Interview with Lucinda Sue Crosby
Novelist, journalist, songwriter, those are just a few of the occupations in which Lucinda Sue Crosby has made her mark. It would be difficult to find anyone more versatile than Crosby. Her award winning novel “Francesca of Lost Nation” centering on the very special relationship between a young girl and her eccentric grandmother in post war Iowa, has been receiving a great deal of attention since it was published in 2010.
So let’s hear what Lucinda Sue Crosby has to say about “Francesca of Lost Nation” and her other work.
Q: “Francesca of Lost Nation” centers on a very colorful and eccentric lady. Is it more
challenging to write about someone like Francesca? Did you capture her the way you saw her?
A: When I was a little girl, I was surrounded by fascinating folks who were wonderful storytellers. At that time, I began to notice their accents, tempo and cadence; their gestures and body language; and other unique methods of self-expression. I have been highly observant of others ever since. The Sponge!
My real grandmother, Frances Ella Pittstick Mendenhall, was the most fascinating of all. Like the novel’s title character, she was a county fair race car driver who never lost; a pro caliber poker player and the first woman in her county to attend college! Listening by the hour to her stories of her life and times gave me more material than I could ever use. Of course, the book is a blend of the real and fiction but much of what you read happened to her over her lifetime.
Q: How long did it take you to write “Francesca of Lost Nation”?
A: From writing the first line of the novel on the first page to publishing, a mere 17 years.
Q: In addition to writing books you are also an accomplished songwriter. Many people believe that it requires a very unique talent to write songs. Do you agree with this or do you just view songwriting as another genre of writing?
A: I think both viewpoints are viable. In a song you have to be vivid RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. You set up a character in 16 bars or less, appeal to as many senses as possible, evoke emotion and provoke thought, set a mood, sometimes tell a whole life story and be sure your communication is on a level that MATTERS … all this through a lyric with a beginning, a middle and an end. And you better follow the structure of the genre you’re in or your listeners will tag you for it. Can you explain why you’re putting the bridge where it is and why you need a bridge? Yes, you CAN break rules, but only after you know what they are and cite a damn good reason.
Example of a favorite lyric of mine from Cajun Kind Thing I co-wrote with Grammy winner, Carl Jackson: “Granny Tata’s rum shack is hidden in a swamp near a gator hangout by a willow stump. It’s a get-on-down so she’s sent for a flask of the liquor that’ll jump right out of your glass.”
You can picture that woman and her environment, can’t you? Taste that harsh, stringent liquid lightening? Smell the moss hanging low from the trees half under water? Oh yeah.
With a book, you have more time to develop situations and people. Hey! Dickens got paid by the word. But you had better follow the same course – appeal to all the senses; evoke emotion; provoke thought, set a mood and conduct discourse on a level that matters. Otherwise, what’s the point? I believe all writers have a sacred relationship with a reader (or listener) that demands involvement of the head and the heart and requires that the writer reveal him or herself. It’s only fair that if you have someone’s undivided attention, you wrap it with glory.
Q: What do you enjoy more, writing books or writing songs?
A: That would be like choosing your favorite child. I adore the give-and-take of working songs with a co-writer. Such a gorgeous process when you’re clicking fire. But the novel? Gee, you get to be God, create a universe, fill it with beings, and get them to demonstrate what you really believe about a topic or topics that matter. That’s SOMETHING.
Q: You have had so many careers but you say writing has been your favorite. What is it about writing that you love so much?
A: I adore the power of words and the churning caused by new ideas expressed in words. I revere a skillful storyteller – each one in his or her turn is responsible for nurturing and spreading all the earth’s culture. I relish how a good tale can teach, enrage, encourage, devastate and bring realization, even epiphany.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning was the word.” If it’s good enough for the bible, it’s good enough for me.
Q: Your children’s book, “The Adventures of Baylard Bear” is about a bear who was adopted. Was it one of your goals, with this book, to help adopted children to deal with feelings they may have of being different?
A: I believe that “being different” is a universal circumstance. No matter how successful adults become, from time to time that burden of “apart-ness” will pop up. Alone-ness can weigh heavy at any age but for children, I feel the burden is deeper. Baylard encompasses so many facets of “the duck out of water” scenario, including adoption. And hopefully in a way that presents a gentle opportunity for children and their parents/caregivers/guardians to begin an important conversation. I hope Baylard is the “anti-bully.”
Q: Do you write continually or just when you have a particularly compelling idea?
A: I write a both a political blog and commentary under an alias. I created a community affairs blog for a newspaper and currently have complete autonomy on what I cover and what I say about what I cover. That freedom is a rare luxury. I blog for a beer and wine company’s web site. I write PR campaigns, press releases, hand out materials and web site content for my local United Way and their 29 partner organizations. I am writing for you right now. I would be afraid to wait for a compelling idea – I just try to make all my ideas SOUND compelling. (How’m I doing?)
Q: Is there a genre you haven’t tried yet that you would like to explore?
A: I’d like to make a movie of “Francesca of Lost Nation and co-write the screenplay. Do YOU have any ideas about who should play the title character?
Q: What do you hope to accomplish with “Francesca of Lost Nation”?
A: The novel has a “companion song” called “Stories They Could Tell.” (hear for free at www.LuckyCinda.com). It addresses the treasure the elderly have in their personal histories. If we listened more to these folks who have survived so much and triumphed and struggled and surrendered and healed – maybe we would recapture something our culture has lost. A civility? Respect? A more objective viewpoint?
I certainly highlighted relationships – in particular, the real cost of sibling rivalry over time; a July-October love affair under scrutiny; and a real and abiding friendship between two people who were born 60 years apart. The nature of love.
And finally, I hope I evoked emotion, provoked thought, appealed to all the senses, set moods, communicated on a level that MATTERS and influenced realization.
Q: What are your future writing plans?
Book wise – I am working on a marketing how-to with my Publicist, Laura Dobbins. I also have another children’s book in the works about water. Then maybe a book about outdoor art. And probably a novel about China in the 1600s called “The Scroll of the Son of Heaven.” PHEW!!!!
Lucinda Sue Crosby also has a music blog: www.music.luckycinda.com, where her songs can be heard for free and purchased for $1.50.
So let’s hear what Lucinda Sue Crosby has to say about “Francesca of Lost Nation” and her other work.
Q: “Francesca of Lost Nation” centers on a very colorful and eccentric lady. Is it more
challenging to write about someone like Francesca? Did you capture her the way you saw her?
A: When I was a little girl, I was surrounded by fascinating folks who were wonderful storytellers. At that time, I began to notice their accents, tempo and cadence; their gestures and body language; and other unique methods of self-expression. I have been highly observant of others ever since. The Sponge!
My real grandmother, Frances Ella Pittstick Mendenhall, was the most fascinating of all. Like the novel’s title character, she was a county fair race car driver who never lost; a pro caliber poker player and the first woman in her county to attend college! Listening by the hour to her stories of her life and times gave me more material than I could ever use. Of course, the book is a blend of the real and fiction but much of what you read happened to her over her lifetime.
Q: How long did it take you to write “Francesca of Lost Nation”?
A: From writing the first line of the novel on the first page to publishing, a mere 17 years.
Q: In addition to writing books you are also an accomplished songwriter. Many people believe that it requires a very unique talent to write songs. Do you agree with this or do you just view songwriting as another genre of writing?
A: I think both viewpoints are viable. In a song you have to be vivid RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. You set up a character in 16 bars or less, appeal to as many senses as possible, evoke emotion and provoke thought, set a mood, sometimes tell a whole life story and be sure your communication is on a level that MATTERS … all this through a lyric with a beginning, a middle and an end. And you better follow the structure of the genre you’re in or your listeners will tag you for it. Can you explain why you’re putting the bridge where it is and why you need a bridge? Yes, you CAN break rules, but only after you know what they are and cite a damn good reason.
Example of a favorite lyric of mine from Cajun Kind Thing I co-wrote with Grammy winner, Carl Jackson: “Granny Tata’s rum shack is hidden in a swamp near a gator hangout by a willow stump. It’s a get-on-down so she’s sent for a flask of the liquor that’ll jump right out of your glass.”
You can picture that woman and her environment, can’t you? Taste that harsh, stringent liquid lightening? Smell the moss hanging low from the trees half under water? Oh yeah.
With a book, you have more time to develop situations and people. Hey! Dickens got paid by the word. But you had better follow the same course – appeal to all the senses; evoke emotion; provoke thought, set a mood and conduct discourse on a level that matters. Otherwise, what’s the point? I believe all writers have a sacred relationship with a reader (or listener) that demands involvement of the head and the heart and requires that the writer reveal him or herself. It’s only fair that if you have someone’s undivided attention, you wrap it with glory.
Q: What do you enjoy more, writing books or writing songs?
A: That would be like choosing your favorite child. I adore the give-and-take of working songs with a co-writer. Such a gorgeous process when you’re clicking fire. But the novel? Gee, you get to be God, create a universe, fill it with beings, and get them to demonstrate what you really believe about a topic or topics that matter. That’s SOMETHING.
Q: You have had so many careers but you say writing has been your favorite. What is it about writing that you love so much?
A: I adore the power of words and the churning caused by new ideas expressed in words. I revere a skillful storyteller – each one in his or her turn is responsible for nurturing and spreading all the earth’s culture. I relish how a good tale can teach, enrage, encourage, devastate and bring realization, even epiphany.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning was the word.” If it’s good enough for the bible, it’s good enough for me.
Q: Your children’s book, “The Adventures of Baylard Bear” is about a bear who was adopted. Was it one of your goals, with this book, to help adopted children to deal with feelings they may have of being different?
A: I believe that “being different” is a universal circumstance. No matter how successful adults become, from time to time that burden of “apart-ness” will pop up. Alone-ness can weigh heavy at any age but for children, I feel the burden is deeper. Baylard encompasses so many facets of “the duck out of water” scenario, including adoption. And hopefully in a way that presents a gentle opportunity for children and their parents/caregivers/guardians to begin an important conversation. I hope Baylard is the “anti-bully.”
Q: Do you write continually or just when you have a particularly compelling idea?
A: I write a both a political blog and commentary under an alias. I created a community affairs blog for a newspaper and currently have complete autonomy on what I cover and what I say about what I cover. That freedom is a rare luxury. I blog for a beer and wine company’s web site. I write PR campaigns, press releases, hand out materials and web site content for my local United Way and their 29 partner organizations. I am writing for you right now. I would be afraid to wait for a compelling idea – I just try to make all my ideas SOUND compelling. (How’m I doing?)
Q: Is there a genre you haven’t tried yet that you would like to explore?
A: I’d like to make a movie of “Francesca of Lost Nation and co-write the screenplay. Do YOU have any ideas about who should play the title character?
Q: What do you hope to accomplish with “Francesca of Lost Nation”?
A: The novel has a “companion song” called “Stories They Could Tell.” (hear for free at www.LuckyCinda.com). It addresses the treasure the elderly have in their personal histories. If we listened more to these folks who have survived so much and triumphed and struggled and surrendered and healed – maybe we would recapture something our culture has lost. A civility? Respect? A more objective viewpoint?
I certainly highlighted relationships – in particular, the real cost of sibling rivalry over time; a July-October love affair under scrutiny; and a real and abiding friendship between two people who were born 60 years apart. The nature of love.
And finally, I hope I evoked emotion, provoked thought, appealed to all the senses, set moods, communicated on a level that MATTERS and influenced realization.
Q: What are your future writing plans?
Book wise – I am working on a marketing how-to with my Publicist, Laura Dobbins. I also have another children’s book in the works about water. Then maybe a book about outdoor art. And probably a novel about China in the 1600s called “The Scroll of the Son of Heaven.” PHEW!!!!
Lucinda Sue Crosby also has a music blog: www.music.luckycinda.com, where her songs can be heard for free and purchased for $1.50.
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Laura
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Jun 17, 2012 12:18AM
Thank you Jennifer. You are awesome to help authors. Let me know when you want us to pitch something for you. Laura
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You're welcome, Laura. Just pass along the word about my short story collection, Offbeat Love Stories and MoreThanks
Authors' Musings
Jennifer K. Lafferty, author of Movie Dynasty Princesses, reviews a wide range of books and discusses various aspects of contemporary and classic literature.
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