Samantha is a USA Today bestselling author who kindly interviewed me a couple of times for her blog and website. She asked, I answered. Hope you enjoy our time together as much as I did.
SLF: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
When I’m not writing it’s important for me to be physically active going on long walks, hiking, or to the gym. I sit so much in front of the computer, I need to get up and move to get the kinks out. I also have various jobs within the entertainment industry that keep me active.
SLF: What do you do for leisure?
For leisure, I read and/or watch movies. Socially, I connect with friends or find something else to do that sparks my interest. I also don’t mind doing solo. And, I love to travel! Because my hours aren’t your typical 9 – 5, I have time to do whatever, whenever. I make it a point to explore the world at large when possible.
SLF: What made you decide to write?
I’ve always written in some way or another, but only for my own pleasure. In this instance, I saw the need for my particular subject matter, infidelity, to be readdressed. I’ve actually been on both sides of that fence. My real-life experiences give me a credible place to speak from. I share my personal story and others in my book. Also, this is mainly the before book, not the after-the-damage-is-done book. Believe it or not, there’s not many on the shelves like this.
SLF: What is something that you love to do that someone else may find a little shocking? For example, I love to eat fries and mayonnaise, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, peanut butter, and mayo sandwiches….etc.
I don’t know if this is shocking, but if I hear a song playing that I really like, I’ll sing out loud no matter where I am. Stares or no stares, I’ll keep singing.
I’m also a member of a flash mob but haven’t danced yet. During my first rehearsal, I was trying to decide how I was going to enter: walking, prancing, running. We were given options as long as it timed out correctly. It was to be my first group performance. We were actually going to be paid to participate. Although, it was a very small amount, getting paid to do flash mobs isn’t common practice. Plus, the location was conveniently located. A win-win, right?
Well, after careful thought, I entered doing some combination of the above-mentioned choices – and twisted my ankle! I went limping home instead of dancing. And, to add insult to injury, the ankle took a long time to heal. Very frustrating. My pride was slightly wounded as well.
SLF: Tell us a little bit about your current project.
What is it about?
My book is about adultery gone wild and how we need to rethink our position on this topic. Infidelity is becoming so commonplace, as is evidenced by the media and the reveal of high profile people falling by the wayside. It’s pretty much everywhere. Time to reevaluate. Heightened awareness and more effective education need to be explored. Personal accountability is absolutely key; for everyone involved. We can’t allow this chaotic circumstance to continue unchallenged. What most don’t realize is the trickle-down effects of infidelity bleed into society at large. And, guess what? We’re all society at large!
SLF: What started the idea?
Honestly, I became highly annoyed after seeing it played out time and time again in the press. Enough already!
SLF: How long did it take you from concept to finished product?
The thought occurred when it was revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger had an affair. That was my tipping point: May 2011. I put fingers to keyboard March 2012, self-published, and had the eBook at Amazon by Dec. 26, 2012.
SLF: How did you decide the genre?
It decided itself due to the nature of the content. I had been giving it some thought prior to Schwarzenegger’s betrayal, but that sealed the deal for me: time to write a book.
SLF: Did you find any drawbacks or snags while writing that made you learn something new or a new method for writing? For example: I’m a pantser at heart, but I’ve found some great templates and plotting ideas to help with making the story arch progress when I come to a “block”.
Not really. It was more a matter of staying disciplined and focused, which was definitely hard at times. It’s much easier to procrastinate if you’re not on a regular time clock or deadline. I had to keep reinforcing the fact that every little bit I did each day was a part of moving forward, no matter how small the item was. Otherwise, I would lose steam and patience; not a good thing. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform which can be counterproductive. I did tons of research and gathered equal amounts of information. It could be very overwhelming sifting through it all. I had to find a balance. It was tricky. This was new territory and there were/are numerous learning curves!
SLF: Are there any projects that you are currently working on and wish to share?
I continue to work on this project because I feel there is such a need for a wake-up call. I have a huge picture in mind for this book. Speaking engagements, seminars, etc. and not necessarily in the conventional sense. I have an entertainment background and I want to incorporate some of those elements into the overall plan. Promoting and marketing are a major part of the process. Due to budget restraints, I’m doing most of it on my own. This can be tiring, challenging, and disheartening. I have an acting background, but I’m not the best self-promoter. Go figure! But, this is different. I’m not promoting myself being another character – it’s just me and my message.
SLF: What, if anything, did you want readers to pull from this interview?
Hopefully, readers will consider the nature of my work, prevention, and its importance. I understand those who’ve been affected by infidelity may suffer from the associated stigma and may not feel confident enough to change the status quo due to embarrassment, humiliation, shame, etc. I also understand the anger aspect. But, in order to make progress, those emotions have to be dealt with and worked through. When my ex-husband cheated on me I chose to take a look at my part in the situation as well. I had to acknowledge how my behavior may have had an impact on the breakdown of the marriage. I was open enough to do the work and upped my personal growth. I didn’t want to fall into the same patterns in another relationship.
Bottom line: Infidelity will repeat ad nauseum unless more concrete action is taken. I truly hope the readers will join me in being a part of the bigger, broader change-up!
*Stop by Amazon and check out Samantha La Fantasie’s books here: https://amzn.to/2Wdb5zo
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