Author Spotlight with Arlene Crenshaw



K.S.  Hello Arlene and welcome to the blog. I am very excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction? Tell us a little about yourself. 

A.C. First of all I thank God for giving me a chance to interview with you.  I am a lady who decided to one day write a novel dedicating to my mother’s life, and with that trying to tell women as well as men that love doesn’t have to hurt.  I have no writing experience the only thing is people enjoyed reading my work so I went with that.  I’m also a 48 yrs old lady with one son and two adorable grandchildren who I adore.

K.S.  Any interesting writing quirks or stories you would like to share with my readers?

A.C. Once I had written my first novel, I decided to challenge myself in other areas of writing, short stories with suspense, drama and even wrote comedy. The more I wrote the more people seemed to enjoy my stories and the one statement everyone would make who read my stories was “ Girl I started reading that story and couldn’t put it down.”  This became an adrenaline rush for me so, I continued writing and writing taking friends on and family on a journey, and now I have two more novel coming out this year one about secret’s that people hide in their secret closets and the other is and assortment of short stories all comedy.

K.S.  When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?

A.C. I always use to write quotes and post them up on my mirrors, refrigerator, on doors while raising my son in my home.  I would do this to keep me and my son motivated. Example “If your mind can conceive it you can achieve it.” This was on of my favorite and “If you can look up you can get up.” Then I started writing them one year on my job every morning and people began to start looking forward to my quotes of the day.  That’s when I decided that I’m going to be a writer because people listen to me. I’ve always been told I had a special gift to reach people to make then think as well as to make them happy and laugh.

K.S.  What genre do you write?

A.C. I write a variety of styles such as drama, suspense and comedy.

K.S.  What would you say has inspired you most in your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?

A.C. Strangers from all walks of life who always listen to my stories I would tell my stories to complete strangers, not just for their opinion but mostly to make them smile or encourage them to have a better day, or just know that life will get better no matter what kind or adversity they face. 

K.S.  What does your family think of your writing?

A.C. My family thinks it’s great and that it’s a awesome thing to be able to do but, there are also those in the family no matter what you do, they’ll try to steal you’re glory if they could.

K.S.  What was one of the most surprising things you learned while creating your book?

A.C. The more I wrote about my mother’s life and my own the more I felt I was healing after carrying this guilt most of my life. What happen in “Twelve Roses for Uretta” which is all true I realized it wasn’t my fault at all and it was time for me to live after crying for 47 years behind closed doors, while putting on a false face to people that my life was happy? I got tired of blaming myself for things I couldn’t control.

K.S.  What inspired you to write your novel?

A.C. After losing my mother 1st of all, then years later after being let go on my job years later.


K.S.  Can you tell us a little about your novel?

A.C.
Synopsis:

This is a true story told through the eyes of a child growing up with her mother, her name
is Erica.  Erica’s mother suffered horrendous abuse by her husbands; Erica was the third child of Uretta. Erica also tells of her own suffering and guilt of not being able to reach out and help her mother, because at the time she was to young as well as her sisters and brothers, were unable to do anything they were all too young. 
 Growing up with all her sadness and pain at age fourteen, Erica finds herself in a situation that also added to the trauma of her life that caused her to be tormented from carrying so much guilt that it led to anxiety and depression throughout her whole life.
Erica never was able to let her mother Uretta, no of the pain she endured and the suffering she carried from her mother’s life, now in her own life, she had a secret that was to unbearable for her to tell her mother about what happened to her at age
fourteen.
Erica loved her mother so much; she was never able to tell her the secret before her mother’s untimely passing away. This story is very emotional and heartbreaking and I guarantee it will grab your attention to want to read more.

K.S.  Where can we find your novel?

A.C. My novel can be found at http://lulu.com/content/paperbackbook/twelve-roses-for-uretta/8309184 , www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnobles.com under ISBN 978-0-557-30920-7

K.S.  Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that we can visit? 

A.C.
www.facebook.com and mscrenshawsbooks.yolasite.com

K.S.  Do you have any closing advice to aspiring writers?

A.C. In order to get the story out and on paper you have to become what you’re writing about.



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2 comments:

Unknown said...

Great interview Katie!!!!!
Thanks for stopping by Arlene!

shaphire48 said...

You're so very welcome!!!

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.