Gail Priest
Author Interview - Gail Priest
Author of Soul Dancing
SOUL DANCING:
Women’s Fiction with a paranormal twist.
When ninety-year-old Shirlene Foster dies, she is shocked to wake up in another woman’s body. Even more surprising, she’s in a hospital delivery room, about to give birth. Fearing no one will believe her, she attempts to hide her true identity, but acting like a twenty-year-old proves impossible, and she realizes she must tell someone.
Cameron Michaels vowed to raise his niece after his brother abandoned his pregnant girlfriend, Rain. But after Rain has the baby, she changes… drastically. When Shirlene confesses she is inhabiting Rain’s body, Cameron hesitates to believe such a wild story, but it does explain Rain’s complete transition.
While adjusting to her new life and relishing her second chance at motherhood, Shirlene struggles to keep her growing attraction to Cameron in check. But Shirlene soon discovers that her new body may not belong to her for long.
Author Interview - Gail Priest
Author I draw inspiration from:
I draw inspiration from Anne Tyler. Earthly Possessions is a favorite. I love her vulnerable characters. Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees is also inspirational for its characters and dialogue. Because I'm a theatre artist, I've been inspired by a number of playwrights. Tennessee Williams, Beth Henley, Tine Howe, Dominique Morisseau, and Lorraine Hansberry for their settings, characters, dialogue, and atmosphere.
Author Interview - Gail Priest | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
My favorite place to read is on the back porch. In the winter, I like to read in bed.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I wouldn't like to be stuck in an elevator at all, but the character I'd want with me is Ben Blackshaw from Deadrise by Robert Blake Whitehill. Blackshaw would be calm in an emergency, and he'd know how to get us out of there.
Author Interview - Gail Priest | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I first wrote plays. My time as an actor, director, and educator prepared me to be a playwright. Then when my husband and I began renting a cottage on the Chesapeake Bay, I was inspired to write my Annie Crow Knoll Trilogy which is set there. I love the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and the characters became alive for me in that setting.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I used to read paperbacks and hardbacks, but in the last several years, I've been won over by the convenience of ebooks. I'm a convert.
The last book I read:
The last book I read was Of Lies and Honey by Donna Norman-Carbone. The novel is told from the point of view of three different women. I love different POVs, and I knew their storylines would converge. Norman-Carbone brings them together masterfully. The characters face daunting choices and make life altering decisions. My heart broke for each of them. I feel like they were people I knew or wished I could meet.
Author Interview - Gail Priest | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I used to write all plays and novels in a notebook with a pen. Then I'd type everything up on the computer. I decorated the front of each notebook with a collage of images that inspired the story. However, the last few books were done on the computer. It saves time, and I no longer feel the need to write in longhand.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I'd be best friends with Jean Louise (Scout) Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. She would be my best friend because Scout is adventuresome, smart, ethical, funny, and loyal. She'd loosen me up. We'd likely get into trouble together.
Author Interview - Gail Priest | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I've also been a teacher, a counselor, an actor, and a director. I'm completely fulfilled and satisfied with my professions and how they have overlapped and informed each other.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
As an actor, I enjoyed wearing the clothes of characters from different time periods. In everyday life, I'm dressed as casually as possible, but it was fun to dress in long gowns, shoes, and jewelry in period pieces. That being said, my favorite era in fashion is the early 1940's when women were leaving the home and taking jobs in the workforce.
Place I’d most like to travel:
It's difficult to name just one. I love Paris, Barcelona, and St. John, Virgin Islands. Paris and Barcelona hold the magic of art, architecture, food, and culture. St. John offers nature, blue water, and a place to relax. All three are romantic.
My signature drink:
Hot herbal tea
Favorite artist:
Claude Monet is one of my favorite artist. I love the Impressionists. As far as music is concerned, Stephen Sondheim is my favorite musical theatre composer.
Number one on my bucket list:
Number one on my bucket list is taking a river cruise down the Rhine River.
Anything else you'd like to add:
I've also published the Annie Crow Knoll Trilogy and Eastern Shore Shorts. They are set on the Eastern Shore of Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay.
My website is www.gailpriest.com.
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About Gail Priest:
Author Interview - Gail Priest
Gail Priest has a passion for women’s fiction. Her degrees and work in theatre and counseling psychology inspire her stories of healing from trauma and secrets within families. A dash of romance and her love of second chances are always in the mix. The settings of her novels are influenced by her time spent on the coast of New Jersey and the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
Gail lives in New Jersey with her husband and their Havanese dog, Annie. When she's not writing, Gail can be found reading or looking for birds and sea glass along the beaches and bays of the East Coast.
Gail is the author of Soul Dancing, the Annie Crow Knoll Trilogy and Eastern Shore Shorts. She’s a member of The Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Eastern Shore Writers Association, Novelitics Writers Collective, and the South Jersey Writers Group, where she was named Writer of the Year.
