passion | Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers

Creative Edge Interview -Diann Floyd Boehm

November 23, 2023
mandyevebarnett

What attracted you to the 1920s period as the setting of your novels? The main character is based on my grandmother Ruby’s young life, which took place in the 1920s.

2. Are there similarities for the struggles of women today? Women today can take jobs that were predominantly men’s jobs, but there are still barriers to break. The women of the 1920s laid the groundwork for things to improve for women who wished to enter the workforce. Interestingly, on June 5, 1920, The Women’s Bureau was established in the U.S. Department of Labor. The Bureau serves many purposes, but one crucial one deals with wage-earning for women. We have more women in political offices, both local and national. We have women lawyers, doctors, astronauts, and even high-level commanders in our armed forces. In January of 2023, Fortune 500 reported that for the first time, 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies’ CEOs are women. As the saying goes, “Women have come a long way,” and the next threshold is a female president of the USA.

3. Is your character Ruby Dinsmore based on anyone you know or know of, or strictly a culmination of women of that era? Yes, Ruby Dinsmore is based on my grandmother, Ruby Harris. She was a trailblazer. Her friends in both books, Rise a Girl’s Struggle for More and Ruby Takes Chicago, are certainly fictional composites of women from that era.

4. Did you plan the books as a series before you began writing? No, I did not plan on writing a series, but as my publisher, Anne O’Connell from O.C. Publishing, pointed out, she heard from enough readers that they wanted to know what happened next in Ruby’s life that I needed to write a follow-up. The request touched me.

5. Do you have a message for modern young women in these books? Yes- the same as my grandmother taught me – be persistent. Go for your dreams. My grandmother and mom would say if you want something, you have to be willing to work hard for it, no matter how hard it gets. Keep going till the doors open. My mom called it – “Having fire in the gut.” You have to believe in yourself. I wrote these two books to remind girls and everyone to discover life, discover yourself, and live. If a woman born in 1904 can go after her dreams despite the obstacles in those days, then indeed, a woman in 2023 can go after her dreams no matter how long it takes.

6. What other passions apart from writing do you have? I enjoy singing, acting, and helping others in need.

7. What other genres do you write? I enjoy writing children’s books with various themes: love yourself just as you are, kindness, peace, imagination.

8. How did growing up with five brothers shape your personality and outlook? When I was little, I always asked my mom (also in the workforce) if she would give me a sister; that did not happen. She brought home boys, and now I would not have it any other way. It was great to have five brothers. My two older brothers were my protectors, and my younger brothers were my live baby dolls. My older brothers taught me to understand how boys think without them realizing it, and my younger brothers made motherhood come naturally to me. When I came home with my first child, I was not nervous; I knew exactly how to care for a baby.

9. Can you share some of your humanitarian projects? When I lived overseas, it was easy to work with various charities. I met this wonderful woman with an amazingly kind heart, and she opened the door for me to work with her on several projects and to work with Free the Children in Kenya. In Ethiopia, we worked with a school and orphanage, which I had the opportunity to visit a couple of times. In Uganda, the same amazing woman arranged for us to work with Queen Sylvia’s Charity Nnabagereka Development Foundation. We worked on several projects with various schools. Working in these three countries was an honor, a privilege. Our team might have given back, but trust me, the people of the communities enriched our lives even more.

10. How can readers find you and your books? You can find my books on Amazon & Barnes and Noble.

Summary:

Ruby Takes Chicago, is the sequel to Rise! A Girl’s Struggle for More. It’s now the 1920s, and a young Ruby Dinsmore leaves her hometown of Oilton, Oklahoma, and heads for Chicago to make her dreams come true. In the first book, Ruby, born in 1904, grows up wanting to be a businesswoman and does everything she can to make it happen. At the end of Rise!, Ruby’s family realizes her dreams can only come true in a larger town where a young woman with a college education would be accepted in the workforce. Once in Chicago, Ruby is surprised to learn that, even in a big city, society as a whole is still reluctant to accept women working outside the home. Determined to stay true to herself, she takes on the challenges of life in tumultuous times of Prohibition, protests, and women’s rights marches. Ruby meets like-minded women, and together they break through the barriers until Ruby lands the perfect job, all amidst discovering the joys of life and love, and heartbreak…and love again.

Amazon.com: Ruby Takes Chicago: 9781989833384: Floyd Boehm, Diann: Books

Reviews:

“Step back to the time of ‘The Charleston’, speakeasies, and the Jazz Age as one fearless young woman navigates the changing social mores, economic opportunities, and mindset of the 1920s in America. A page-turning fictionalized account of a trailblazing independent woman.” Aimee Ravichandran, founder Abundantly Social.

“A captivating tale of a young woman’s brave journey from a small town to 1926 Chicago. Amidst dreams and determination, she discovers her place in the world. This beautiful story offers timeless lessons that resonate with the reader long after the final page.” Lucia Matuonto, Author and host of The Relatable Voice.

Bio:
Diann Floyd Boehm is an award-winning international author. Diann writes children’s books and young adult books. In addition, Diann writes books to inspire kids to be kind, like themselves, and to “Embrace Imagination”. You can find all her books on Amazon. Diann’s Story Garden YouTube Channel gives children the opportunity to hear different children authors read their stories. Diann is the co-host with Dr. Jacalyn on USA Global TV. Diann continues to be involved in various humanitarian projects with multiple organizations. Diann was born to parents of George and Mabel Floyd in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but grew up in Texas with five brothers. She has traveled extensively to many parts of the world and has lived in the Philippines and Dubai.

Keep in touch with Diann by joining her newsletter: www.Diannfloydboehm.com.

Author Interview – Samuel Davel

March 4, 2021
mandyevebarnett

1) How long have you been writing? I’ve been writing most of my life. Only recently, during COVID honestly, did I realize that it was something that I wanted to pursue professionally and for a career.

2) What inspired you to write Dear Monica? My mom went through some really hard, tough mental health stuff and that was my inspiration. A mind place and setting with a romantic twist. I think it’s interesting for people who don’t understand mental health to read something of someone in that spot.

3) Why did you decide on the format of letters to tell the story? When thinking of mental health suicide often comes up and is at the forefront of mental health, with that idea, letters came to mind.

4) The core of the novel is the mental health of its main character – is this a subject you feel strongly about? I do feel strongly about mental health, especially in the male community. I think mental health has a stigma for men and that’s something I hope to chip away at with my career.

5) Is Charlie based on anyone you now? Charlie and Monica are a combination of people that I’ve known in my life, whether a friend or significant other, they’re the best parts of people I knew.

6) Has your Army career influence any of your writing? My army career has greatly helped me with the structure of writing. I consistently schedule my time to write and stick to it, even if I hate what I wrote in that time I have something to go off of. My army career also helped me and opened my mind up to a lot more in this world than I originally thought.

7) Having acting experience yourself, can you see your book being made into a movie? I could definitely see Dear Monica being a movie. Since I am an actor, I usually write from a point of visual and what I see in my head as I write.

8) Do you use the places you have visited as part of your narratives? Yes, I would say 95 percent of the places I write about I have been to. I don’t particularly feel honest writing about something I don’t know, so I try to stick to what I do.

9) Are you writing a new manuscript currently? I am, I have on a novel, “Yours, Only” with the editor now, and my other one “Little Red Card” is 2/3 of the way through its first draft.

10) Can you tell us about any new projects, events or presentations you have coming up? My newest projects are both very interesting. “Yours, Only” is another project that’s a collection of letters between a soldier and his young wife back at home. the letters follow his missions, while he battles with his own demons he’s creating and his life back at home. “Little Red Card” is a pandemic-based romance that I am really excited about.

11) Has the COVID19 restrictions impacted your writing life? If so how? My acting career got put on pause at the beginning of COVID and I really started writing seriously because I needed a creative outlet. I wouldn’t have a novel without Covid.

12) Where is your most favorite place to write? I love to write in central park. I’ll take my laptop out there and write until it dies, that usually enough for a day.

13) How can readers connect with you? My IG is @samdavel

14) Is there a message you would like to give to your readers? I think I would just like to tell my readers that they can do whatever they want. Anything is possible and that people are there for them if they need them.

BIO: Samuel Davel grew up in rural Wisconsin leaving home at 18 for the Army. In the Army Sam was an Airborne Ranger who was constantly taking in the world around him. After leaving the Army Samuel moved to NYC while pursuing a career in film and television. After appearing on the small screen and doing numerous indie works Samuel started writing about the world he absorbed throughout his life. He enjoys writing story’s that have mental health twist or ones that don’t always end in happy endings, at the end of the day, life doesn’t always end happy. Samuel tries to capture the small moments, the ones that everyone can easily take for granted.

Good Luck to NaNoWriMo Writers – I’m Not Participating This Year…

November 2, 2015
mandyevebarnett

For those of you who have made the commitment to this mad, exciting, panic-inducing challenge – I say good luck, may your muse always be at your shoulder and your words flow smoothly upon your page.

To find those extra minutes in the day to write is tricky to be sure but it is a mindset. Do you have a lunch hour? Can you slip away whilst your family is watching TV? Does it really matter if the slow cooker is the only means of cooking for the month?

I know I become totally possessed during NaNo and write several paragraphs while the meal is cooking, skipping lunch so I can address a characters next move or ignore my eyelids closing as I write into the early hours. NaNo may seem like a daunting assignment to undertake, but there are incredible benefits too. It can be a personal challenge to see how you manage under a deadline, an outpouring of ideas, character development or finally beginning that wished for novel.

Writing to a deadline, for me anyway, results in almost complete novel length stories. These can be revised, added to and edited at my leisure in the following months. Even if you do not manage the fifty thousand word total, you will have laid down enough words to forge ahead with your own narrative. It can be the start you have avoided for months or years.

Knowing there are many, many writers around the world absorbed in the same challenge is not only exciting but a companionship of sorts. The NaNoWriMo site has a buddy system and you can connect with other participants, giving and receiving encouragement and support. Whether you use a pen and notebook or type your story, it is the words that matter.

This month will see thousands of stories created, their characters forging forward and overcoming obstacles. Some will be happy, some will be sad, but your story will be told.

Enjoy the process, scary as it is – the result is so very rewarding.

This year I will not be participating as I have to revise and edit last year’s manuscript The Giving Thief. I thought I would get this manuscript completed by now but other projects took precedent and it was pushed to the side. My western romance, Willow tree Tears was edited, revised and submitted to Harlequin and a Steampunk short story contracted to a publisher, so time was slim to say the least.

Now I can concentrate on the Thief manuscript and find a possible outlet for it. My hope is that once it is completed I can return to two other manuscripts that have been languishing in their folders for some time. A romance with a reincarnation twist, The Twesome Loop and a speculative fiction story, Life in Slake Patch.

Good luck to you if you are embroiled in National Novel Writing Month. 2015

Writing Retreat in NaNoWriMo Month…

November 10, 2014
mandyevebarnett

My good friend, Linda and I escaped for a wonderful long weekend of writing on Thursday night to Jasper National Park. Our cabin was perfectly situated for us to enjoy peace and quiet. We find it companionable to write together as we share the passion for the written word. Hours may pass and we have not spoken a word, just typed a lot! This mini writing retreat was perfectly timed to give us both much needed time to devote to our respective NaNo novels.

I have many demands on my time with work, volunteering, home and family and so treasure pure writing time. However, Linda has even more demands as she is a publisher (Dream Write Publishing) as well as an author and volunteer and much more! Due to our shared discipline we managed a substantial word count even when we treated ourselves to a trip through the park into Jasper itself on Saturday. We were extremely fortunate to encounter stunning wildlife and the opportunity to refresh our connection to nature.

Mountain goats

A browsing session in a couple of souvenir shops gave us gifts and I found a perfect promotional item for my upcoming Western romance, Willow Tree Tears. A figurine of a female barrel racer – my protagonist.

We experienced the trip down to Jasper in rain and darkness on Thursday night, bright sunshine and magnificent mountains on Saturday and a large snowfall on Sunday morning greeted us. Each experience was inspiring and special. Returning to our normal routines was difficult – we could have stayed a lot longer but we have our spring writing retreat to look forward to – so let’s start counting the days.

What get-away has given you writing time?

Where do you go?

With whom?

Good luck to my fellow NaNo participants.