Interview with author Arlene Crenshaw - BK Walker Books virtual book tour

As I continue to host the BK Walker Books Authors Promoting Authors virtual blog tour, today I welcome author Arlene Crenshaw.

Welcome, Arlene!

Please tell us about your current release, Twelve Roses for Uretta.
This is a true story of a mother’s struggle with domestic violence while trying to raise her eight children. This story is told through the eyes of her daughter (Erica) who carried the burden of not being able to help her mother. She was just too young; Erica also had her own secret that she was afraid to tell her mother, she carried that burden also. Erica was never able to tell her mother about her secret before her untimely death.

What inspired you to write this book?
I felt that I needed to tell the story of me and my mother. The story brought out things about me that I had carried within my soul for most of my life, by writing this story I was able to empty out a lot of emotions that tormented the majority of my life. Writing this book also helped me to move on with life and also helped me heal within. I had cried most of my life, 47 years to be exact, but now by writing this book helped to get it all out of my system. I understand now what happened wasn’t my fault, and the burden I carried all those years was just too much for a child, then a teenager, to have to deal with that I brought into my adulthood that I suffered with for so many years.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I'm really excited about my next book. It will be called Hidden Closets Book of Short Stories. It’s about secrets that many people have hidden about themselves that they don’t want anyone to know about. There’s a lot of suspense, drama, mystery within this book. My second book will be out at the end of this month.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Everyone throughout my life has loved for me to tell them stories, sometimes I would just make up a story and people would be so intrigued with what I was telling them. They would always say I was in the wrong career which was medical. It wasn’t until I lost my job that I had the time to sit down to write, that’s when this writing for me took on a whole new life and a well deserved one for me.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Now that I’ve been unemployed for over a year now, I do write full-time. I always start my day with a prayer to God and within my prayer, I ask for a quote or to be steered toward a quote that I can write down and put on Blogger and Facebook where I post daily. I call my post “My quote of the day” which I have done for years, not always on Blogger and Facebook, but everyday on my job or I would give a quote to a friend daily.

After that!!! I write all day like I’m at work and I take 2 15-minute breaks. Just like I would if I were working a regular job and a 45-minute lunch break. Only difference is when I was working, I only got 30 minutes for lunch, but, now that I’m working for myself, I deserve 45 minutes sometimes even 1 hour. Lol…

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
Writing while listening to sounds of the ocean, or rain.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A physiologist. Why? Because I always would sit and listen to people no matter who they were and people for some reason would always be drawn to me and they would always tell me their stories about what was going on in their lives. My mother always used to say to me, “You never met a stranger you didn’t want to listen to.” I would tell my mother I like listening to people their interesting.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Sometimes it may seem like a lifetime before you really understand your true calling in life. But when it finally clicks, it just may even surprise you.

I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be a writer. For some reason I can write and tell stories all day long. I still have a problem with punctuation just like I did in school, but the more I write, the better I get. Who would have thought I would be a writer? Not me, and I surely know not my 7th grade teacher. English was my worst subject but my teacher did tell me that one day it would all make sense.

Thank you for your time today, Arlene, and I wish you well on the blog tour and with your books.


Readers, leave a comment to be entered into a drawing to win one of several gifts from promoter of this VBT, BK Walker. Gifts include: a $25 Visa Gift Card, book light,a free-of-charge virtual book tour, or one writing package which includes a journal, pen, book light, and book marker.

My next guest is August 2 - Mike Dolan