Friday, July 25, 2014

Becky Lewellen Povich: Writing is like trying to solve math word problems

The Writers' Lens welcomes Becky Lewellen Povich, a fellow writer from the St. Louis Writers Guild!

Becky was born in Illinois and has lived in Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Germany, and Washington State, making Missouri her home since the 1970s. She loved reading books from a very young age, and also enjoyed writing letters to pen pals. That was really the beginning of her writing career, although she never looked at it that way. She was almost 50 years old when a family crisis brought out the writer in her and she hasn’t been the same since! Before and during the years she spent writing her memoir, From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More, Becky had stories published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books, other anthologies, newspapers, and journals. She’s presently working on the memoir’s sequel, due out sometime in 2015.

What brings your writing into focus-- the characters, the stories, the love of words? Stories are what brings my writing into focus. MY stories, MY memories, and how I relate them to the reader.

Fill-in the blanks: Writing/Editing books is like trying to solve math word problems. You never know what kind of answer, or how many answers you’ll come up with!

What's your favorite way to interact with fans/readers? That would definitely be in person. I love to talk about my writing journey; how it’s never too late to discover a talent that’s been undetected for so many years. I like to tell the story of how I didn’t even realize I could write until I was 48 years old. I enjoy motivating others to try their hand at something they long to do, whether it’s writing, painting, playing music, etc. Life is way too short to not go for our dreams. I truly believe in Thoreau’s quote: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagtined

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In From Pigtails to Chin Hairs: A Memoir & More, Becky Lewellen Povich takes us from her young Illinois childhood in the 1950s to present day life in St. Peters, Missouri. Each chapter is a scene from everyday life and/or unexpected events written in the way only Povich can, with humor and poignancy woven into them. She relates tales of Christmases, summertime fun, selling homemade potholders, and putting on parades with neighborhood friends. Also her fear of the dentist and her parents’ scheme to help, plus long car rides visiting grandparents in Greenfield, Iowa.

She willingly shares the bittersweet times, too, which include her parents' divorce, major disappointments, preteen and teenage angst, a whack on her head from a falling crowbar, and her ill-fated first marriage, spent mostly in Germany. She also comically writes about her happy second marriage, cell phones, dishwashers, and how she was born with a klutz gene.

  
Website: http://www.beckypovich.com/ (Book can be purchased here via Pay Pal)
Where to buy Becky's memoir:
STL Books & Gifts, 100 W. Jefferson, Kirkwood, Mo 63122
Thistle & Clover, 407 S. Main, St Charles, Mo 63301
Miss Aimee B’s, 837 First Capital Drive, St. Charles, Mo 63301
http://www.amazon.com/  (Also available for Kindle)


5 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for interviewing me. I'm honored to be included in The Writers' Lens articles!

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  2. I love that Becky is living the life she's imagined. Really, she's an inspiration for us. Enjoyed the interview.

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    1. Hi Myrna! Thank you for your comment! I'm a bit slow in getting around to replying to comments, both on MY blog and elsewhere! In fact, I'll probably never get caught up...but I'm tryin'! :)

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  3. Becky proves that it is never too late to live your dream. Her memoir will take readers back and trigger so many memories.

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    1. Hi Linda! Thank you very much for your lovely comment! It really means a lot to me.

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