Interview with YA author Beth Fehlbaum
Today I'm talking with the lovely Beth Fehlbaum about her writing, her books, and more. Beth is the author of Hope in Patience
and Courage in Patience
.
Why do you write?
I can't remember ever NOT writing. It's a natural way for me to process my life.
I understand! I do that, too.
What do you love about writing? (Or about the publishing business, or both.)
I love being able to take what's in my head, allow it to flow down my arm, and come out through my fingertips. I love the way the process helps me step outside of myself and the way it frees me when what I'm writing about is difficult to cope with, such as sexual abuse.
That's a really good use of writing.
What don't you like about the publishing business? (Or about writing.)
I dislike it when I don't have as much time to write as I'd like, because of this pesky thing called my day job. It's frustrating when there is so much story-weaving running through my mind and I need hours and hours and days and days to fall into the story one hundred percent, but I can't because of other obligations. Writing is such an intense experience for me, it's not practical for me to pick it up here and there and set it down again. I suppose I could commit myself to an hour a day, but it doesn't appeal to me to do that. I'd rather do it 100%, and it's worked out so far for me to do research and plotting during the school year (I'm a teacher), and write full time during the summer and on holidays.
What would you want in your ideal writing studio? What does your writing space look like now?
My ideal writing studio—the best place I've ever written—is my front porch. I live in East Texas, so our summers are usually quite hot and steamy. A couple years ago, we had a very mild summer, and I set at a desk built by a good friend and wrote outside. I loved it; the hummingbirds buzzed right over my head as they went to their feeders, and the squirrels and raccoons were going up and down the tree across the yard from me. It was like I was part of their world and they didn't mind me being there a bit. We have ceiling fans on our covered porch, and the buzz they created the perfect "white noise" for writing. Last summer was beastly hot, humid, and the mosquitos were atrocious, so I didn't last an hour outside. Now, the desk is inside against a wall in my den. I'll end up writing there or at my kitchen table this summer, unless I luck out and am able to move outside again!
That sounds lovely, your porch on a mild summer.
Where do you write most often?
Recently I've been writing at my desk in our den. There's an antique stained-glass window hanging on the wall right above the desk.
What do you think is the most important thing (or things) that makes a good book work?
Story and voice.
What is your favorite type of book to read?
I read a lot of non-fiction; I am on somewhat of a spiritual journey and I explore where I "am" by reading what other people say about who God is/is not. I also read a lot of whatever I'm researching at the time; for example, my current work-in-progress has plot points that include the Civil War, teen dating, running track, and racism, so I've been reading a lot of material that is helping develop the plot. I'm very much a natural student and I take lots of notes when I read.
What are some of your favorite YA books? How about picture books?
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chris Crutcher's books – ALL OF THEM– and I'm a huge Jennifer Brown fan (Hate List, Bitter End)! I love the picture book Don't Laugh At Me.
How much of yourself or your own experiences and emotions do you put in your books?
I drew on my experiences as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and as a teacher to write the Patience books: Courage in Patience and Hope In Patience. The protagonist, Ashley Nicole Asher, was sexually abused from the age of 9 to 15, and she has PTSD. I was sexually abused from the age of 8 to 14, and verbally and emotionally abused much longer than that. Like Ashley, I have PTSD.
I'm so sorry you went through that, Beth. I know how painful that is.
What is your favorite book that you wrote? Why?
I love both of my books; asking me to choose one is like asking me to choose which of my children I love more. I look at my books and they are distinct individuals, yet they are also like photo albums of my recovery journey. When I wrote Courage in Patience, I never intended to publish it. I had been writing poems and short stories as a way of processing my own rage and grief. I shared them with my therapist and one day he suggested that I try writing a novel. That ended up being Courage in Patience, which documents what happened to Ashley when she was young and her first tenuous steps into not only recovering from what happened to her, but also discovering who she is. Hope in Patience continues Ashley's story. When I wrote Hope in Patience, I was struggling with the notion of acceptance of the situation with my own mom. I am now at work on the third Patience book, as-yet untitled but it will probably end up being called Truth in Patience. I'm not ready to give anything away about its plot yet. 
What do you want to tell readers?
Through Ashley Asher, I want to tell readers, "You are not alone." No matter what you're dealing with, millions of other people have walked the same path and survival is truly possible. Don't give up.
Where can readers find you online?
I have a website; I am also on Facebook; and I'm on Twitter: @bethfehlbaum.
I love hearing from readers, and my e-mail address is [email protected] . I do free Skype chats and I enjoy visiting readers in person, too!
What are you working on now? Or what's your next book that we can look for?
Tentatively titled Truth in Patience, the third book in the Patience series (possibly the last, if I decide Ashley's story is finished!)—I am determined to have the first full draft complete by summer's end, and if I'm really lucky, I'd like to have the manuscript submitted to my (our!) fabulous publisher, Evelyn Fazio of WestSide Books, by October.
Thanks so much, Cheryl, for graciously giving me this interview!
You're very welcome, Beth! It was lovely to chat with you.
About BETH FEHLBAUM, Author.
Born in Dallas, TX, Beth Fehlbaum has never left the Lone Star State. A special place for her, Fehlbaum has authored two young adult novels set in Texas.
Fehlbaum graduated in English from the University of Texas at Arlington and received her masters in Elementary Education from Texas A&M. The author has always had a passion for teaching, social justice and insisting upon authenticity in the classroom, much like one of the characters in her newest teen novel Hope in Patience (October 27, 2010, WestSide Books). Fehlbaum was inspired to write Hope in Patience, which tells the story of a young teens road to recovery after being sexually abused, from her own personal life experiences.
Aside from her career as a writer, Fehlbaum enjoys teaching 5th grade students in a bilingual education program in East Texas.
Fehlbaum married her high school sweetheart, and together they have three daughters in college. Her favorite place in the world is her own front porch, where she writes books at a table built by a good friend.
