Official Interview: Judy Condon

[kandscreeley]

Today's Chat with Sarah features Judy Condon author of Listen to Your Heart.

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1. What was your first writing experience?

In 1998, while a Superintendent of Schools in Connecticut, I opened a large antique shop. My husband and I purchased a 1760 home in town, without extra money, had no way to restore it. I began to create cost-saving ways to replace purple counters, linoleum floors, metal medicine cabinets and said I was 'doing country on a shoestring'.

A few years later my husband was transferred to Virginia, and I was forced to take early retirement and close my shop. Three months into our new home, I was pacing like a caged animal. My husband suggested I write the book I'd always said I was going to called Country on a Shoestring. It took almost a year to create the website, teach myself layouts, design and all aspects of publishing a book.

At the time, popular magazines such as Country Living and Country Home were ceasing publication. My book became the go-to for country antiques and decorating. Everyone asked when the next one was coming out. That was sixteen years ago and over sixty books ago in the Simply Country series.

I wrote Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny and two children's books, It's a Jungle in Here and the second working with high school students in Sint Maarten every Thursday afternoon to create the illustrations for my story, The Adventures of a Coconut Named Burt.

I self-published Just Give me a Soft Place to Land, a women's fiction story about a group of women who meet each week to knit and support each other in many of the issues most women face. I rescued a child in Sint Maarten who I brought to live with me on the island and was immersed in a Black Hispanic culture about which I wrote At the End of the Day. My third novel, Listen to Your Heart, is a romance novel based on the real time experiences of a man who fought in the Vietnam War interpreting North Vietnamese messages for our troops.

2. What's your writing environment look like?

The physical environment is my home office. The roots of my books derive from my imagination, enhanced or peppered with some personal experiences and those my friends have shared.

3. Let's discuss your book Listen to Your Heart. How would you describe it to those who haven't heard about it?

Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War and the years of extreme political and radical turmoil in the United States about the war, Jenny and Sam, the two main characters have grown up together in a small western New York town. They have viewed each other as friends, loving each other as one would love their sibling. Sam joins the Air Force while Jenny pursues her career in horticulture. While in Okinawa Sam meets a Japanese gardener, Hirata. They form a deep friendship and over time, discuss philosophies and the reality of coincidences. As the war draws to a close, a letter sent by Jenny to Sam is answered but a coincidence occurs, proving that a single coincidence can change the lives of two people.

4. Why did you choose this particular time period?

My brother fought in the war and flew C-130's over enemy territory to interpret messages for our troops. I utilized his experience to build the story.

5. How much research did you do for the book?

I enhanced the actual experiences of my brother with extensive research into the political climate, the protests, the creation of the Vietnam War Memorial, the psychological effects of PTSD and Agent Orange. I explored the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western philosophies, the studies by Carl Jung on the foundation of coincidences, the symbolism of Zen gardens and core horticultural practices for garden maintenance.

6. What was the most difficult part of writing? What was the most rewarding?

The most difficult part was piecing together the years of each character and following them as they parallel each other. The most rewarding was the historical knowledge I gained in the research, giving me a greater understanding of the war than when I was living through it.

7. What did you want readers to learn?

I hoped that I could convey the deep feelings within the country at a time in our history where a sense of hopelessness prevailed. Another lesson I hoped to convey is the damage when we are afraid to express our true feelings and what we lose in life.

8. What's Next? Any books in the works?

I'm currently writing a love story titled Just a Matter of Time.

I like to end with lighter questions.

9. How do you handle criticism?

I look upon it not as an insult but as a suggestion for improvement. I appreciate the fact that I, nor anyone, is perfect and therefore a criticism is intended to compensate for an area in which I might be lacking.

10. What animal would you most like to be?

If I had to choose one, a sheep as they are gentle and soft.

11. What's your favorite snack?

Peanuts.

12. What do you most like to listen to?

I enjoy listening to music – a wide range depending on what I am doing. I enjoy classical, opera, rock 'n roll, blues, big band, and jazz if there is a rhythm that isn't dissonant.

[Carole Kendall]

I think we are again at a point in our country where a sense of hopelessness prevails. Maybe you will be inspired to write another book. As an adoptive mother,I am very interested in how you rescued a child from Sint Maarten, such a beautiful country. I wonder if it was after one of the hurricanes.
I also wonder whether you want to be a black sheep or a white one? I think black sheep’s have more fun

[Blessed Hope]

I liked question number 7 and question number 9 and the responses they generated They can be helpful today particularly in today's Trumpian led global order where voicing dissent is akin to severing ties snd going to the other side which shouldnt be entirely the case