Interview: Writer Dominique Browning On Her Slow Love Life And Finding Happiness

By Pamela Burke

TWITTER: @Slowlovelife

All things fascinating, beautiful, and wondrous are discussed on Dominique Browning’s blog Slow Love Life.  We follow it religiously here at TWE, wondering what special photos and subject matter Dominique will turn up next.

She is a well-respected writer and was Editor-in-Chief of one of our favorite magazines, House & Garden.  Unfortunately, it ceased publication overnight in 2007, and she lost her job.

“The idea of Slow Love is just taking and giving ourselves permission to take a little time every day to feed our soul.”    Dominique Browning

Dominique decided to write all about it in a very candid and amusing book called Slow Love: How I Lost My Job Put On My Pajamas and Found Happiness .  We couldn’t wait to talk to her about her concept of Slow Love and her new project, Moms Clean Air Force.

Here are is an excerpt from Stacey Gualandi’s radio interview with Dominique along with some inspiring photos from her blog…  

Interview: Motivational Speaker Brenda Warner On Family, Fame And Faith

By Stacey Gualandi

TWITTER: @warnerbrenda

A husband cheats.  A son is left with brain damage after an accident.  A mother and father are killed in a tornado.   A divorced single mom is forced to live on food stamps.   A Marine marries a soon-to-be Super Bowl champion.    It sounds like the plot of a typical Hollywood script, but it’s actually one woman’s real life.

 “I realized while writing my memoir that I was always one call away from that phone call that changed my life in a split second.”  Brenda Warner

In her poignant memoir, “One Call Away,” Brenda Warner recounts her life – the blessings as well as the tragedies – and how faith and her family have helped pull her through the most difficult of life’s challenges.   She is the wife of NFL superstar-turned-television host Kurt Warner, but now this 44-year-old former Marine is fast becoming a star in her own right.

She is a sought after motivational speaker, a best-selling author, and a tireless supporter of those in need through the First Things First Foundation she and Kurt began 10 years ago.  And she does this while raising seven kids!!!

I’m not quite sure how she found the time to talk with me on “The Women’s Eye Radio Show“, but I feel blessed that she did… 

Guest Blog: Sandy Foster’s Star of Wonder, Star of Night

We asked Sandy Foster, the curator of a simply wonderful design website, My Shabby Streamside Studio, to do a blog this year as she had done last December to share with us what the holidays mean to her.

Her articles here on TWE are very popular, and we thought our audience would be interested in hearing from her again. As always, times change, things happen, and life can gobsmack you. Here’s her story this year… 

Interview: Lisa See On The Joy Of Writing And “Dreams Of Joy”

By Pamela Burke

TWITTER: @Lisa_See

Best-selling novelist Lisa See has been fascinated with Chinese culture and female friendship ever since she published her first book “On Gold Mountain” in 1995.   This “Los Angeles treasure,” as she’s been called, is now the author of seven popular novels with the release this year of “Dreams of Joy.”

“…write 1,000 words a day and one charming note.   I now say that to anyone who will listen.”    Lisa See

When “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan,” a master work that has been translated into 38 languages,  made its way to the silver screen, our reviewer Sue Podbielski praised its seldom portrayed theme of women’s loyalty and friendship.

We were delighted when we could talk to Lisa on “The Women’s Eye Radio Show” and hear more about how she “cuts to the bone” when she writes.  She’s working on yet another novel, but she took time out to talk to us about the love she has for her craft.  Here is Stacey Gualandi’s interview…

Interview: That Marcia Clark Reinvents Herself As Mystery Novelist

By Pamela Burke

TWITTER: @thatmarciaclark

We all know the Marcia Clark of  the O. J. “Trial of the Century” media extravaganza.  Because of her role in that high-profile case, The New Yorker called her “The Most Famous Prosecutor in American History.”  She won 19 out of 20 murder trials, just not “that” one.

“I went into court every day trying to win it.  It didn’t happen.  The fact that I survived it shows me what you can live through.” 

But did you know that because of her love for reading mysteries since age nine, she decided to become a crime novelist?  Her first who-done-it, “Guilt by Association,” is out, and has been called “a triumphant fiction debut,” and a “corker” of a novel.

We wanted to know what had become of Marcia since the trial and her many appearances as a commentator on television.  Recently we got the chance to hear her speak at Book Passage in Corte Madera, Ca.

It was a sold-out crowd, and her message was fascinating, fun, and one of reinvention.  She shared her story recently on our Women’s Eye Radio Show in a conversation with Stacey Gualandi.   Here is some of what she had to say…

Interview: Author Robbyn Swan On Finding The Truth About 9/11

By Stacey Gualandi

Facebook: Anthony Summers  & Robbyn Swan
Twitter: @robbynswan

For a definitive account of the events leading up to, during and following 9/11, reviewers say look no further than “The Eleventh Day:  The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama Bin Laden.”    Robbyn Swan, together with best-selling author and husband Anthony Summers, spent five years digging and researching the who, what, where, when and why of one of the most catastrophic events in American history.

“There has long been a huge amount of misinformation surrounding the events of September 11.”  Robbyn Swan

I read an excerpt from “The Eleventh Day” in a recent issue of Vanity Fair and then had to read the book. I literally couldn’t put it down.   It is an exhaustive minute-by-minute account of the attack, a thorough debunking of the so-called “truth movement’s” conspiracy theories, an exploration of alleged involvement by foreign governments, and an examination of what exactly U.S. intelligence knew before 9/11 and when.

I spoke with Robbyn from her home in Ireland, where she addressed the controversial revelations she and Summers uncovered, working with homeless women, and how it IS possible to write best-selling books alongside your husband!…

Interview: Laura Collins On F.E.A.S.T. — Helping Families With Eating Disorders

By Phyllis Theroux, Guest Contributor

Twitter: @FEASTtweets
Facebook: F.E.A.S.T

In 2002, Laura Collins was just beginning her career in Warrenton, Virginia as a serious stay-at-home writer when her 14-year-old daughter was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Her daughter’s various therapists told her and her husband to back off while they took over .

” I was absolutely gobsmacked by the diagnosis . It was the most isolating thing I had ever faced.”  Laura

But their daughter did not get better. Finally, they decided to trust their “bravest parental instincts” and manage her care themselves. Only later did the writer Collins kick in. After their daughter recovered, she wrote “Eating With Your Anorexic” which describes the ultimately successful route they took.

Collins’ niche market now is parents. In 2008, she created a organization, F.E.A.S.T. ( Families Empowered and Supporting Eating Disorders) which offers a variety of services and is the only non-profit of its kind.

Of two things Laura is sure: an eating disorder is a brain disorder, and parents don’t cause it although they can make it worse. This makes her a gadfly in the Eating Disorder world.

Not long ago I spent the day with Laura at her northern Virginia house, which at 7:30 in the morning is full of the click of metal taps on a hardwood floor.  Collins is a tap dancer.  More on that later… 

Interview: Sarah Brokaw On Fortytude, Fear, And Facing 40

By Stacey Gualandi

Twitter: myfortytude

Sarah Brokaw has hit a nerve with the 40-and-older crowd with her new book “Fortytude – Making the Next Decades the Best Years of Your Life through the 40’s, 50’s, and Beyond”.  Facing the big 4-0?  She says have no fear.

“Having Fortytude means realizing that while you can’t control what happens, you can control your reactions.”

Yes, Sarah is related to that other famous Brokaw.  Tom is her father.  Her mother, Meredith, is a successful entrepreneur. Yet Sarah navigated her own successful path.  By 30 she became a licensed psychotherapist and certified coach, but like so many women, she wanted to marry and have a family.

Sarah’s personal story inspired her to write “Fortytude“.  She interviewed hundreds of women from all walks of life for the book.   Of course, being in my 40’s, I knew this book would speak to me.  Not only did it  speak to me, it shook, slapped and snapped me right into a new way of thinking!

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my 40’s so Sarah addressed my personal problems, or “sparkling moments” as she calls them.  Now I’d like to share our stories with you… 

Interview: Shannon Hayes On A New Back-To-The-Earth Movement: “Radical Homemaking”

Shannon Hayes says you can find real wealth in the simple life.  She blogs and farms with her husband and two daughters  in West Fulton, NY,  where they raise all-natural grassfed animals.

Shannon traveled across the country to find  people whose  lifestyle was similar to her own and included them  in her new book “Radical Homemakers.”   They have all chosen to have their lives revolve completely around their home and community.  According to Shannon, they and their children have found a  frugal yet  enriched  back-to-the-earth existence.

The radical homemaker’s genuine wealth,  she  says,  comes from the soil, water, sunlight, air, family and relationships.

When I read about Shannon’s book recently, I was intrigued.   Could a movement be gaining popularity that encouraged simple concepts such as  hanging out the laundry to dry, cooking for your family, and getting to know your neighbors?  I wondered what made  this woman with a Master’s Degree and a Ph.D. switch over to a way of life that didn’t include climbing the ladder to success.   How did she make this “radical homemaking” a reality?

“…while my grad school peers were settling into their new offices, I was out under a cloudless blue sky, painting for $10/hr.  I  decided that I had the better deal.”

Shannon took the time to explain to me why she feels home is where social change will begin… 

Jennifer Salt’s First Produced Screenplay Is Eat Pray Love

Photo by Stephanie Diani/NYTimes

Jennifer Salt began her professional life as an actress.  This daughter of Academy Award-Winning  screenwriter Waldo Salt, who was blacklisted in the fifties,  did not become a writer for many years.  She went to  Broadway after graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, was involved in regional theatre, and moved on to movie roles in Hollywood.   She acted on the television show  “Soap”  for five years but found it  wasn’t her calling.   

After enrolling in her first writing class in her early forties, this single mom seemed to find her passion penning scripts.    A successful stint at writing and producing  for the television series “Nip/Tuck” led her back into the movie business.  She was approached to help author a script from a story that had become a blockbuster best- selling book.  At 65,  she is hitting her stride as co-writer of the screenplay for Elizabeth Gilbert’s popular  “Eat, Pray,  Love.”  The movie opens Aug. 13.

To read about Jennifer’s journey to become a screenwriter:

New York Times

Marin IJ article on Elizabeth Gilbert

popeater.com interview with Jennifer

Question:  How difficult is it to change careers and reinvent yourself ?  Have you tried it?