A short while ago, I had the pleasure of chatting with a very talented author.  So, without further delay…let’s hear from…

Christie Walker Bos

Have you always wanted to be a writer and how did you get started?
I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember, and at my age, that’s a good long time. I was bitten by the writing bug in 7th grade when I entered an essay contest on “What the Bill of Rights Means to Me” (Exciting stuff, I know!) and won a $50 Savings Bond. So I entered again as an 8th grader, and won again. After that I was hooked. I became a journalist writing articles, non-fiction books, hard news stories and children’s stories. I always wanted to try my hand at fiction, but with a full-time job writing for the eyewear industry, two children to raise and a variety of other interests, I didn’t get around to writing my first novel until 2000.

You have a lot of talents…writing, photography, and jewelry making…how do you find time and a balance between them all?
My secret is I work from home. My morning commute is four feet. The company I work for is in New York and I live in California so I try to work New York hours – starting at 7 am and ending the “official day” at 3 pm. My kids are grown so I have afternoons and evenings to follow my passions. Writing and photography often go hand-in-hand when I do freelance assignments, so it works out great. I’m also extremely organized, borderline anal about it.

I read a very interesting thing about you performing a ceremony, creating a man list, and finding your soul mate.  Tell us about this…I am very intrigued.
This was the true-life inspiration for my first novel, The Magical Man List, which is being re-published with a new chapter one by Cerridwen Press; release date is October 5th, 2007. The true story is indeed, stranger than fiction.

After my divorce, I started dating a variety of; let’s call them unusual, men. Soon it became apparent that I had no clue what I wanted in a man. So I decided to make a very detailed list and ended up with 65 items. To “activate’ my list, I buried it at the top of a rock outcropping in the California desert and stopped dating. Two months later, this man showed up, a man who had tried to date me in the past and I had shooed away, believing he wasn’t my type (whatever that means.) But this time I had a list to go by, so I started dating him and checking off items on my list as they became apparent. When I had checked off 63 out of 65 items, I came to the conclusion that this was THE ONE! We were married two years later and have been living happily ever after, ever since. We just celebrated our 5-year anniversary.

Tell us about what makes Christie…well, Christie.
I love the outdoors and everything natural. I’m very easy-going, as you might expect a Southern California born and raised woman would be. As part of the baby boomer generation, I stand up to be counted on a lot of issues. I have two t-shirts I’d like to wear. One that says: “100% Natural – no artificial dyes, additives, preservatives, colorings or chemicals.” The other shirt would say: “I’m Your Worst Nightmare – I’m an environmentalist, feminist, naturalist, menopausal woman. Look Out!”

All your books seem to have a bit humor in them. Do you find humor to be an important part of life?
Absolutely. If you can’t laugh at what life throws at you, you’re going to end up unhappy. I believe in being happy at all costs. I do a lot of laughing, sometimes even at myself.

Tell us about your volunteer work and the causes you support.
I have three passions when it comes to causes… One is the environment. Since trees, plants and animals can’t speak for themselves I feel compelled to speak for them and defend them. One novel I’ll be writing in the future will feature a woman who has decided to sit in a tree in order to save it.

My second passion is working to end domestic violence. I volunteer in a shelter teaching women how to become financially independent. One in five women are the victims of domestic violence.

My third passion is peace. With a son who is a Navy Corpsman serving with the Marines in Iraq, you can bet I’m for ending that war and bringing our soldiers home safely. I have a Web site – www.nurturepeace.com – that promotes peace through art, namely my photography and jewelry.

Tell us some of your favorites…foods, movies, books, authors, holidays, and just about anything else you would like to share.
Favorites, hmmm. Love food in general and salty food over sweet food, in particular. Love romantic comedies whether it’s a movie like Sleepless in Seattle, Only You, or Serendipity. I hope one of my novels is turned into a movie someday. Jennifer Crusie is my idol. I want to be just like her when I grow up. God, I hope there is enough time left to grow up!

You have found your soul mate. Do you think that everyone has one out there and do you think there is only one perfect person out there for each of us?
I think there is someone for everyone. Make a list, create a ceremony, and wait for him to show up. I’m sure there is more than one right person. Sometimes it has to do with where you are in your life. The perfect person for you in your 20s might not be the perfect person for you in your 40s. People change.

What is your perfect writing environment? Do you need complete quiet or can you write anywhere?
I like to curl up with a yellow legal pad and a nice pen. I write everything out longhand – that’s my first draft. Then I type it into the computer, making changes as I go – that’s my second draft. Then I print it out and go sit somewhere outside if I can and edit, edit, edit – that’s my third draft. Then I input all those changes and make more before printing it out again. Then it goes to a few selected people for their input. Then I make more changes and then it’s ready to be sent out into the world where an editor will request more changes and corrections. By this time I’m usually onto another book.

Do your family and friends read your work and what do they think?
My family and friends always read my books. My brother is such a fan that, even though he prefers to read his books in paper form, downloaded my novel, printed it out on 240 sheets of paper and took it with him on vacation. He gave me an excellent review, by the way!

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
Number one is to keep writing. Some people spend so much time in classes and seminars and in writing groups; I don’t know where they find the time to write. Even when the rejection slips come in, I just keep plugging away. One person’s opinion is not going to stop me from doing what I love and I do love making up people and putting words in their mouths. Now if I can only figure out how to make a living just writing novels I would be the happiest person on the planet.

Do you enjoy hearing from your readers and what is the best way to get in touch with you?
Yes, yes, and did I mention, YES! For example, in my novel The Write Man for Her, there is a pretty big surprise in the middle of the book that changes everything. I’m dying to know if 1) it was a surprise to the reader 2) did they have any clue as to what was going to happen 3) was everything suddenly clear once you knew the Professors secret? I think without listening to reader feedback writers are driving blind. Go to my Web site at www.christiewalkerbos.com and you’ll find a contact the author button.

Do your stories come to you all at once or do you have it all planned before you start?
Sometimes stories come to me complete at 2 am and I’m compelled to get up and write down the outline as fast as I can. Other times a single scene can trigger an entire story. I kept a journal of story ideas, possible book titles, and outlines. Writer’s block is a foreign concept to me.

What is one of the most defining moments of your life?
My highest points were having my two wonderful children and then finding my soul mate, Robbie. My lowest point had to be sometime during my divorce – there were too many low points to just pick one. Deciding to move out of the city and up to the mountains was probably the best thing I’ve ever done, just for me.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I hope everyone who reads The Write Man For Her sends me e-mail and tells me what they liked and didn’t like about the book. Then stay tuned for “Magical Man List” in October and more novels to come. I’m working on one now called “Witch Way to Love” with some fun characters that make me just laugh and laugh at the things they say.

Christie's Website

Contact Christie