Rebecca Conaty Bruce Interview Published on: 20, Jul 2021
Where did you grow up?
My father was military so I grew up in several states. The ones I remember the most is eight years in Texas then Florida for the teen years.
What was your biggest inspiration or motivation growing up?I would have to say my mother. She would read instead of watching Television, she was educated and worked when most mothers were stay at home moms. She experienced the whole “women should stay at home,” “women cannot own a home or car without a husband’s permission” and “women get less pay” ordeal. She fought hard to move up in the corporate world and she was an author as well.
What would your life be like if you had followed your childhood dreams?My childhood dreams were to become a teacher. In a way I do teach when I write historical fiction. (I did substitute teaching in schools as well)
Do you remember the first book you ever read? What was it about?I remember my first book well. It was called Baby Island. The story was about two kids who were in a shipwreck, landed on a deserted Island and had to try and raise all the babies they rescued without any experience in doing so. They had to learn and figure it all out on their own. That concept gets lost sometimes. Giving up is not an option.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?Always. I wrote stories as a child, I wrote for the school newspaper and I wrote books that never went any farther than my memory box. My first novel however, came to me after a trip to Ireland.
Do you remember the first character that came floating in your head in the novel, Esther Valentine Chronicles?Oh it was Esther for sure. She is strong and independent much like me. She wanted to do good in the world and solve crimes but society made her jump through all kinds of hoops to get there. I also love her because she has a kind heart underneath her tough exterior. Esther Valentine Chronicles is a clean crime series with a little flirtation, a little romance and cold case crimes. Since they are cold cases, the blood and gore already happened.
What kind of cultural value do you think reading and writing have/brings?My Mother always told me that “if you can read, you can do anything” You can bake a cake, travel places in your mind, and learn to build, learn about your history, follow directions, and basically anything at all can be achieved from reading a book.
What do you enjoy the most about writing contemporary historical fiction?My mother was a history buff; her favorite was civil war history. I picked up the bug and loved history as well. I have traveled all over and everywhere I go I try to learn the history about the place. With my novels I do research about the town I am writing about and find historical facts to include in the novel. I feel it makes the book more interesting if someone is reading and they can say… Hey, I have been there, I ate at that diner, or I traveled down that road!
Why do so many people want to write novels?Many reasons I suppose. They have a story playing over and over in their head and they just want to write it down to see if anyone else would enjoy it. (That would be me) Or maybe for more personal reasons to help someone that may have gone through a similar experience. There are few who want to make tons of money or are seeking fame. It is the story that matters. I tend to have strong female characters or heroines in my novels. That is important for young women to see they can do anything they set their mind to.
Do you think it’s important for parents to read for their children?Absolutely! It will open their minds to education. Plus it is a great bonding experience.
What are some lesser-known sights to see when visiting your city?Well I currently live in Florida that has unending sights. However I think if I had to chose it would be manatees or Winter the dolphin at Clearwater Marine aquarium.
Do your book ideas usually start with the characters, story/plot, historical events, or something else?I start with a plot, then I research the ‘where’ and historical events for that town or place. The rest comes to me as I write. The plot usually starts and comes to me in the form of a dream.
What are your plans for the future as a writer? Are you working on anything new?I do have a sixth book in the works for the Esther Valentine Chronicles. Esther is not finished solving cold cases in her home state of Texas. The sixth one has a little different twist to it. I also have just finished a Young Adult Fantasy Novel. It is in the editing process as we speak. I wanted to write a book my young grandchildren can enjoy as well as teens and young adults.
How were you first introduced to AllAuthor? Do you have any feedback?I saw the name AllAuthor on twitter and headed over to the site to see what it was all about. I love it. I have three books featured and would love to have more. (Maybe soon) I have recommended it to all my author friends. I love the mock ups. I want to make different advertising for my novels and not just cookie cutter ads. With AllAuthor I can get creative and post it straight to twitter. The best item is when your book is featured you receive the automatic daily tweets. This helps me to concentrate on my writing and not have to worry daily about posting something, AllAuthor does it for me. The one thing I would love to see is the ability to create book covers on AllAuthor. I have self published most of my books and the format for book covers is limited so I have to go to different places and sites just to create one that fits my genre.
