Interview with Virginia Geddes

Published 2013-09-13.
What motivated you to become an indie author?
I had an absolute necessity to publish the story contained in my screenplay Viva Cuba Libre because, although it is in fiction form, it represents the real story of my husband's experiences participating in the Cuban counterrevolution against Castro and reveals much information that has never before been exposed to the public. After my huband passed on, I felt a strong obligation to "save" this story before it was lost forever. As I have zero patience and skills for the whole process of submitting to publishing firms, I was thrilled when my writer cousin Julie Painter suggested using Smashwords--perfect for me as my primary goal was to "get it out there" for people to read.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Outside of writing the screenplay, which was more of a mission than anything else, I have written two novels (in the reject trunk) and many short stories, some of which have been published. The pleasure of writing these stories was that of expressing myself in a disciplined and creative way. Each story was like a birth, creating something that didn't exist before and now entered the world, bringing with it the satisfaction of having accomplished what I had envisioned. One series of stories called "Brazilian Elevator Tales" developed in reaction to problems such as corruption and senseless beaurocracy that I encountered in Brazil, where I live, and which, of course, exist in all countries. I had a good time making humorous accounts of these problems from the points of view of humble elevator operators.
What are you working on next?
I am now revising the Brazilian Elevator Tales to collect into a book and publish on Smashwords. After that, I will review other stories and see if any of them merit revising and publishing, too. At long last, I might get back to one of my novel rejects to rid it of all of that personal baggage and see what emerges. Meantime, I await some other inspiration to write something entirely new.
Who are your favorite authors?
It's impossible to list my favorite authors. I have read so much during my life--when I was in junior high school I read all of the books in our local library starting with A and ending in Z. However, my favorite recent books are: Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan; Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell; The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt; The Perfect Man by Naeem Murr; The Garden of the Evening Mists by Tan Twon Eng; Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks; Mockingbird by Kathry Erskine;Fingersmith by Sarah Waters; Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel; Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, and onand on....
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Every day is a new possibility of...who knows what? I think each day is an adventure to be cherished. What will happen in my movie today? WHo will be in this movie? What emotions will we share or not share? As you can see, I am an optimist!
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
When I'm not writing or spending time with my family, I am painting. Painting is a great escape for me--I forget everything when I am painting. You can see my work at www.virginiaspaintings.com. I also love movies and opera and good food.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
I have a Sony e-book that was a gift from my daughter so I use this. Any other e-book should be satisfactory.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Hanover, N.H., home of Dartmouth College. The pressure for success in our high school, whose students were children of Dartmouth personnel, influenced me towards the intellectual life and literature. Fortuitous meetings with leftist Latin Americans during graduate school led me to examine U.S. political actions in Latin America and to desire "to go see for myself". I took on community action work in slums in Venezuela and Brazil and these and other multi-cultural experiences have greatly influenced my writing.
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Books by This Author

Brazilian Elevator Tales
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 23,950. Language: English. Published: October 18, 2013 . Categories: Fiction » Humor & comedy » Satire, Fiction » Cultural & ethnic themes » Hispanic & Latino
Brazilian Elevator Tales contains 14 humorous short stories featuring elevator operators or passengers involved in a variety of situations that deal with culture, corruption, politics, economics, and the Brazilian "jeitinho", finding an original way to get around an impediment. Some stories end with the character's disappointment, doubt or confirmation of beliefs that surprise the reader.
Viva Cuba Libre
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 42,150. Language: English. Published: August 22, 2013 . Categories: Screenplays » Drama, Fiction » Historical » USA
This screenplay is a fictionalized drama of the real involvement of a young British man in the leadership of the Cuban counterrevolutionary organization "Unidad Revolucionária", supported and ultimately betrayed by the CIA and the United States government. After the Bay of Pigs our hero is picked up by G2, interrogated for 3 months and sent to trial as the responsible CIA agent.