How long have you known you wanted to be an author?
Growing up I longed to be a writer. When I was very young (I don’t remember my age) I started working on a novel about a man from Mars who wanted to go to college in New York. I never finished that novel, but it left an impression on me. I knew deep down that writing was my dream, even though I didn’t get around to fulfilling it until I was in my thirties.
When a reader finishes Home at Last, what do you want them to come away with?
I would love for them to be inspired, challenged, and entertained. If I accomplished even one of those things I would feel my writing time wasn’t wasted.
Where did you come up with the idea for the story, Home at Last?
The inspiration came from watching the latest movie version of Jane Eyre over and over and over. I love that story. I read Jane Eyre a few months ago, and I was truly awed by Charlotte Bronte’s writing. I high recommend it if you’ve never read this masterpiece.
Any hobbies you especially enjoy?
I love decorating. I know that sounds awfully girly, but it’s exciting to see the right drapes and the right colors and flooring and accessories all come together to make a pleasant room—a place where you want to spend time and a place you want to share with your family and friends.
Home at Last deals with orphans and abandonment. Those are elements that show up frequently in your work. Why is that?
There were times growing up that I felt lonely and abandoned. But instead of sharing all of these details of my past in interviews, I infuse my novels with those intense emotional memories. That is one of the many blessings of creating art—to be able to sift through, study, and then hopefully, through the miracle of writing, let go of some of the painful pieces and burdensome baggage of our pasts.
If you could have dinner with two special people, who would they be?
Josh Groban, because his music inspires me, and Leif Enger, because I love the way he writes.
What are the fun things about a book signing? The uncomfortable parts?
If I’ve invited friends, it’s always great to see them and catch up. If strangers trickle by, and I’m able to tell them about my book, or if I can encourage them in some way I feel like the book signing was successful. The uncomfortable parts can be when people automatically think you’re an employee at the bookstore and ask where the restroom is located. Too many of those kinds of responses can lower the level of enthusiasm significantly. Before I head into a book signing, I usually pray, and the prayer goes something like, “Lord, if the sales are wonderful help me not to become haughty about it, and if the sales aren’t so wonderful please help me not to become discouraged.”
Home at Last also deals with dysfunctional families, estrangement, and then also forgiveness and reconciliation. Why do you gravitate toward those themes?
Because they are powerful and compelling themes, and because they are ones I understand on a personal level.
You’ve been published, so what do you dream of now?
I would love to have one of my books made into a movie. In the process, I’d like for these stories to entertain as well as inspire people to see that God cares for them deeply and that His gift of grace is a present just waiting to be opened.
How can readers connect with you?
Please feel to stop by my website at www.anitahigman.com or chat with me on my Facebook Reader Page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorAnitaHigman
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