on the sequel to Wait the Morning Light. This
book is called So Tender the Night. I already have
the 3rd book in mind, too. The heroine would be a
grown-up Erin Scarpelli, who finds out she’s
inherited some of her real mother’s
“special” powers. News Flash! I’ve
received some interest involving the screenplay of
Daughter of the Heart. I’m frantically learning
HOW to write a script.
ER!-What
would you say is the biggest challenge in writing?
BD-Managing
time and distractions. I’m not good at that at
all, especially since I’m still crazy about my
husband, five sons, and I’m a doting grandma to
six. I also work full time as a caseworker in the
District Attorney’s office in Sacramento. The
extra income and health benefits are necessary for
now, unless Hollywood wants to instigate a bidding
war over my books???
ER!-Many
writers have written since they were young. They were
daydreamers. Avid readers. What about you? Has your
passion to write always been there?
BD-I’ve
certainly been an avid reader since I could read. I
always made up stories and even wrote them down. But
it wasn’t until I was 35 and the seven of us
were living in a tiny trailer while building our
dream house that I decided, if it was ever going to
be the time, it had to be now.
ER!-What
advice would you give to a writer just starting out?
BD-I
would tell anyone to write for the joy of it and
because you have to write. Otherwise, forget it, and
concentrate on something else that makes you happy.
It’s tough and heartbreaking, and there’s
no easy path to success.
ER!-Is
there anything out there that you'd like to do, but
haven't yet been given the opportunity?
BD-Yes,
I’m still waiting for Oprah to call. Maybe she
lost my number…
ER!-Is
there a book that you've written, but we'll never see?
Why?
BD-When
I changed computers, I thought I’d transferred
and saved everything, but there’s one book lost,
called Starbird Island. My husband destroyed
the hard drive because I was paranoid at the time
about little gremlins lurking to steal my brilliant
work. Hmmm. The only thing that made me feel better
is that I’m using the hero, a Marine Corps test
pilot, in the 3rd Morning Light book.
ER!-If you
weren't a writer, what would you be doing?
BD-I
suppose I’d cook more, clean more (nah), spend
more time with the grandkids, maybe even try to
advance in the workforce. Because my career is
writing, I consider my day job a means to an end.
ER!-Of all
the character's you've written about, who would you say
is most like you? And why?
BD-I
hope I’m most like Leah Scarpelli, a woman
who’d do anything to protect the family she
loves.
ER!-What
would you consider is your greatest accomplishment?
BD-I’d
have to say I’m proudest of raising five sons
who are nice, hard-working young man who have always
felt loved. They know their mother knows all their
flaws and still considers each of them perfect.
ER!-What's
the non-writing world like for you? Is there a husband, a
boyfriend, a couple of each? Children?
BD-I
guess I got ahead of myself. You’ve already
heard about my five sons. My husband and I have been
married 35 years and still write love notes to keep
in touch when our work schedules don’t jive. I
use Marines a lot in my books because he was a Marine
when I met and married him. I clearly remember
saying, “A Marine! I’d NEVER go out with a
Marine!” Famous last words...
ER!-Many
readers wonder what's going on in an author's head, and
here's the part where we find out<g>.
Describe yourself in one line:
BD-I’m
a total headcase, fretter, worrier, who genuinely
likes people and wants them to like me.
ER!-(Finish
this sentence) On a Saturday night you'll find me...
BD-...Either
in front of my computer or snuggled up on the couch
with my husband.
ER!-If I
were a cartoon character I'd be...
BD-...Brenda
Starr, reporter! (with the stars in her eyes)
ER!-If I
could have one wish, I would wish...for peace of mind and
contentment for my sons.
BD-What
kind of car do you drive? An aqua-blue Toyota
Corolla.
ER!-What
kind of car do you *want* to drive?
BD-A
deep purple Dodge Prowler! Vrooom. That purple flash
was me!
ER!-Answer
the following questions as quickly as possible, but feel
free to expand on any of your answers (Hey, it's not a
test).:
What's your favorite movie?
BD-“Gone
With the Wind”
ER!-Favorite
song?
BD-From
the 50’s or 60’s…”Just One Look,
That’s All It Took” (It reminds me of that
first look when I met my husband. He, of course,
didn’t have a clue that his life was about to
change.)
ER!-Favorite
snack?
BD-Chocolate!
What else?
ER!-Favorite
book?
BD-Absolutely
anything by Nora Roberts.
ER!-Typewriter
or computer?
BD-Computer!
ER!-Soup or
salad?
BD-Salad
with Ranch dressing.
ER!-Pre-planner
or blind leap?
BD-I do
make lists, but I’m more the blind leap type,
I’m afraid. You should see my desk. No, maybe
you shouldn’t.
ER!-Turkey
burger or steak?
BD-Filet
mignon, to be specific.
ER!-Slacks
or jeans?
BD-Jeans
and sweatshirts. It kills me to put on a dress, slip,
and pantyhose.
ER!-Boxers
or briefs?
BD-I
prefer boxers, but my hubby likes briefs. Oh well,
you can’t have everything.
ER!-Are
blondes really more fun?
BD-I’ve
tried all the colors, and I probably did get more
attention as a blond. Now, my hair is a
“conservative” reddish brown.
ER!-Have
you ever held anyone hostage?
BD-No.
ER!-If no,
would you?
BD-Maybe
Russell Crowe in the “Gladiator” role. Yum.
ER!-Do you
believe in love at first sight?
BD-There
are certainly very strong attractions that ultimately
lead to love, so it’s definitely a possibility.
ER!-Are
aliens real?
BD-Why
not?
ER!-If you
could vote members off of Gilligan's Island, who would
get the boot first?
BD-Gilligan
would get the first boot; I’m sorry, but idiots
don’t belong on deserted islands.
ER!-If
Godzilla and Superman got into a street fight (no weapons
allowed), who would win?
BD-I
have to believe Superman would win. He has to be
tough to wear those red tights.
ER!-What is
one thing about you that very few know?
BD-Since
my husband doesn’t know how to go online, I can
tell you how much I fantasize about Tom Selleck.
ER!-And
finally (and you can take your time on this one:-)),
what's next for you? Your next book? Writing venture?
Goal?
BD-My
goal is to be able, timewise and financially, to
write full-time again. What a blessing that would be.
I believe it will happen. I’m fascinated by the
idea of writing screenplays, too, so I’m
studying how to do that. And I’ve done all the
research for a time travel to Sacramento in 1880. It
has to be a time-travel because I have a unique way
for the transfer to take place. I love to hang out in
Old Town, Sacramento, and soak up the atmosphere,
listen to the clip clop of the horses, ignoring the
cell phones, nose rings, spiked hair, etc.
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