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Brenda Billups has lived in Las Vegas for the past 18 years. She is a single parent (with 3 children) and an environmental scientist who has a passion for creative writing. While technical writing has been her bread and butter for 15 years, she longs for accolades for her creative slant. The Willow Tree is her first effort.
Neela Sakaria: Thank you for joining us, Ms. Billups. Tell us about the process of writing THE WILLOW TREE. How long did it take?
Brenda Billups: I have kept a journal for most of my life. Within my journals, I have included poetry, essays and stories. One character that I created when I wrote my short stories was Sara. I created her on a lark. I was looking at my sister's note book cover one day and I saw the name Sara and a cute note by the name, so I used my vivid imagination to flesh out the person who wrote the note. Over the years, I expanded on who she was and what her life would have turned out to, if she existed. Anyway, one day I was looking through my notes and noticed all the things that I had written about this particular person. I gathered it all together and I had over two hundred pages! Quite a shock. But I liked what I'd done and I decided to flesh out the story. I wrote completed THE WILLOW TREE over a period of a year.
Neela: What was the greatest challenge you faced in writing this book?
BB: The greatest challenge that I faced in writing this book was finding the TIME. I have three young children, I work full time so time was a definite premium. Someone once told me 'there's nothing to it but to do it', and I'd read about writers who woke up at 5am in the morning to write, so I decided to make the time to do what I loved. In the evenings, after cooked and fed the children, helped them with their homework, bathed them, got them to bed, cleaned house, took my shower, I would write until I couldn't keep my eyes open. I'd sleep for 4 or 5 hours. I would wake up at 5:30 to write for about an hour... During lulls at work, at lunch, whenever I could get a break, I would write. Sleep became a luxury that I could barely afford. Fatigue became an old familiar friend. I acquired a taste for coffee, lots of it.
NS: Tell us about Sara's character. What inspired her character?
BB: I created Sara as an insecure person who didn't realize her value. She's a product of a dysfunctional family; unloved by her mother, abused by her brother and abandoned by her father. She believed that a particular love would save her from suicide. But in the end, she had to save herself. I guess she came along when I was feeling insecure about myself. For a while I believed that love from someone else would be the answer, but in the end, it's love of self that redeems. Writing about her was a freeing experience, in giving my pain to her and seeing her grow as an individual, made it easier able to cope with daily stresses sometimes. But in the end I was able to separate myself and give her a
life of her own.
Neela: What about the setting of the book? Why this particular time period and location?
BB: I grew up in the South and I love the people and the culture there, so writing about where I grew up was a natural choice. I liked that particular time period because to me it represented an important transition in that this was the time that the Civil Rights movement was gaining momentum. I loved the spirit of the moment and I wanted to reflect it, in a small way through the characters.
Neela: Was it difficult for you to write about and deal with the issues of abuse in this book?
BB: When I wrote about the abuse, I was writing 'under possession' I wrote from emotion without thinking too deeply about what I wrote. I really didn't know how to go about it and for the longest time, I just sat and stared at a blank piece of paper. But finally being able to write about it was a freeing experience.
Neela: What is the writing process like for you? What do you do to stay motivated?
BB: I have little scraps of paper that I keep with me that scribbled on. I later transcribe these into my computer. I have to write when the muse strikes. Writing has been a part of my life for so long..., it's just part of who I am. It's what I describe myself as. I have written for myself for so long and I love it so much that I can't see me doing anything else. Everything is motivation, a few words spoken offhandedly, a look exchanged between a couple, children at play, life itself motivates me to write.
Neela: Are you working on any future projects?
BB: I am completing the sequel to THE WILLOW TREE. I call it WOMAN AT THE WELL. I also continue to write in my journal whenever the urge strikes me.
Neela: Who are some of the writers that you appreciate and admire?
BB: J. California Cooper, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, John Steinbeck, Eudora Welty, and Alice Walker are a few of my favorite writers.
Neela: Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers?
BB: I hope this interview inspires your readers to purchase my book. While I love writing for myself, I think it's even better to share. I need your support to be successful. Thanks.
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