Writers & Writing: Ray John de Aragon

Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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Ray John de Aragon

 

Author celebrates Hispanic culture and traditions

Ray John de Aragon is an educator at heart, which is good because he has spent much of his adult life creating learning opportunities for young people in Las Vegas and Los Lunas school districts. He is Las Vegas born and a lifelong student of life, Hispano culture and art. He follows dual disciplines, finding time to write definitive books based on stories he heard growing up, and a curiosity that lead him to write a book that corrected erroneous understanding of the state's early history.

As an artist he is creative while staying true to the traditions of style and interpretation. His writing has won a number of awards and he has been the subject of a number of articles and books. His enthusiasm about his work never stands in the way of his getting it right. He is a careful researcher and a dedicated historian. 

Below I share Ray John's responses to the questions we discussed during his Writer's Block segment July 17.

 

WB: Please start by telling the audience what you’ve been up to.

RJ: I’ve been working on a new project titled, The Hidden History of Spanish New Mexico.  This book will tell the story of the four hundred year history of the state and will include something about the heritage, culture, and traditions with information that is not readily available in any other book.

WB: Your books and art celebrate Hispano culture.  Share with us your thoughts on keeping one’s cultural traditions alive in an ever-changing world.

RJ: I don’t think people actually realize how much of how we react to things, our habits, and basic knowledge comes from those that came before us.  Cultural tradition is what shapes us as human beings, and it will continue to shape us on into the future.

WB: You’ve written a number of books, all of which have stood the test of time, creating a compendium of information that brings understanding to old Spanish and northern New Mexico traditions, and shines the light of understanding on often flawed depictions of history. Tell us about some of the books you’ve written and how your work has influenced or changed how we view the past.

RJ: I wrote my book, Padre Martínez and Bishop Lamy, because I was incensed at the way our legendary folk hero priest Padre Antonio José Martínez was depicted in Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop. Although it was a historical fictional novel people took it as the truth and saw the padre as an immoral lecherous priest. I felt I needed to counter that denigrating portrayal with the truth. I attempted to do the same thing with my book, Hermanos de La Luz, Brothers of the Light to present a more balanced look at the Penitente Brotherhood of New Mexico. The truth is most people want to hear about some rituals which have been sensationalized, rather than what was going on in the world around them. Actually their rituals reflected their faith and the strength it took to make it in a tough world and the penance they felt was needed to remind them that good moral decisions could only be made by picking up their cross and carry it, which was harder than taking the easy way out. Besides, the persecution they and their families endured by people who did not understand a culture different from theirs was a much greater penance than what they would have ever chosen. They were constantly being dragged out of their homes and beaten and sometimes they and their families were killed. It wasn’t meant to be a secretive society, but throughout history, from ancient times to now, the world has not always been kind to things they could not understand. I think my books have opened up an understanding and appreciation of the rich cultural and historical heritage and legacy of the four hundred year old Spanish history of New Mexico.

WB: How do you balance the time it takes to create a work of physical art and the artistic expression of writing, both of which take a monumental amount of time?

RJ: I go by the inspiration I feel at the time. If I feel like painting, I paint. If I feel like writing, I write.  If you want to do something bad enough, you sacrifice. Some people get to go on vacation, watch TV, sleep, etc., sometimes I have to give those things up and work on what I believe in.

WB:  Let’s talk about New Mexico Legends and Lore. Now, I’m Hispanic, on my mother’s side. I grew up learning what she remembered of stories she grew up with in Arizona, where my grandfather was a country sheriff and a sheepherder, but those stories were watered down, I think, by the fact we didn’t live in community with the traditions she grew up with. I will say, however, that in this book I recall similar types of stories. Do these stories sort of cross all cultures and come out in different ways?

RJ: I think that in all cultures the world over there are stories that have been passed down from one generation to the next that teach lessons or follow universal themes. It doesn’t matter what the color of our skin is, how our culture or traditions are different. We all want to be treated with dignity, to be loved, to be taken care of, to wish that our children could always be safe and protected. We are a very creative people and we find ways of expressing ourselves by making it interesting, magical, or frightful. Whatever works to get our point across. What youth wants to hear, “Don’t go into a canal with rushing water or ditch filled to the brim with water because you could drown!” Doesn’t it make a more lasting impression if one says, “I’ve heard that La Llorona is always looking for children who go near the water in the arroyos and if she catches them, they might not ever see their family again. So be very careful. You never know…” 

WB: What prompted you to put together this particular collection?

RJ: When I told the stories in the book to students at schools, at presentations around the state, at conferences, and at university classrooms I always enjoyed seeing how kids and adults would respond.  Since people seemed to be enthralled by the stories, I wrote them down.

WB: What stories resonated with you as a child and has that changed as you’ve matured?

The story of La Llorona is one I grew up with living next to the Arroyo Manteca near the Old Town Plaza here in Las Vegas. Of course my mother told me the story to keep me away from the arroyo, but as I grew older, my friends and I searched for La Llorona in the arroyo by day, but never by night. I decided to write a full-length book on La Llorona, The Legend of La Llorona, which is still in print. As a child I didn’t understand why the stories were told, but as an adult I understand the value in those stories. In today’s society, kids watch programs or play games where blood is gushing, or brains are bursting out of characters heads, but there is no value in the story, no moral learned, except maybe a “how to” guide on how to do the same things, but do it before it’s done to you, or do it well enough to not get caught.  People say its not real, but when it does become real some of us are shocked, others may think they were stupid because they got caught, and still others may think, “It’s not really that big of a deal!”

WB: Of the books you’ve written which has been your favorite?

I can’t say any one book I’ve written is my favorite. Each one had a purpose. I guess I could say, my next one and the one after that is my favorite. Each new book is the infant waiting to be born.

WB: Which has had the greatest impact and why?

At this point, Padre Martinez and Bishop Lamy has had the greatest impact. It has been referred to as a revisionist history by some, I say, “Is it a revisionist history because I dare to contradict what the so called “experts” have quoted over and over again without looking at the facts?” At one time it wasn’t easy to do research by looking at documents from primary sources or as close to the primary source as possible, but today there is no excuse for rehashing what somebody else has said with the technology that is available. I would say read and reread both the pros and cons, what are the statistics, what else was going on at the time, who is saying it, why they are saying it and then make your statement. Hey, there is nothing like history, the written words of those who lived it, and time will eventually bring out the truth. New “old” documents come out of secret government folders or hidden chests everyday. We just need to look for them. Sometimes we like what we find, sometimes we don’t.

WB: You have also written children’s books.  Talk a little about that.

RJ: It always seems that I have ten different projects going at the same time. Being a Title I reading teacher I always wanted to write children’s books because I saw how kids reacted to Dr. Seuss so I wrote City of Candy and Streets of Ice Cream. It sold well and now I have several children’s books in the works.

WB: On the book cover for New Mexico Legends and Lore, you quote a common New Mexico expression, “Fear always leads us to suspect the worst.”  Do you regard that as a caution to not be fearful or a defeatist reality? As in, the worst is bound to happen so I might as well get the fear part of it out of the way up front.

RJ: This famous New Mexico dicho most probably means something like, “If at first you don’t succeed, try again.”  What it also means is keep on trying until you do. We say, “Think before you leap!”  Sometimes, we have to leap before we think or we might not ever do it!

WB: Tell us about your author event at Tome on Saturday.

RJ: Tome on the Range is having a book signing on Saturday, July 21.  I will be there to sign the books and try to answer any questions you might have. We might be able to share some stories.

Ray John concluded with these words: I guess I could say that my hometown of Las Vegas provided me with all I know about ghosts, haunted houses and the legend of Billy the Kid. Our famous Padre Martínez also came into play. What I learned and what I grew up with is now the subject of my books.

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Writing and Writers: Jane Friedman

 Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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On the subject of e-media and 

new opportunities

Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman recently left her position as an assistant professor of e-media at the University of Cincinnati. She is the former publisher of Writer’sDigest, the go-to magazine for writers, and has spoken on writing, publishing, and the future of media at more than 200 events since 2001. Her new role is that of online editor for the Virginia Quarterly Review.

In our interview Jane said she comes from a creative writing and liberal arts background. Before entering academia for a couple of years, she worked in traditional publishing, first at a mid-size publishing house, and later at Writer’s Digest.  

While her new position at VQR is publishing related, there are distinct differences. VQR is a non-profit entity rather than commercial, and has a more literary approach to content.

Jane talked about her past experience and her new opportunities. I asked her to share her thoughts on what e-media means both from a promotions point of view and from a consumer’s perspective.

She said e-media is a funny term. In the university environment – and perhaps in the thinking of most people – it means anything related to communication: radio, television, internet and other electronic transmissions. New media more specifically focuses on the internet and on-line tools like e-books, blogs, websites and the various other, and seemingly growing, number of social media sites.

She said prior to issuing an e-book, authors should be comfortable with the scope of the online community, pointing out that if you’re not active online it will be more difficult to create a presence. Jane had a few recommendations for authors who are internet novices.

First Things First

• Create your own website where you have all the information about your books, events, or anything that’s going on related to your work. 
•  If you have no publishing partner research what’s out there and select what will work for you. Your decision will be based on what you know about your readers and how they will respond to what you have to offer.
• There are a number of resources available, two of which Jane recommended. Bookbaby and Smashwords are well-run companies used by thousands of authors. Neither is better than the other, but each provides options suited to author needs.

The use of e-media tools is based on the assumption the people you want to reach are active online. Jane said social media typically works as a triangle. 

• Readers and the types of sites and tools they use.
• You the writer, and the sites and tools you’re comfortable with.
• Your work.

The sweet spot it where they all come together. Some tools may be better suited to specific types of writing. Prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction present different and distinct challenges in creating an on-line presence.  

Market research is essential in determining what will work, beginning with finding out where readers are and what they're doing (looking at) on line. There is no one specific tactic or strategy. Jane said what you use depends on the work itself and what you enjoy doing. If you don’t enjoy it (blogging, tweeting, facebooking -- my word not Jane's) you won’t continue to do it, and that’s what counts; consistency over the long haul. “Efforts snowball based on small actions you do every day. Those actions give you visibility, which eventually translates into a growing audience and your platform.”

Blogability

What are the elements of a good blog? Jane gave three easy-to-follow tips. 

• Make it easy to read. Don’t use blog templates that have small type or use white type against a black background.
• Create headlines that work. Make sure headlines, taken out of the context of your blog home, attract readers. Make your headlines search-friendly and related to your topic.
• Make your blog outward focused. Think about your readers and what will interest them. Use the principles of good writing: get to the point quickly, break up the post with headlines, subheads and bulleted lists and keep the writing tight, generally no more than 500 words, unless you already have a loyal following.

The Future of Publishing

We talked briefly about The Future of Publishing: Enigma Variations, Jane’s free e-book about, well, the future of publishing. The book is a slight departure from what she was encouraged to do. She had no interest in writing about the future of publishing because nobody knows what the future holds, especially when it comes to the publishing world. When she decided to proceed with the project she elected to say something about the topic in a humorous way. This parody contains a dozen or so chapters riffing on predictions made by others. I have to say, it’s fun to read. In the final chapter Jane gives her honest opinion.  

On to new beginnings

Jane’s new adventure in publishing is taking her back to her roots. She said around Virginia Quarterly Review they sometime refer to the journal as eating your vegetables. I took that to mean it’s good and good for you. VQR is comprised of high-quality journalism, essays of nurture, and photo journalism not found in other journals

Predominately a print publication VQR has been around since 1925. While there have been some digital versions, and there is a website, the online presence needs attention. Jane’s role is to revive the journal's social media impact and look for ways to build an online community. Through her efforts she will be promoting the brand, building content that lives online and translating the print edition into an online experience. Plans are to generate unique content for the website not related to the print version.

VQR does take submissions, but Jane said now might not be a good time to submit work as management is preparing to hire a new editor. She recommends checking online for updates. 

Generally VQR is theme-based by issue and full of photo and international journalism. Additional content includes short fiction, poetry and a range of essays. Content may be best described as eclectic. Check out archived articles online, or order a print edition to see what VQR looks like in living color.

Jane’s final advice to writers is to be patient. The publishing process in any form takes time. Don’t expect results within weeks, she said, and remember, "...small actions, every day, over a long period of time will pay off."

My thanks to Jane, who in the initial stages of her new job, took time to call in and talk about writing and the online tools you can add to your tool box.

(Photo of Jane from her website)

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Writers and Writing: Alice Winston Carney

Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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On the Air with Alice Carney

Alice Carney and the Writing Life

Author and workshop facilitator Alice Carney seems more comfortable talking about everything under the sun, but herself. In our interview on Tuesday she revealed an enthusiasm for the subject of writing and kind of glazed over her own accomplishments. Below are her written responses to the questions I asked on Writer’s Block. She is an experienced writer and a wonderful communicator. Perhaps that comes from her 20-plus years as a Dale Carnegie instructor.

 

WB: Let’s begin by you telling us a little about yourself.

AWC: I grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from Robertson High School and Highlands University. I live in Sacramento, Calif., and, now that my husband Jim and I are retired, we spend part of the year at our place in Sapello. I have been a Dale Carnegie instructor for over 20 years and taught in the Communications Department at Sacramento State University. My favorite course to teach was Rhetorical Criticism because I worked deeply with the students on their writing, getting them to question the words they choose to use and the ideas they professed.

WB: Tell us about A Cowgirl in Search of a Horse.

AWC: A Cowgirl in Search of a Horse is a collection of stories about growing up in Las Vegas in the period between the end of WWII and the Vietnam War. One of my English professors at Highlands, Dr. Mallory, said one day in class, “If you don’t write down what happens to you, it will go away.” The stories in Cowgirl are a way to keep an earlier Las Vegas, as seen through my eyes, from going away.

WB: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

AWC: I have always enjoyed the idea of writing. I was lucky to have good English literature and journalism teachers from junior high through high school and college. Our seventh grade English teacher Tom Clark had us write weekly book reports that were limited to 50 words. I think that exercise taught me how to edit and get rid of all those extra words that clog up writing. Mrs. Lancaster at Robertson was a great journalism instructor, she encouraged us, but also critiqued in a way to make us better writers. I wrote for and edited my college newspapers and wrote for newspapers in New York and California. I have always kept a journal. I belong to a writers group in Sacramento.

I like to write, to work on the process of getting ideas across, playing around with words and telling stories. Does that make me a Writer? I still don’t know.

WB: What prompted you to start the Green River Writers Workshop?

AWC: I had been working on some of the stories that ended up in Cowgirl for a number of years but was not sure where to go with them. I took an on-line memoir writing course through Gothem Writers’ Workshops and that helped my skill level. I learned to be less general and to be more specific (for instance, to write about Las Vegas so that it does not come across as any small town but as a unique place with unique people living in it).

Then six years ago I attended a week-long memoir writing workshop in Taos with Natalie Goldberg, the author of Writing Down the Bones, a book I would recommend to anyone who is thinking about writing. That workshop was helpful on a general creative level, dealing with how to dig into your own experience and recreate it for the reader. There were 40 people at the workshop, most of them from out of New Mexico and no one except me from the other side of the mountains from Taos. I thought that Las Vegas would be a good place for a memoir writing workshop because there are so many stories to be told here. I literally had one of those flashes of insight: I could put on a writing workshop. My strength is in coaching and teaching and helping individuals and groups develop their ideas and skills, so I could do that part. I loved writing and had some experience, but not the deep publishing record that would be needed to give credibility to the workshop. I knew where to go for that.

I called my friends Gerry and Lorry Hausman who graduated from Highlands with me and now live in Florida. They are authors of over 75 books and have received national awards for several of those books. They are editors and publishers and gifted teachers. I asked them if they would like to come to Las Vegas the next summer and put on a memoir writing workshop with me. They did, and five years ago we held the first annual Green River Writers Workshop.

Since that first workshop we have also held workshops in Sacramento, Calif. and at the Fredericksburg Art School in Fredericksburg, Texas. We have people come from Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Silver City, New York, Colorado, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, and this year we go international with Kenji Okuhira, a photo-journalist from Tokyo attending.

WB: Why did you select Las Vegas as the site?

AWC: Because we come here every summer, my family and friends are here, and because Las Vegas and northern New Mexico have such a rich cultural and creative history. I knew Las Vegas had an active writing and creative community from which to draw and I thought that the area would be an interesting destination point for writers from out of the area. You have a great bookstore in Tome on the Range and the Plaza Hotel has been supportive location for us.

WB: You keep it relatively small. Why is that?

AWC: We like the intimacy of a group that is 15 or less. We get to learn from each other through talking about writing and hearing each others work. Gerry and Lorry and I like the dynamic of a group this size.

WB: What do you want attendees to get out of the experience?

AWC: Our basic goal is for them to understand how to turn memory into story. In addition, our goal for beginning writers is confidence in their own voice, an awareness that their stories are interesting and should be written; the basic skills of good writing (for example, how to appeal to the reader, how to use active rather than passive verbs, what point of view works best). For experienced writers, to see them challenge themselves, take themselves to new levels. As with any creative work, with writing, there is always more to learn; when we stop leaning, we stop growing.

 The last day we focus on the rapidly changing and complex world of publishing. In addition to Gerry and Lorry’s and my experience, we will be bringing in Mina Yamashita, a writer,  book designer, and publisher to talk about  writing, designing and illustrating books in the digital age. 

Since our first workshop, several of the attendees have published books or are in the process of publishing. Joseph Baca (KFUN/KLVF owner) is one example.

Publication is not necessarily a goal for all members of the workshops, but for those who are looking in that direction, we offer expertise and guidance. We do believe that it is good to get your work out of your desk drawer (or off your computer) and into the light.

WB: There is an anthology of work by previous attendees. Let’s talk about that.

AWC: Green River Anthology, is a collection of the work of many of the workshop attendees over the past four years. We have had such good writing come out of the workshops, and we wanted that writing to be shared with a larger public. You will see a wide variety of writing styles and world views, poems as well as prose. We are proud of the level of writing in this anthology.

Several Las Vegans are included in the anthology: Petey Salman (my cousin), Maggie Romigh, Carol Ganyor, and Joseph Baca.

On Friday, July 20, from 5 to 6 we will be holding a reading and book signing of the anthology. It will be an enjoyable evening and a good way to learn more about your local writing community and support your local writers.

WB: What do you get from being a presenter?

AWC: Years ago, when I first started teaching, coaching, and running workshops, I thought about how lucky I was, because each time I work with a group of people and get to see them grow and develop their talents, I feel like I have fallen in love again. How many people get to fall in love several times a year?

WB: What is the one thing writers can do to improve their writing?

AWC: Write. As John McPhee said, "A writer writes." Read. You can’t be a good writer if you don’t read good writers. Develop the reading habit. Hang around with writers. Join a writing group. Take a workshop. Write.

WB: Anything last thoughts?

AWC: Whatever your creative urge is, writing, painting, drawing, music, photography, just walking in the woods, honor it. Remember your stories and find a way to share them before they go away. By sharing your story, you could make a difference in another person’s life.

The book signing for the Green River Anthology will be Friday, July 20, 5 p.m. at Tome on the Range.

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Writing and Writers: It's all about books

Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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Great children's books and programs at a hometown bookstore

Children's section at Tome on the Range, Las Vegas, NM

My interview with Suzanne Cole, former landscape designer and now children’s book specialist at Tome on the Range, was a joy. Her enthusiasm for her job, an inborn sense of fun and an apparent love of books made for a lively conversation and new insight into the bookstore’s commitment to providing an adventure in reading for all ages.

Suzanne said the “Where's Waldo” contest will continue through July. What is it? Look for Waldo at participating stores and collect four tickets to win a Waldo button. Eight tickets earns an entry in a drawing to win various prizes including art supplies from Art Essentials and Waldo books. Participating businesses are Unikat Jewelers, Tito's Gallery, Stuff, New Moon, Art Essentials, @ the Plaza, Threadbare, Pam's Flowers, Plaza Antiques, Wardancer Gallery, Semilla Natural Foods , Tome on the Range, and Gordon's Jewelers.

The much anticipated summer day camp, “Riding the Rails,” runs from July 30 to Aug. 3 from 12:30 to 5 p.m., for ages 8-12. The camp will take place on Monday and Thursday at the Las Vegas City and Rough Rider Memorial Museum. On Tuesday and Friday sessions will be at the parish hall on the Plaza. The highlight of the week will be a train ride to Lamy for a visit to the railway museum there. There are only eight openings left, so parents need to get to Tome soon to assure their child has a spot at this year’s camp. Fee for the camp is $50 per child.

Suzanne also brought several children’s books as examples of the variety available in the colorful and well-stocked children and youth section.

Picture books included Cowboy Ned and Andy, by Ezra Stein. What will Ned get Cowboy Bob for his birthday? The answer is found on the wonderfully illustrated pages of a book that teaches about what is important in life.

Wumbers by Amy Rosenthal is a fascinating approach to reading and thinking. Parts of the words are represented by a number, as in 4tune. Wumbers requires strict attention and is a great way for children to learn concentration and thinking on more than one level.

For intermediate readers Suzanne brought:

Bink And Gollie - Two For One, by Kate DiCamillo. Bink and Gollie, different in every way and fast friends, use teamwork and smarts while checking out the wonders at the state fair. It’s a funny and warmhearted story of friendship featuring the visual humor of illustrator Tony Fucile.  

Three Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage is the hilarious tale of rising sixth grader Miss Moses LoBeau. (From Penguin.com “Miss LoBeau  lives in the small town of Tupelo Landing, NC, where everyone's business is fair game and no secret is sacred. She washed ashore in a hurricane eleven years ago, and she's been making waves ever since. Although Mo hopes someday to find her "upstream mother," she's found a home with the Colonel--a café owner with a forgotten past of his own--and Miss Lana, the fabulous café hostess. She will protect those she loves with every bit of her strong will and tough attitude. So when a lawman comes to town asking about a murder, Mo and her best friend, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, set out to uncover the truth in hopes of saving the only family Mo has ever known.”

The Case of the Deadly Deserados, by Caroline Lawrence. (Kirkus Review: Twelve-year-old P.K. “Pinky” Pinkerton was born with a poker face—he can’t show or read emotion—but it’s not until he lands in Nevada Territory’s silver-mining country that he comes to terms with the hand he’s dealt. This fast-paced and deadpan-funny Wild West adventure is Pinky’s first-person account, scrawled out as “last words” on ledger sheets in a mine shaft while three desperados hunt him down. Read more…

I confess the young adult selections Suzanne brought were interesting enough that I might be adding them to my book list, which leads me to comment on the reading lists developed for summer reading for kids of all ages. Suzanne said everyone at Tome contributed to the development of the lists, which run the gamut from paranormal to sweet children’s book with simple messages. The following are suggested books that I found intriguing.

Name of the Star, by Maureen Johnson. (From Maureen Johnson’s website: The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London marks a memorable occasion. For Rory, it’s the start of a new life at a London boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago. Read more…

Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices Series), by Cassandra Clare: (Goodreads review: When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos. Read more…

For more about about books in general and children's books in particular, stop by Tome on the Range and talk to Suzanne or any of the booksellers.They'll be happy to help you.

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Writing and Writers: Candy Marie Bridges

Writer’s Block airs every Tuesday, at 9 a.m. MST on KFUN/KLVF, streaming live at www.kfunonline.com

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Author shares her story in Meet Me in the Mountains

Candy Marie Bridges doesn’t claim to be a writer, and says her memoir, Meet Me in the Mountains, was written because people asked her to write it. Looking at her website and seeing all the things she’s involved in, writing probably does take a back seat, but there is no question that she is a writer. Meet Me in the Mountains is her story, told in her unique voice, and it speaks to readers about choices, living to encourage others, and the healing power of faith. 

In our interview on July 3, she was charming and upbeat, just the kind of person you would want to spend time talking to. It is obvious her faith shapes her character and informs the way she lives. Below are her written responses to the questions I asked her on the air.

WB: Let’s begin by you telling the audience a little about yourself.

CMB: Originally I am from Southern California. I was born and raised there until I was 20 years old. At that time in my life, I married my husband Mike Roe, and we moved to Chandler, Ariz., where we lived, worked and raised our three children. In 2003, my husband died suddenly of a wrongful death and in January of 2006, as a widow, I moved 100 miles north to Pine, Ariz., a rural mountain town with only 1000 full time residents.

WB: Meet Me in the Mountains is a memoir. What prompted you to write your story and share it with others?

CMB: People often ask me, "Why did you move to the mountains? Why are you doing what you are doing? How did this place come to be?” The answers to these questions are not simple. So my prompting came from the guests who stay here where I live, work and serve at Breath of Life Retreat House.

WB: Have you always wanted to be a writer?  

CMB: No I never wanted to be a writer. It never entered my mind. It's funny now because when I think of all the times I was asked the questions about why I am here and how I got to live in the mountains, I would jokingly answer,  "I could write a book." After a couple of years of saying this, I was encouraged by a friend who is an author and editor to tell my story so others might find the value in faith, hope and love.

WB: You also have a business creating personalized calligraphy gifts. What inspired this entrepreneurial endeavor?

CMB: I was inspired in college during a non-credit calligraphy class. I was captured with the lettering art and the perfection, yet non perfection with hand lettering. I desired to meld both words and art to create inspirational and scriptural sayings. It took years, but I finally created a line of prints and sell them online at my website.

WB: Are some of the messages on the items created by you and if so what inspired the sentiment?

CMB: Most of the items are scripture based messages. I have a few that I wrote myself like A Wedding Day Prayer, A Covenant Marriage, A Poem for Son and one for Daughter. The very first poem I wrote in 1981 is titled, Balloons. I was so enthralled watching them float by our home on early cold winter mornings that I was inspired to share my thoughts in a poem. I also share a story in my book about my own balloon ride and how my mom and I experienced the balloon crashing in the desert.

WB: Tell the audience about Breath of Life Retreat Center and how that came about.

CMB: Breath of Life came about several years after the unfortunate wrongful death of my husband. I share a dream I had just two weeks after he died during a nap where I heard the words, Retreat House. Through prayer and discernment, I created a place of rest, peace and comfort in addition to providing guests a place to share time with each other and with the Lord. The year and a half long renovation of Breath of Life involved many friends and family who supported me in this vision. The majority of our guests are quilters, scrap bookers, staff from churches and Bible study groups.

WB: You have your hands full between your calligraphy business, managing the center and writing. Where do you find time to fit it all?

CMB: That's a great question. I have yet to conquer the time issue. I don't think I ever will. I am constantly reprioritizing my day. Ultimately though, our guests and the retreats we host are priority. My calligraphy business is taken care of during the week days. There are phone calls, emails, shipping calligraphy orders, preparing meals for our guests during retreats and cleaning up that entail a big portion of both my husband’s and my week.

WB: What do you hope people get from reading your book?

CMB: I hope they receive through my story, the ability to realize when tragedy strikes, there is always hope. There is always a choice in how and where we get our strength to press on. I believe our lives will never be at rest or at full peace until we join Jesus in heaven, but in the meantime, we can find inner peace and hope through Him. Just as He died for each and every one of us, we sometimes need to die to ourselves and reach out to others who are hurting. This may be in silence through prayer or a listening ear or using our talents and gifts to help others. There can be great healing through service.

WB: What writer's inspire you and why?

CMB: I don't have a particular writer who inspires me. I am mostly inspired by those who step outside themselves to help others, both in big ways and in small ways. From mothers and fathers, nurses, teachers, missionaries, and just ordinary people doing little and big things for others in their daily lives.

WB: What did you learn about yourself in the course of writing Meet Me in the Mountains that you didn't know before?

CMB: I learned that although I am not a writer by profession or degree, I was able to tell my story in my own words. It was difficult re living painful memories through writing my memoir, but also healing. Many memories came to the surface while writing and I was surprised more than once how this happened, funny stories included. Even though I wrote my book to share my life with others, I have been told by close family and friends that I also wrote my book for myself. Being the type of person who is never bored and always too much on my plate, writing forced me to sit and reflect in an orderly way, my life then and now and put perspective on it.

WB: Where can readers find your books?

CMB: My book can be found purchased at my blog http://www.CandyMarieBridges.com in addition to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

WB: Any last thoughts.

CMB: Yes. I would like to let people know that my book also has questions at the end of each chapter. If you are looking for a book for a group study or book club, the questions will promote thought provoking answers from those participating. I would like to thank you for having me as a guest. I appreciate the time and I hope people will visit my blog and read my book.

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