Judith Marshall

Please join me in welcoming Regina Swint, a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, a publisher and the author of The Other Side of 30.

1.         When did you first consider yourself a writer?
In the spring of my freshman year in college, I took my first creative writing course.  Many of my classmates had written and published books, won contests, been to conferences and workshops, and knew so many technical things about the craft, I felt clumsy and amateurish, but I knew that I loved writing, and the course title, “Creative Writing,” was all it took for me to be hooked.  After a critiquing session, when reading over my notes, I read a classmate’s comments.  “You’re the best writer in this class.”  She said that she enjoyed my voice and my sense of humor.  That small vote of confidence was like my first validation from a reader who wasn’t a close friend or family member.  That was all it took for me to see that writing loves me back.  Sometimes.

2.         How did you come up with the title?
Throughout my 20s, I was regularly indecently propositioned by married men, all of whose invitations I declined.  In my late 20s, one man called me uppity and picky for turning down his advances.  He said that I wouldn’t look good forever, and that I should realize how scarce men are; that the older I got, the scarcer men would be, so I might as well get off my high horse.  When I declined him again, his response were something like, “See how high and mighty you are on the other side of thirty.”

I wrote The Other Side of 30 in an attempt to consider the perspective of a woman who actually bought that load of hooey, and I built scenarios around what might happen as a result of some of her choices that were motivated by that line of thinking.

3.         Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
The Other Side of 30 is a story of one woman’s life inside of the glass house.  The message is that anyone can cross the line to the other side of right for any number of reasons, even when you ought to know better.  I tried to write the story from a perspective that I haven’t lived, and to write without judgement of a behavior of which many of us readily disapprove.  I attempted to make the main character, while behaving badly, as sympathetic and relatable as possible, hoping to provoke readers to thought without judgment.

4.       Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
In an attempt to make the characters credible, I based several of them on real people, real personalities, and some of the story on a few actual locations and events, but more than 95% of it comes straight out of my imagination.

5.       What are your current projects?
In addition to preparing for a 2nd Edition release of The Other Side of 30, my latest project is a collaborative effort of several writers and artists, which I hope to release this fall, under my own small publishing house, New Renaissance Ink, LLC.  It will be called Up from Here, and 100% of its proceeds will be donated to a Washington, DC-based organization, Teaching for Change (www.teachingforchange.org).

 I’m also working on an idea for a short work tentatively titled Monsters Under the Bed, which will share some of my experiences from my deployment to Afghanistan.  My plan is for ninety percent of the proceeds from this project to also go to charity, though I’m not sure which one  yet.  It may evolve into a work of fiction, depending on how many creative liberties I need to take.  Monsters Under the Bed will require a lot of extra care because I want to be sure to do justice to the story I’m trying to tell and the people who may be a part of it. 

I’m also working with two new writers, Stephanie Duke Miller and Michael Makins, on books that I hope to publish next spring.  My plan for these projects is to pay the authors 40% of the proceeds in royalties, donate 40% to selected charities, and take 20% to reinvest back into the publishing house and its expenses.

6.       Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Shawn Fish, was/is instrumental in developing and nurturing my creativity, staying motivated, and trying to make a positive impact on the lives of others through my writing.

7.       If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
I would have not continued to make changes AFTER my book had been edited.  I would also have taken less advice from family and friends about the book cover.  It probably would have made the designer’s job a little easier, and I would have had a cover that matched my initial concept.

8.       Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I became interested in writing because of my uncle Harvey, who was a tremendous talent.  He wrote poems, and he made simple words tell the best stories.  His words moved people, and I wanted to do that.  After I retire from the Army in a few years, I may pursue writing and publishing as a full-time career.

9.       Do you have any advice for other writers?
Read as much as you can.  Reading helps develop better writing skills.  Remember that there’s a difference between taking your writing seriously and taking yourself too seriously.  Respect the craft completely, but be willing to laugh at yourself sometimes, especially in the face of criticism.  EVERYBODY needs editing.  If anyone ever tells you that you don’t need any editing, thank them for the compliment; but then get a professional editor.  Editors are a great investment.

10.       Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading.  Ninety percent of the proceeds from the sale of The Other Side of 30 is donated in equal parts to The Army Wounded Warrior Program, The Wounded Warrior Project, and The Armed Forces Retirement Home (formerly Old Soldier’s Home and U.S. Soldier’s and Airmen’s Home).

For more information, go to www.ryswint.com