Ask the Author: V.L. Brunskill

Answered Questions (5)

Sort By:

An error occurred while sorting questions for author V.L. Brunskill.

I grew up in Savannah Ga, Thunderbolt River. Take u straight up to Savannah River. I loved Bonaventure Cemetery riding my bike threw their. And going to the Riverfront to climb the Waving Girl. (Back then you could) It's been years and I've moved from that dear city. I miss it. What made you pick it for this book?

V.L. Brunskill Hi there Tina,

I live in Savannah. I am adopted and searched for my birth parents for thirteen years years. I found my birth mother in Florida, and my birth father in North Carolina. Ten years ago, Boston had an exceptionally harsh winter. The snow on my porch was taller than my daughter, and it stayed that way for a month. That's when we decided to move South. We were taking a lot of road trips back and forth to see my new found family, so we figured why not move closer. (We took my adoptive mom with us.)

We chose Savannah as our home because the city has been so lovingly restored. As you know, the downtown is romantic, historic and beautiful. I fell head over heels in love with slurry walkways, brick facades and all that stunning ironwork. I wrote 'Waving Backwards' at several downtown locations. Savannah is a perfect backdrop for a mysterious story about family, and bloodlines. I'm sure you know how important lineage is in this city. To have a girl who knows nothing about her parents, look for them among residents who can trace their bloodlines back hundreds of years, is delicious fodder for a writer.

I stood on the platform of our Waving Girl statue, and rubbed her belly. I would have loved to see her when you lived here. I think she was closer to the River. Is that right?

Thanks for asking! Hope to hear more of your Savannah memories, and that you get to come back for a visit soon.

V.L. Brunskill

flag

2 likes · like
Comment

How do you get inspired to write?

V.L. Brunskill If you wait for inspiration you will never write. Writing is not a light bulb moment. Writing is doing. Sit down, open your laptop and let the cosmos take over. I find it helpful to set a daily word count goal. I wrote 'Waving Backwards' in thirty days, and edited it for three years.

flag

1 like · like
Comment

What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

V.L. Brunskill If your goal is to be published, hire an editor. It makes all the difference in world. As a writer, it is difficult to see what needs to be changed in your own work.

I submitted 34 queries and received 33 rejections. After one edit by a professional editor, I received the telephone message we all dream of. "Hi this is SYP Publishing. We would like to discuss your novel."

Above all, don't give up!

flag