CHARACTER INTERVIEW: Beth Stedman from A Less Than Perfect Beginning

Tell me a little about yourself (where you live, who you are, what you look like, what you hope to achieve, etc.)

My name is Beth Stedman, and I am the spunky heroine in A Less Than Perfect Beginning. I was born and raised in the sooty, steel mill suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from the mid 1940s to the early 1960s. I’m shorter, blonder, and more slightly built than the rest of the stocky Poles in my family – for a reason which will eventually be revealed. I’m also fiercely independent, partly due to my nature but also partly due to being shunned by my own family and being forced to rely upon myself. I dream of escaping my dysfunctional family and devise a secret plan to accomplish that goal as soon as possible.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I am innately adventurous. From the age of six, I loved to travel by streetcar and bus to the neighboring towns to explore the unfamiliar. I was constantly in search of the greener pastures that I saw portrayed on my favorite TV shows like 77 Sunset Strip. 

Places like Los Angeles seemed so exotic compared to my drab Pittsburgh surroundings. But I also had an alternative motive for taking those excursions – I was preparing for the time when I would take a final one-way trip and escape my bizarre home environment.

What is your favorite color and why?

My favorite color is green. Why? Because it represents the greener pastures to which I someday intended to flee.

What is your favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

My favorite food is doughnuts. This dessert is a staple for Pittsburghers, but it is also associated with my first job that produced a paycheck. At the age of 15, I was hired as a counter clerk at the local doughnut shop. And from that salary, I began filling my secret war chest that would fund my escape.

What would you say is your biggest quirk?

My biggest quirk is my sense of humor, probably developed out of a sense of self-preservation and escapism. I managed to turn my father’s drunken episodes, my brother’s villainous behavior, my sister’s spoiled tantrums, and my mother’s lack of affection into zany, comedic skits. Humor has always been my survival mechanism.             

What is it about your antagonist that irks you the most, and why?

My refusal to buckle under pressure drives my enemies crazy. My father always raged when I wouldn't share his perverted world view, and my boss raged when I abruptly quit my job to follow my dream of fleeing to California.

What or who means the most to you in your life? What, if anything, would you do to keep him/her/it in your life?

The most important presence in my life has always been God – He was a constant refuge throughout my 18 childhood years endured with the Stedmans. God gave me hope that the future would be better than the past or the present.  My many friends also provided me solace. Since my own nuclear family refused to offer love and support, my friends became my surrogate family. With those cherished relationships, I didn't feel alone.

What one thing would you like readers to know about you that may not be spelled out in the book in which you inhabit?

I mention in the book that I eventually marry, have a son, and then divorce my husband. Readers will have to wait for the follow-on novel to learn about my life as a single mother.

If you could tell your writer (creator) anything about yourself that might turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?

I might hint that I suspect the real reason why my father is so antagonistic toward me. How would this change the family dynamics? Would this suspicion increase or decrease the level of resentment toward me?     

Ask me any question. I've always wanted to know what a character thinks about writers like myself. I'll answer the question at the end of this interview.

Why did Diane Huffman choose the plot of escaping a dysfunctional childhood for her debut novel?

Good question, Beth. It's probably the same reason I wrote my first book, A River of Stones, about a girl named Samantha whose parents divorced and her mother remarried and how Sam got through it all and became a better person. 

There's something about a first book that demands a little cleaning out of your own closet; at least it was the case with me.

If you're worried about all of your thoughts and feelings being spelled out for everyone to read, don't be. Knowing how someone else worked through their pain can often help another heal the life that they've been dealt.

***

Read the Author interview

Learn more about the author:

Bio:

Diane L. Huffman, happily retired from a marketing career in the fast-paced high-tech industry, has penned her first novel, A Less Than Perfect Beginning. She was inspired by a raucous childhood that was filled with secrets and psychos, but also humor and hope. Huffman earned B.A. and M.B.A. degrees and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah near her son and is currently at work on her second novel.

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Less-Than-Perfect-Beginning/dp/149172238X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395753472&sr=1-1&keywords=a+less+than+perfect+beginning

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/a-less-than-perfect-beginning?store=book&keyword=a+less+than+perfect+beginning

Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=a+less+than+perfect+beginning

Kirkus Reviews:

“An exhilarating, unsentimental story of one woman’s triumph over a devastating childhood” —Kirkus Reviews

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/diane-l-huffman/a-less-than-perfect-beginning/

League of Utah Writers:

"Very well done, I would definitely recommend." —League of Utah Writers

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Diane L. Huffman

Tell me a about yourself. What got you started in writing?

I had a book rattling around in my head for years; but with raising a family, working full-time in the fast-paced high-tech industry, and getting two college degrees, I simply did not have the extra time to sit down and focus on writing. But then I retired and moved from the temperate climate of California where I spent a great deal of time outdoors to the extreme hot and cold seasons of Utah where I was spending more time indoors. So trapped in my top-floor, downtown apartment with a beautiful view over the entire Salt Lake valley, I thought, now is the time to write my novel.

                                                    
How and where do you write? Do you prefer a lap top or do you prefer writing freehand?

I began writing my novel when the last winter turned so snowy and so bitter cold that negotiating the outdoors became a chore. So I set up my laptop on a small desk in my living room, situated by a large window overlooking the valley. I found it very soothing and stimulating to write while watching the beautiful snowfalls.

What's your favorite part about writing? 

My favorite part of writing is when I’m on a creative streak and the words just effortlessly flow – it’s so exhilarating. But at some point, brain drain hits – I get exhausted, the words stop, and I need a recess.

How do you come up with your characters? Why would readers want to get to know them?

The characters from my just-published debut novel, A Less Than Perfect Beginning, are based upon actual people encountered during my childhood. Beth, the protagonist, is based upon my own experiences. The premise of my novel is that through faith, a positive attitude, and a sense of humor, one is able to not only survive a dysfunctional childhood but to also thrive and succeed in life. The reader cheers for Beth and is inspired by her spunkiness and perseverance.

What types of marketing do you do to promote your writing?

There are SO many marketing avenues! Here are some that I have used: Join writers’ groups, attend writers’ conferences to sell your books and network, advertise in writers’ organizations newsletters, place your books in local independent bookstores, have your books placed on the shelf in local Barnes & Noble stores, send copies of your books to reviewers at local newspapers, advertise on websites such as Kirkus Reviews and Goodreads, have a give-away program on Goodreads, advertise through college alumni associations and other membership clubs

How do you schedule your writing time? When do you write?

Since I view my writing as a vocation, I treat it as I did when working as a full-time marketer. I rise early in the morning and am at my computer, ready to begin writing, at 9:00 a.m. My concentration lasts for about two hours, so I take breaks that include exercising in my apartment building gym, strolling throughout my Avenues neighborhood, or walking to one of the many espresso cafes in downtown and treating myself to a café mocha. Refreshed, I return to my laptop for another two hours of writing. And so it continues – write, rest, write, rest. At 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m., I call it a day.

What are you currently working on? Do you have a new book out?

I have just begun to write my second novel which is based on the adult life phase of the protagonist, Beth, from my first novel. The story will follow Beth’s trials and tribulations as a young, divorced mother.

Do you have a project on the back burner? Tell me about it.

My current efforts are focused on marketing my first novel and writing my second one.

What would you tell a beginning writer who wants to publish but doesn't believe he/she has enough talent?

I would recommend that new writers join a local writers’ club where they will be surrounded by other authors and will receive input on their work. They should also attend writers’ conferences to meet authors, agents, editors, and publishers and to get a feel for the publishing industry.

***

Thank you Diane!

Learn more about Diane:

Diane L. Huffman, happily retired from a marketing career in the fast-paced high-tech industry, has penned her first novel, A Less Than Perfect Beginning. She was inspired by a raucous childhood that was filled with secrets and psychos, but also humor and hope. Huffman earned B.A. and M.B.A. degrees and has traveled extensively throughout the world. She now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah near her son and is currently at work on her second novel.

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Goodreads

Kirkus Reviews

“An exhilarating, unsentimental story of one woman’s triumph over a devastating childhood” —Kirkus Reviews

League of Utah Writers:

"Very well done, I would definitely recommend." —League of Utah Writers