Ask the Author: Barbara O'Neal
Answered Questions (14)
Barbara O'Neal
Lynda, it was a bunch of things coming together. I love the history of the women who escaped to the air at a time when women were still quite constrained. I adore the Upper West Side. And I’m fascinated by the grit it takes to really achieve your dreams. Two years ago, I visited a Leonard Cohen exhibit in NYC and the story bloomed as I listened to him sing. I absolutely adored writing it.
Barbara O'Neal
I can't remember when I didn't want to write stories, honestly. Before I could write, I sang story-songs to my sisters. The moment I realized I wanted writing to be a career was in the fifth grade. I'd just finished reading a novel and flipped to the bio in the back. I saw the picture of the woman who wrote it, and thought, "Wait. Writing is a job? And if it is, why would you do anything else?"
Barbara O'Neal
There are so many books lined up to be written that I don't know if I'll ever get to this sequel, but of all my characters, this is the pair I'd most like to revisit.
Barbara O'Neal
I will answer. :) I don't know where books come from. That's the honest truth. I open a window and look through it, and there's a movie, and my job is to get it down as clearly as possible. I mean, there's a lot of work and lots of years of working on the craft, but the ideas themselves are mysterious. Good question!
Barbara O'Neal
I’m sorry Mermaids dredged things up, but sometimes that’s the purpose of a story. And yes, I’ve been to New Zealand several times and love it very much.
Barbara O'Neal
The Sleeping Night, or the older Jezebel’s Blues.
Barbara O'Neal
She wasn’t, but her work is fantastic. I’ve been studying illustrators for awhile and Olivia’s mom was a big mix of all of them.
Barbara O'Neal
I did not actually set out to do that, but I love to write about women who've created great lives in all kinds of ways. Without children, with them, with men, with women, old and young and even little girls. We are mighty!
Barbara O'Neal
I have only just now realized there are these questions! I am so glad you like Ruby's storyline. My sister is an oncology nurse, and the stories she shares sometimes wreck me....but also thrill me. People live happy healthy lives after cancer, as you've done. As Ruby did.
Barbara O'Neal
The idea for The All You Can Dream Buffet came from reading a magazine called Artful Blogger. It's a gorgeous thing, filled with the elegant and whimsical photographs of women who blog about all kinds of things. I love it, and kept wondering what it would be like to have a blog that was visited 100,000 times, and who would those readers be and what would happen if you did it and no one knew? Would your life change?
Barbara O'Neal
I keep regular habits. That sounds boring, but I get up, make my tea, feed the animals and go into my office first thing in the morning. That's my best time, my quiet and creative time, and if I get that stretch of time, I'll usually work much more the rest of the day.
Barbara O'Neal
Just finished my next book as Barbara O'Neal, tentatively titled House of Roses, which will be published by Lake Union in July 2018.
Barbara O'Neal
Having the freedom to set my own hours is very high on the list, but more important than that is the connection to readers--people I would never have met any other way. I love the letters and the conversations I experience because readers have come into my life, and I treasure every single one.
Barbara O'Neal
Here's the truth: I don't believe in writer's block. If I feel blocked, it's a signal that I've taken a wrong turn and need to figure out what's wrong before I go on. In general, getting my rear end into the chair is what solves any problem, but I have also been known to cook elaborate things to give the girls in the basement time to work on a problem.
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May 16, 2023 07:05AM · flag