Ask the Author: Barbara Bonneau
Answered Questions (7)
Barbara Bonneau
Don't worry about finding THE idea. Write what you feel, what you see, what you think, one day after the other. One day you will have lived enough (or accumulated enough) to want to create a character perhaps, and to transmit something of your experience (real or imagined) through that character. Another important thing to do is to read, everything....the classics among others, even if they seem difficult. Later, you can read them again if you think you've missed something.
Barbara Bonneau
Writing! While some authors will say writing is painful, to me it is a joy. Memories can be difficult, so can depicting horrendous scenes. However, when I do have to write something unruly (because the story demands it), I concentrate as much as I can on the sentence itself. What could make the sentence sound like the scene? How can I help the readers "hear" fear, guilt, or pain? Connecting with others is the best thing about being a writer.
Barbara Bonneau
Although I write everyday, it would be a lie to say that I work on a novel everyday, in the sense of adding words to a volume that I will some day finish. I write letters to friends, play around on social media, scribble notes hither and thither, and for many years was preoccupied by my profession: psycho-analyste. I almost always have at least a sentence or two to write about something, but when I don't, I try to air my mind doing other things--- listening to music, going for a walk, and reading. I love to read most of all.
Barbara Bonneau
Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she trudged down the stairs for her morning coffee, unwary of the bony outstretched claws lying there. As these cut into her naked flesh, above her cries she thought she heard whispers saying: "we've got her".
Barbara Bonneau
I am currently working on two novels, but will probably put one aside soon. One is another Southern Gothic Suspense Novel, based on a news story (no spoilers). The other is based on more worldly events and the people closest to these.
Barbara Bonneau
Everything can be used for inspiration. I listen to a lot of music. Sometimes just a line will send me off in the right direction. I am inspired by both nature and people. (The Mississippi river is an endless source for those who grew up near there, and everyone knows quirky people). In spite of a seemingly small scene, much of what goes on in the world can happen in one small Louisiana town.
Barbara Bonneau
My novel, These Beans Have Too Much Salt, is based on my experience in dealing with destructive cults. At the time I started to write the novel, there weren't many authors writing about relationships in a cult. Vulnerability to cults seemed to me to be prevalent especially during adolescence, mourning, and separations of all kinds, at a time when identity upheaval is at risk and friendships are indiscriminate. My Louisiana heritage allowed me a take on both southern and Cajun cultures and I decided to combine my research on cults with a story about a family of displaced Cajuns.
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