Interviewer: When did you first start writing?
I’ve been writing all my life (editor of my high school newspaper, writing college papers, business and clinical documents) and I’ve always had a love for and have written poetry for my family.

Interviewer:  Have you always wanted to write?
It was always something I thought about doing if and when I would had the time to devote to it.

Interviewer:  Why did you start writing?
I waited until I retired in 2002 and had the time not only to dive into writing, but also studying the craft.  My reading up to that time in my life was primarily reading nonfiction and to embark in the writing field, I had to begin reading fiction.  In addition I knew there would also be much learning required, just as with  any other profession/career.   And my first project, Goodbye America which is my mother’s memoir, became a personal project of gratitude and acknowledgement to my mother and ancestors for the hardships they endured. It became a labor of love and my legacy to our family.

Interviewer:  Tell us about whatever you’ve been working on lately. 
I'm developing my promotional schedule for Goodbye America and will begin soliciting agents/editors for my recently completed novel, Supreme Sacrifice.

Interviewer:  And please tell us more about Goodbye America.
This is a story of the love between two sisters.  Goodbye America is a look at a young girl’s childhood in the early 20th century with a backdrop of World War I, the 1918 flu epidemic, and the struggles of European immigrants.  Anna, who is my mother, endures the death of her father, the wrath of her distraught mother who wishes Anna would have died instead of her husband, the family’s swift departure from America to Czechoslovakia, her abandonment by her mother in a strange foreign country and her eventual return to America.  Sisters Anna and Mary have each other to love.  When they are torn apart and separated by two continents, Anna must face the world on her own.  She has been telling her story to our family for three generations to preserve their heritage and to teach a lesson in history and how the human spirit has the strength to overcome unthinkable odds.  Facing her mortality at the age of 89, Anna now retells her story to her two great granddaughters during their Thanksgiving reunion, so that her story will never be forgotten.

Interviewer: How did you decide to write a memoir/biography?
As I began the learning process, I thought it would be easier to write a children’s book.  I learned soon that children’s books are in many ways even harder since, depending on the age of the children you’re hoping to reach, you must acknowledge an understanding of their language, their culture, overall  level of understanding, etc   Once I started putting all the pieces of my mother’s story together, I began to develop a deep appreciation and insight for the hardships she and my ancestors endured as well as my heritage.  Before I began writing the book, I took a cruise down the Danube River in Europe in 2001.  In fact I was in Austria during 911.  One of our stops was in Bratislava, Slovakia which is where my maternal grandparents were born and where my mother lived for 5 years of her childhood after being abandoned by her mother.  One night the ship’s entertainment featured  a professor from the Slovak Republic who gave a lecture on the history of Czechoslovakia/Slovakia.  Once I began writing my book, I contacted him and he has since been an invaluable resource to me while providing  pictures, information, endorsement, checking historical validity, and has even offered to set up a promotion for the book in Slovakia touring their schools,  libraries, etc.

Interviewer: What is the cutoff between true memoir and fiction?
In a memoir you have to believe at least that you’re telling the truth.  In the case of my mother her recollection as a child was reinforced by her older siblings and telling her story over and over to three generations of our family.  It became imbedded in her memory.  Similar to Roots written by Arthur Hailey,she might have embellished some facts over the years; however, I have been taking mental notes about it since I was a child. The real issue of a memoir is not what happened, but how you’ve become the person you’ve become.
 
Interviewer:  What can people draw from your book?
First, I had to understand why this story mattered to me and why would it matter to someone else. My mother’s story is based on the importance of hope, love and family bonds regardless of any and all adversities that families face in life. I think the reader of Goodbye America is inspired that anything is possible through the power and strength of the human spirit and the blessings of living in a free country
It has been said that “there is nothing new, but what is forgotten”.  Well, my mother’s story will never be forgotten by our family.  Every family has important stories that should be told to preserve their heritage. 
.
Interviewer:  What did you learn about yourself from writing your book? 
I learned we’re all connected.  I learned how I’m impacting others and others are impacting me.  Synchronicity;e.g., meeting the professor a year before I embarked on writing this book and his introduction into my life has been invaluable.  I learned the importance of understanding your heritage and the appreciation of those who blazed challenging trails before me.  It brought me much humility.  Before I began this effort, I never had a desire to research my heritage, and now my sisters, brother and I are planning a trip to explore the village and culture from which our ancestors emanated.  All my mother’s siblings are deceased and yet while I was writing this story, I felt as if I was a channel for their words and thoughts.  Many times I was overcome with such deep feelings and tears that my work needed to be interrupted until I could once again regain my composure.  I learned so much about immigration during the early 20th century, particularly Ellis Island and the challenges the immigrants faced during transatlantic voyages and when they arrived into a new country where they didn’t know the language, were unsure of what would be facing them and whether they’d be sent back to their country if they didn’t pass the health inspection. My siblings and I visited Ellis Island in 2005.

Interviewer:  Would you read a passage from your book? 
Page 7 “One day when Deddo, Julia and I were sick with the flu…”

Interviewer:  How important is research in your writing?
If you’re writing a nonfiction, you better get your facts straight.  Again I’m thankful for Dr. Lubor Matejko, Department Head of Russian Language and Literature at Comenius University in Bratislava.  He validated  historical facts in the book, my use of the Slovak language and provided the pictures in the book.

Interviewer:  Who has influenced you the most in terms of developing your personal writing? 
Although I was editor of my high school newspaper, it was an English professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who I believe really taught me how to write.  I always had a love for the pen, but he provided the skills of the craft early in my career.  He forced us to write incessantly from spontaneous impromptu essays to term papers.  I also am blessed by having two friends when I began writing in 2002 who have critiqued my writing and helped expedite my learning curve.

Interviewer:  What is your writing day like? 
Once I set a particular goal with whatever is my current project, I begin my day very early and spend the entire morning at the computer.  My days vary, however, depending on whether I’m developing my characters, my outline, doing research, or just writing content.  The joy in writing is there is so much variety rounding out the craft that each day could be vastly different.  And I’m motivated by having lots of different things to concentrate on to deliver a completed package whether it’s developing a marketing plan, a press release, establishing the structure for the storyline or just writing content.

Interviewer: How do you prepare for writing/ what is your structure?
I start with the characters, then the plot, timeframe, location—then outline the entire novel by chapter by scene.  The characters lead me with the story.

Interviewer:  What do you do to relax?
 I love golfing with family, especially my husband and friends, spending time with my family especially my two granddaughters, reading and biking.

Interviewer: How has the Internet influenced your writing?
It certainly provides the research without having to constantly run to the library as information requirements come up.  It also provides instantaneous feedback, interaction with readers and a community with others you wouldn’t ordinarily have. 

Interviewer: Can you tell us your schedule; e.g., book signings, presentations, autograph tour, etc.?

Interviewer:  How can readers contact you? 

Email rmalie@lslink.com
Write to me at Rita Malie
                        620 Palencia Club Drive                         
                       Unit 102
                      St. Augustine, Florida 32095