Interview with memoirists Deborah Serra and Nancy Serra Greene

Today I’m featuring and interview with co-authors Deborah Serra and Nancy Serra Greene. We’re chatting about their travel motherhood memoir, 2 Broads Abroad: Moms Fly the Coop.

During their virtual book tour, Deborah and Nancy will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit their other tour stops and enter there, too!

A little bit about the book:

When sisters, Deborah & Nancy, discovered that motherhood was a temp job they decided to run away from home. After packing up that last kid for college, and facing the sad stillness of their suddenly quiet homes, they decided to leave the country. 2 Broads Abroad: Moms Fly the Coop is a funny, irreverent, occasionally poignant travel tale of their impulsive road trip around Ireland.

In this witty warm-hearted adventure, they experienced some of Ireland’s quirkier history while sharing universally relatable stories of maniacal school coaches, neurotic neighbors, and tiger moms. Having kicked that empty nest into their rearview mirror, the sisters took off careening down the wrong side of the road, making questionable choices, getting trapped in a medieval tower, sneaking Chinese take-out into a famous cooking school, drinking way too much, and gaining a changed perspective on their lives ahead.

Who designed the book cover for the book you are touring?

We had a lot of ideas for the book cover. We loved the colors from the cover from Where’d you go Bernadette. We discussed this with our publisher and then left it up to his graphic artist. We were really pleased with the way it turned out.

Excerpt from 2 Broads Abroad: Moms Fly the Coop:

When we thought about the phases of our lives at each juncture of change: our own departure from home, our first real job, our marriages, the birth of our children, all of the big phases of change held out something new for us. This change was shaping up very differently. This change was loss – complete dissolution of the fundamental family structure forever and that was all. We had to plan. We needed to be proactive. The alternative was to be left standing frozen in time, in a life that had moved on without us, and to become observers and visitors in our kids' lives. Not acceptable. So, we set our imaginations loose.

We considered our location. Now that we knew we were leaving – where could we go?

“Angkor Wat,” I said.

“Wat what?” Nancy asked.

“It’s the largest temple in the world, built in 1125.”

“Where is it?”

 “Cambodia.”

“Uh, huh. Deborah, I was thinking more along the lines of a bucolic vineyard in Tuscany. You know, stroll along the hills, sample the fruit of the vine, nectar of the gods?”

“Oh. Okay, how would you feel about a camel trek in Morocco?”

“Probably sore, smelly, and hot. And I understand camels are mean and they spit. They spit, Deborah. What about a civilized boat ride down the Rhine River in Germany? They have castles and I know how you like castles.”

“I do like castles, but don’t you think we should go more exotic?”

“This is our first trip together. I’d like to steer clear of nations at war, places we’d need to wear a burka, or can’t speak the language, or ride on an angry animal. Surely we can agree on somewhere.”

“I’ve always wanted to see where grandma’s family came from.”

“Me, too!”

“With a little research and a rental car we can see the entire island in a couple of weeks.”

“Perfect. Ireland it is!”

Can you describe your dream home?

My dream home would be in the mountains surrounded by trees. This mountain contemporary home would have lots of large windows, giving you the feeling of living in a tree house. The décor would be warm with a stone fireplace and a large dinning room for family dinners.

If we were to come to your house for a meal, what would you give us to eat?

I love making Mexican food. We live in Southern California and so we’re close to the international border with Mexico and our two cultures have blended in a lot of very positive ways. My Go To dinner would be Tortilla soup, and chicken & steak street tacos, with lots of toppings: sour cream , several salsa’s, and definitely lots of homemade guacamole. (Okay, now I’m hungry.)

Tell us about the absolute BEST fan letter you have received.

In this digital age we haven’t received any fan letters although that would be really nice. We have had readers post online. This was our favorite:

“I loved this book! It was funny, poignant and inspiring, all rolled into one joyful adventure. For me, it perfectly matched the conflicting emotions I felt when my child moved out and realization of the new normal moved in. And when the authors decided to run away from home, I couldn't wait to join them.”

Say your publisher has offered to fly you anywhere in the world to do research on an upcoming book, where would you most likely want to go?

This has been an ongoing discussion between my sister and me. We have drastically different tastes and travel desires. I’m more of a lovely Tuscan wine and cheese tour, and she’s more of a camel ride through Morocco…so. We are taking suggestions on our Facebook page. If all else fails we’ll draw straws.

Author bios:

Deborah Serra has been a sought-after screenwriter for twenty-five years having written for NBC, CBS, Sony, Lifetime, Fox, and others. She was a recipient of the 2012 Hawthornden Literary Fellowship. Her first novel was a semi-finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award given by the Faulkner Society in New Orleans, LA.

Nancy Serra Greene is a graduate of San Diego State University. She worked in medical sales before stepping away to raise her two children, at which point she became: Team Mom, Snack Mom, PTA member, Assistance League Volunteer, and the list is never-ending. Nancy was the editor and publisher of the Buffalo Hills Echo newsletter with a circulation of 1400. She also designed and managed her community website.

Links:

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter 

Thanks for being here today, ladies! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway