Ask the Author: Becky Andersen
Answered Questions (6)
Becky Andersen
I just started doing genealogy. My great-grandfather on my father's maternal side was married at least twice before he married my grandmother's mother. In the late 1800s-early 1900's that might not have been TOO odd because a lot of wives died in childbirth. The thing is his wives were SISTERS - and in the cemetery there is a tall spire with the barely visible names of three sisters - and all are listed on it as " wife of" my great grandfather!
Would a new book's plot be that Mack (my gr.gr. grandpa) was a serial killer? Or did he marry one sister, then another because for some reason he couldn't marry the third who had actually captured his heart? Hmmmm...
Would a new book's plot be that Mack (my gr.gr. grandpa) was a serial killer? Or did he marry one sister, then another because for some reason he couldn't marry the third who had actually captured his heart? Hmmmm...
Becky Andersen
Hi, Cynthia! You know, actually I'm not much of a romance genre reader, either - I much prefer mysteries and comedy. I'm so glad you liked my "romance," and thanks for the nice review. I'm up for a humor award, and don't know if the higher my review stats are, the better, but I don't think it would hurt. Anyway, if you can get to Sioux Center, I'd love to meet you in person. Plus there are going to be other authors there, so it might be doubly interesting for you to hear questions, answers and get to meet some writers personally. Best wishes, Cynthia! I feel like I have a new "cyber" friend! :)
Becky Andersen
That would have to be preppie Oliver and Jennifer, the young college lovers from Love Story by Erich Segal. They were the first fictional couple I would consider contemporary, because the novel was released – wait for it – February 24, 1970, which just so happened to be my last semester of my senior year in high school. I had read Gone with the Wind when I was 15, and was enchanted with that love story. But this new book had all the elements the 17-year-old me found fascinating – wealthy Oliver Barrett IV meets not very wealthy Jennifer Cavilleri and their story together was one of love, anti-establishment, love, raw attraction, love, independence, love, sacrifice, love, laughter, love, sadness, and oh! Did I mention love? Romance was on every page, from Ollie missing a swing at the puck during an ice hockey game because Jenny distracted him to Jenny’s loving teasing about him not being the very top of his graduating class, and of course, the very loving, very sad ending. These two characters, and indeed, even the book, can seem a bit cheesy compared to say Scarlett and Rhett, Anne Shirley and her Gilbert, and of course all the English heroines and their loves, but it made an impression on the teen-aged me. And when I grew up and married my high school sweetheart, I experienced my own love story: love, laughter, love, sacrifice, love, and, unfortunately, a very similar sadness.
And now I’m in my own sequel in Life and Love. And for two old people, we are living proof there is always a Love Story!
And now I’m in my own sequel in Life and Love. And for two old people, we are living proof there is always a Love Story!
Becky Andersen
Writer's block can hit any time. So I got used to just leaving my desk for a while. Sometimes I picked up a good book and started reading, sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and scribble something that was on my mind I thought might be good for my story, and other times I just re-read what I'd written so far and it seemed to help me get over the block.
Becky Andersen
When I was in fourth grade, a teacher wrote on a composition paper I'd handed (about horses, I believe) that I would probably grow up to be a writer. When I worked at a college, I would send out small stories or poems about events happening on campus, and I was told I should be a writer. Then when I was married a few years ago, my new husband encouraged me to just try. So when I finally retired and had time to write, past encouragement was my inspiration!
Becky Andersen
The idea for my book "We're Not Sixteen Anymore: A Baby Boomer's Adventures with Online Dating" came about because of Facebook, actually. I started posting a few of my "escapades" with dating and got so many comments and pleas for more that I decided to put them in a book.
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