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URL:
www.leesilver.org
Contact:
Lee_Silver@cox.net
ABOUT LEE
Lee grew up in the
rolling farmland outside of historic Valley Forge, PA.
Neighbors were few and far between, and with no sisters or
brothers she spent hours in her room daydreaming about the
world outside her rural community. Cramming nine months of
fun into summer vacations, Lee lived for the trips she took
with her family to their place on the Delaware shore.
She graduated as her high school class salutatorian and
went on to earn a B.S. in engineering from Lehigh
University, Bethlehem, PA. After several years of writing
specification manuals for the Navy, Lee returned to school
full-time to earn her graduate degree from Old Dominion
University, Norfolk, VA. She has spent the majority of her
career as a professional engineer.
Lee has always enjoyed writing. Challenged with a
series of health problems in the late 1990’s, she turned her
technical experience to creative writing. The Twist is her
first published novel.
Lee has spent most of her adult life in Tidewater,
Virginia. She and her husband of 16 years live in a
renovated Victorian on the Chesapeake Bay. She enjoys
reading and relaxing on the beach at their summer home in
Ocean City, MD.
INTERVIEW
Q: OK, Lee, let’s start out with a couple of fun
questions. If I could turn you into something to eat, what would
you want to be?
A: Pepperoni pizza and beer. Everybody likes pizza and beer.
Q: What’s your favorite thing in your house?
A: It has to be my bow front mahogany china cabinet. It’s to die
for! We renovated an old Victorian beach house, and it’s
furnished with bits and pieces we’ve refinished over the years.
That china cabinet is the only thing we actually paid real money
for.
Q: Do you have a pet?
A: Yes, an African gray parrot. His name is Lerch. You know,
like from the Adam’s family? Actually he’s a she, but I’ve
called her a he for so long that’s how I think of her. We’ve
been roomies for over 20 years! Our relationship is pretty much
like the one I have with my husband. I feed him and he tolerates
me.
Q: Tell me your fashion must haves.
A: New shoes, black tights, the right bra, and a good haircut. I
can always bring last year’s things into style with a new pair
of shoes. Tights give a poppy fresh look to all the boring stuff
hanging in my closet. A trendy haircut and the right bra make me
feel like I’m really pulled together.
Q: So, what do you like to do when you’re not writing?
A: Well, I’ve been a car girl for as long as I can remember. I
actually had a Suzuki 50 Trail Rider I used all through high
school. I went everywhere on that darn thing! Somewhere along
the line I realized that motorcycles and skirts don’t mix and
got a blue MG Midget. My hubby is a car guy and we have a Model
A hotrod. I’m not into all the grease and engine stuff but can
hold a pretty mean flashlight. I love the people and the
cruising. It gives me an excuse to get all dolled up and wear a
pair of tight pants or a poodle skirt.
Q: What do you think is the sexiest thing a man can wear?
A: A smile.
Q: OK. Then what’s the sexiest thing a woman can wear?
A: A man.
Q: Would you rather spend the night with George Clooney or
Pierce Brosnan?
A: Pierce…George? That’s a tough one. Can’t I have them both?
Q: Who do you think is the sexiest man on the planet?
A: Mel Gibson, hands down, I don’t even have to think about that
one. Mel is all man. He has a family and kids, and doesn’t have
to go around playing macho all the time to prove it.
Q: We’ve all had one. Tell me about your worst date.
A: My worst date was also my best, so I’m going to tell you
about that instead. He was easy to talk to and had this smile
that made me turn to Jell-O. He even made reservations. And
where does he take me after dinner? To play Putt Putt!
So there I am, in these strappy white sandals and denim
mini, trying to hit that stupid yellow ball without giving the
pimply-faced kid behind us a shot of my panties. And we’re
laughing and having so much fun, I forgot to let him beat me.
Okay, big mistake, but he seemed to take it pretty well. Hum,
maybe that’s not such a bad way to find out how a guy ticks…
Anyway, we both needed to go to work in the morning and
we can’t find the car. He walked me up and down those side
streets until I thought my feet were going to fall off! Finally,
I couldn’t take another step and suggested maybe they towed his
car. Bright idea, Lee. I get to hoof it 11 more blocks in those
heels to the impound.
Well, we found his car. He didn’t have enough cash for
the towing bill, and all I had was a tube of lipstick and my
checkbook. I mean I was on a date, right?
With my best puppy dog eyes I puff out my chest and
flirt with the attendant like a twenty dollar hooker to get him
to take my check. But getting his car isn’t good enough for my
husband. Nooo, we have to go to the scene of the crime to show
the police we were legally parked, so he doesn’t have to pay for
the tow!
The sun’s coming up when we finally get back to my
place. All I want to do is take off my heels and collapse on the
bed. And then he kissed me good night. After 16 years I can
still feel it on my lips.
Q: I know you were an only child. What is your fondest
childhood memory?
A: My parents used to have a travel trailer on the Delaware
shore. I grew up outside of Philadelphia, so it was only about 3
hours away. We spent weekends there all summer long for years. I
loved to go crabbing and fishing with my dad. LOL, I used to be
such a tomboy! On rainy days, we’d all pile into my girlfriend’s
mom’s old Buick station wagon. She’d haul us giggling and
laughing into Ocean City, MD for pizza and let us go wild on the
boardwalk.
My husband’s family also vacationed in Ocean City, and
we went there with our son when he was growing up. We have our
own place there now. It’s only a couple hours from Norfolk, VA,
so we try to go whenever we can. I cherish our time in Ocean
City. We both run so hard, it’s the only time we have for each
other. I’m lucky to have a special place with so many memories
from all the times of my life.
Q: What is your biggest fear?
A: Hurting someone without knowing it and never having the
chance to tell them I am sorry.
Q: Did you ever have a life changing experience?
A: Yes, my first marriage. The three month fairy tale was
shattered to pieces by a drunk driver who hit our car on the way
home from the movies. Death is a big part of life. I’ve never
been the same after that accident.
Q: Oh, I’m sorry, Lee, I didn’t know.
A: It’s ok. That was a long time ago. I’m a very lucky girl.
I’ve been blessed with two wonderful loves in my life. Some
people never find one.
Q: Let’s switch gears for the last few questions and talk
about your writing. Do you like Happily Ever Afters?
A: You mean there’s another kind?
Q: Where do you do your best writing?
A: Traffic Jams. I carry one of those five dollar voice recorder
thingies in my car, so I actually look forward to 5:00 rush
hour.
Q: Do you take criticism to heart?
A: Well, only if it’s true.
Q: Where in the world did you ever get the idea for
The
Twist?
A: You hear some strange things standing in the ladies’ room
line on the Ocean City boardwalk. A cute little thing in a
halter top and a pair of Daisy Dukes behind me was arguing with
her purple-haired boy friend about her smoking. He was going on
about what a filthy habit it was and how he might as well be
kissing an ashtray. Fumbling in her purse for a Virginia Slim,
all she could come up with in her defense was “You have no idea
how hard it is for a girl to quit smoking!” Hum, that sounded
like a story to me.
Q: Your hero in The Twist actually turns into a carbon
copy of the leading lady. How were you able to capture this from
a man’s point of view?
A: I really had to get into Zane’s head to write The Twist.
Women are so different...our emotions, what’s important to us,
how we relate to each other. And then there’s the things we take
for granted. Hair, nails, putting on your face, the whole bit.
It would all have to be pretty strange for a guy.
Trying to stuff all of that into a guy’s head was a
challenge. Male characters just don’t have the range of emotion
for you to work with. I guess that’s part of what makes them
guys. As Zane begins his transformation, everything he is
grappling with bubbles to the top as a confused mix of humor and
rage. After the change it’s like he’s got the hormones of a
squad of teenage cheerleaders.
Q: If there is only one thing about The Twist you'd like
us to know, what is it?
A: I have a sequel in the oven.
Q: Can you give any advice to all of our readers who are
aspiring authors?
A: Don’t be so anxious to be published that you settle for just
anyone who agrees to print your book. I have heard some simply
awful stories about small publishers going defunct and tying up
an author’s work. Do your homework on where you submit. RWA and
Predators and Editors both have excellent lists of first class
publishers who are looking for new authors. I was ecstatic that
Siren-BookStrand chose to publish me. They put a lot of faith in
me as a new author, and I am proud to be represented by a top
name publisher.
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