A: I’ve been a lobster lover for years, but knew little about the trapping industry until I did research for “The Summer I Dared,” and yes, that research was extensive. I read every book about lobstering that I could find. I read as many online accounts of lobstering as I could. I also was able to make contact with a young couple who are directly involved in lobstering; they answered questions that my reading did not, and gave me invaluable information. This, by the way, is a common formula for me when I do research. I combine books with online information (what a fabulous resource the Web has become), but the icing on the cake is the person who has personal experience with my subject. I’ve met some fascinating people over the years. Some remain friends to this day.

Q: Can you give us more detail from your own experiences and understanding that prompted your nonfiction book, Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors?

A: Writing Uplift was not in any long-range plan of mine. My readers inspired it with their overwhelming reaction to one of the secondary characters in my book, “Coast Road.” This character, who is creative, attractive, and successful, is also a breast cancer survivor. Readers loved her, and wrote to me in such volume that, in a single serendipitous moment, I knew I needed to do more. If this character could be a role model for readers, I figured I could, too. After all, her story was my story.

But her story and mine – a story of survival, positive attitude, and a full, rich life after breast cancer – is also the story of millions of everyday women. We hear about celebrities. We hear about women who die. But we don’t hear about these millions of survivors.

That’s what Uplift is about. A support group in handbook form, it contains practical tips and upbeat anecdotes from more than 350 such survivors. Yes, I tell my own story, but it is these survivors who propel the book.

Q: Your novels have evolved where you are now occasionally focusing on Alzheimers, Near-Death experiences, paparazzi, etc. … but you still retain a glimmer of romance that you originally utilized in your writing career. What sparked your interest to change writing styles? Do you foresee more changes in future writing?

A: The change in style was really a gravitation to what I do best. I was never the most successful romance writer. My books were too realistic. And they grew more realistic as the years passed, as is evidenced by the subject matter I tackled. Simultaneously, I was moving from my thirties into my forties and then my fifties, and my interests broadened from pure romance to family issues. This is where I am today. Do I foresee more changes? Certainly. I keep changing – the world keeps changing. Do I know what direction either of us will take? No. But there’s fun in the wondering, y’know?

Q: If you were to give a fledgling writer some advice, what would it be?

A: First, read, read, read. Read the best of the latest in your proposed field. Second, write, then rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. With computers, there is no excuse for not editing until a manuscript is as good as you can make it. Finally, do it – just mail it out. No book is ever published if it remains in the bottom drawer of a desk.

Q: If you hadn’t become so successful a writer, what would have been your second career choice?

A: I was actually a sociological researcher before I became a writer. So I might have returned to that. At the time I wrote my first book on a whim, I was thinking of going back to school for a CPA. So I might have done your taxes. In my dreams? I’d be Barbra Streisand. Singing one’s feelings has to be the most wonderful thing. Unfortunately, I can’t sing for beans …

Q: Are there any literary characters and/or books which you can easily call your favorites?

A: John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany is a favorite of mine. The World According to Garp comes in a close second.

Q: What is your next favorite past-time other than reading and writing – or … is there something about yourself which is not commonly known that you can share with us?

A: Let me say here that reading is not a favorite past-time of mine. As Garp says (see previous question), “Writers do not read for fun.” Reading for me is work. What do I do for fun? I do crossword puzzles. I hike and kayak. I take pictures. I spend time with my family. The last is the best.

What would I share with you that is not commonly known about me? I hate to cook. My characters cook all the time, and there is an active Recipe Exchange on my website. But me, I hate to cook.

Interview Date: October 2004
Profile and questions compiled by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch Library