How did you deal with an abusive childhood?
Abusive childhood. It was a day-by-day situation in that I expected, but didn't know when, to be abused, either physically or verbally. Those bruises to my body faded in time, however the mental damage caused by the verbal abuse has remained with me to this day. It was only a few years ago that the Lord softened my heart enough to forgive my parents, especially my father, who have been deceased for twenty years. When I was nineteen, I married my high school sweetheart. He became an alcoholic and took up where my father left off--big time! He sometimes beat me twice a week. I landed in the hospital three times due to the physical damage.
The third time, I suffered a miscarriage, and the attending doctor had treated me before. He reported my husband to the police and then alerted my parents who moved me back home with them until I could recover.
What I went through with him is written in another yet-to--be finished book.
How did you come up with the story of your book, "The Lonely Life of a Pornographer's Wife"?
Book background. This story is based on my marriage to a man who became a multimillionaire through the pornography theater business, and the mafia with whom he was associated.
Is the character of Carla based on someone you know?
Carla. I was Carla. Due to the drama to which I was exposed through my then husband, and the onset of the bipolar depression, the mental breakdown that Carla suffered was my own. I wrote what I went through in the book just as it happened to me.
What's one thing people don't usually understand about bipolar disorder?
Bipolar illness. Many believe that this is a mental disease, and therefore anyone suffering with it is mentally ill or a "weirdo". Bipolar depressive illness and manic depression generally go hand-in-hand. A person, as with myself, could go into suicidal depression where they feel that there is no hope, therefore, no reason to go on. This is followed by euphoric highs, where it seems that a person is on drugs or alcohol. However, these disorders are not unlike diabetes, whereas the brain does not produce enough certain chemicals to balance the body's function. With the correct medication, a person can lead a "normal" life. Oftentimes, it takes a combination of pills, or the classic, "we'll try this' or, "we'll try that" (as was my case) to find what's right for an individual. Thankfully, mental illness is becoming better understood, and not looked upon as something shameful.
What are some of your plans for the future? Are you working on a new project at the moment?
Future writing plans. I have several more books to finish writing. They are outlined, in general If anything, some are just a scramble of notes that I jotted down when ideas and/or thoughts came to me. I feel that God has given me a prolific imagination and a great desire to write since I was a youngster. So, that, along with the vast and many experiences in my lifetime, I write stories. I have traveled a fair amount of Europe, the South Pacific and America, which adds to my background. I have two other books published under another name that I do not want associated with this one, due to its content. My enormous problem, as with many writers, is that I don't know how to promote or market my books, especially since I'm such a computer dummy. So, for now, I just write.
In what ways did your faith in God help you overcome the abuse you faced during your childhood?
My faith and God. That's an enormous story in itself, and I'm doing good now to write this much when I have another book to finish editing. Just be on the lookout down the road for a book called, I Screamed at God and He Yelled Back. There, you will have an abundance of answers.
