Author Interview – Gaelen VanDenbergh

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated? My sister and I were always writing and drawing, I remember that. Creating stories, with illustrations. She’s a brilliant artist. I mostly just tried to copy her artwork. And I just kept writing. I’m constantly writing in my mind.
When and why did you begin writing? I have always been writing, since I could hold a pencil. I remember when I was very young my grandfather used to type up my stories on his old typewriter, making them look very official.
How long have you been writing? Forever. I have taken some steps back from writing over the years, but it’s all I want to do and all I know.
When did you first know you could be a writer? I’m not sure. It’s always just been a huge part of my life. I’m always creating, it was never really a choice of doing it or not, it became more an issue of finishing something. I tend to work on several projects at once.
What inspires you to write and why? Everything! I could have a conversation, or overhear a conversation, that could become someone’s story. I live too much in my head. My mind is always taking a thought or a feeling or an experience and turning it into a larger story. I draw a great deal on my emotions as well.
What genre are you most comfortable writing? Contemporary fiction. That’s the only genre I’ve touched.
What inspired you to write your first book? My now ex-husband was always dragging me to look at dilapidated old houses in very remote, miniscule towns, and insisting we live there. As we were having our share of problems at the time, I became suspicious that he was plotting to dump me in one of these places. That started Running Against Traffic, and then the characters took over.
Who or what influenced your writing once you began? I never write about something I know nothing about. It has to be real to me, so I often draw on my own emotions, like a method actor. I am also very curious and pay close attention to people, their motivations, relationships, how they hurt and save one another, and why. I find it all fascinating, and it is what I like to write about. Earlier writing pulled more from direct experiences, and these novels will come out eventually.