Carol J. Chumney
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney
Author of The Arena: One Woman's Story
The Arena: One Woman’s Story is written by a Memphis female politician, attorney and judge that explores why women are still not proportionally represented in the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, statewide executive, and mayor positions in the United States. In 1920 American women secured the right to vote. Despite over a hundred years of women’s suffrage, there has never been a female president of the USA.
The book shares author Carol J. Chumney’s experiences as a woman in the political arena. In 1990, she gained election to the Tennessee state legislature at the age of 29. She passed landmark childcare reform, as reported in TIME magazine and the New York Times. As a veteran state legislator, experienced trial attorney, and Memphis city councilwoman, in 2007, she came within seven points of being elected the first woman mayor of Memphis. Memphis still has never had a woman mayor, nor Tennessee a female governor.
The glass ceiling is the invisible barrier that keeps women from attaining higher positions despite their qualifications or achievements. Chumney’s story is an inside look at local and state politics that exposes this barrier and calls for a movement to shatter it once and for all! As she says, “you first have to see it to defeat it.”
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney
Author I draw inspiration from:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini. This book is remarkable in explaining how and why people make decisions, including politics!
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
The couch in my living room. Easy to take a nap break if needed:)
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I read mostly non-fiction so this is a tough one! I suppose the young prince in the book, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I'd ask him about the other planets, his travels, and if he reunited with his special rose.
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
When I decided to find a way to expose the glass ceiling so as to bring change to help qualified women have a chance to gain election to higher offices.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I like ebooks to get the book quickly to read. I like paperback to keep a book and mark select passages in it. Hardbooks are for autographed copies of important books. I rarely listen to an audiobook.
The last book I read:
Attraction Psychology by Jeremy S. Nicholson, Ph.D. is an amazing book about people and relationships that is science-based.
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I wrote my book on a laptop. I used pen to make edits from time to time.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Nancy Drew (mystery book series published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene). I loved Nancy Drew as a child. She was smart and a great role model for a young girl. Later as an attorney, a client gave me a set of the books in honor of my solving his legal case!
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Actually, I am a Shelby County Circuit Court Judge (Memphis metropolitan region). I also have produced a documentary on a mission trip I took to Kenya. I would like to write some piano songs, work on another film, and write poetry or short stories next in my spare time.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I think the 60’s was fun even though I was a child. The long hair, beads, tie-dye, and bright colors, along with the first appearance of blue jeans on the market make it stand out in my mind. Also, perhaps it is because the attire was somewhat forbidden since my mother would not let me wear blue jeans in high school. (But she did let me wear overalls).😊
Place I’d most like to travel:
Israel as a spiritual journey.
My signature drink:
I prefer a glass of Chardonnay.
Favorite artist:
Monet. I saw his works on display in France and visited his garden. His emotion and vibrant colors moved me.
Number one on my bucket list:
I would like to travel throughout Europe. I have only been to France in that part of the world.
Anything else you'd like to add:
The book has received the following awards:
National Federation of Press Women- Honorable Mention & First Place At-large Autobiography/Memoir- 2022
Silver Medal- “Ippy Awards”- South-Best Regional Non-fiction- 2022
Finalist- Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award- 2021
Find more from the author:
https://www.facebook.com/ArenaOneWomansStory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEYkwU3KcZQ
About Carol J. Chumney:
Author Interview - Carol J. Chumney
Carol J. Chumney is an elected Shelby County (TN) Circuit Court Judge (she took the bench September 1, 2022). Prior to this, she was an attorney in private practice in Memphis, TN. She served thirteen years in the Tennessee state house, earning numerous awards. Chumney served four years as a Memphis city councilwoman, standing up against pension and spending abuses by officials. She made valiant efforts to be elected county mayor in 2002 and Memphis mayor in 2007 and 2009.
