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| Power Style Wellness Connections |
Inspiring Minds
By Mary Jo Harrod
Louisville resident Beverly Bartlett, 40, author of Cover Girl
Confidential and Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, began her
writing career as an intern for a small-town newspaper in Missouri and is a columnist
for The Courier-Journal. She and her husband, Jim Turner, have two children, ages
4 years and 8 months.
What inspires you?
Inspiration comes from daily life, from the relationships I have with my husband,
bosses, and others. In my Princess Izzy book, the scene where the princess is
carrying a wine goblet to a car is based on a conversation I had with my husband. He
carried a glass of orange juice to the car and I suggested he should use plastic
instead of glass. In the book, I stretched things with Izzy to a greater level ––
ridiculous and poignant.
What is your motto?
Keep going. I couldn’t have the luxury of writer’s block working in journalism or
overthinking things. I can’t wait until I feel inspired to write, because I may not have
the time.
The world would be a better place...
...if only everyone had enough food and water and fewer of us had too much. I
covered the story of the Lost Boys of the Sudan when they came to Louisville. In
their country, they didn’t have enough to drink. Here they were given 32-oz. cups of
soda and then given refills after taking only a couple of sips. They couldn’t
understand why they were being given refills when they still had plenty in their
glasses. So, I am not necessarily talking about money, just the basics.
What food or snack do you crave when creating?
Hot beverages, even in the summer. I drink coffee like nobody’s business. Chai
lattes are great. This fuels my creativity.
I still can’t get the knack of...
...getting online to do something and just doing that one thing. I will get online to
check dictionary.com and end up reading about American Idol.
The only thing I know for sure about the creative process is...
...there is work involved. You talk about being inspired and the creativity flowing, but
there is editing and rewriting to be done. The greatest job is still a job.
What do you know now that you didn’t know when you started?
The people in the publishing business are just people and not to be intimidated
because they have glamorous offices and power. They bring their own biases and
interests to the table, and they want to like your book. They want to find a great book
to publish and are not looking for reasons to hate your book.
What is your most current project?
I received two grants –– one an artist enrichment grant from the Kentucky
Foundation for Women and the other is the Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky
Arts Council –– to write a novel about women with young children who are trying to
balance work and home life. The book deals with emotionally hard questions about
identity. When I started having children, I worried about what I would talk about at
parties. The joke was on me because I can’t go to as many parties now that I have
two young children.
One thing I can’t stand is...
...unrealistic portrayals of reporters in fiction. The fictional reporters almost seem to
foam at the mouth and ambush people. Their motives are extremely noble or
extremely selfish. When I was a reporter, we were just trying to do a good job and
get the facts straight. Maybe one percent of the time we were wondering if we would
win an award for something we were writing.
Mary Jo Harrod is a regular writer for Today’s Woman.
By Mary Jo Harrod
Louisville resident Beverly Bartlett, 40, author of Cover Girl
Confidential and Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, began her
writing career as an intern for a small-town newspaper in Missouri and is a columnist
for The Courier-Journal. She and her husband, Jim Turner, have two children, ages
4 years and 8 months.
What inspires you?
Inspiration comes from daily life, from the relationships I have with my husband,
bosses, and others. In my Princess Izzy book, the scene where the princess is
carrying a wine goblet to a car is based on a conversation I had with my husband. He
carried a glass of orange juice to the car and I suggested he should use plastic
instead of glass. In the book, I stretched things with Izzy to a greater level ––
ridiculous and poignant.
What is your motto?
Keep going. I couldn’t have the luxury of writer’s block working in journalism or
overthinking things. I can’t wait until I feel inspired to write, because I may not have
the time.
The world would be a better place...
...if only everyone had enough food and water and fewer of us had too much. I
covered the story of the Lost Boys of the Sudan when they came to Louisville. In
their country, they didn’t have enough to drink. Here they were given 32-oz. cups of
soda and then given refills after taking only a couple of sips. They couldn’t
understand why they were being given refills when they still had plenty in their
glasses. So, I am not necessarily talking about money, just the basics.
What food or snack do you crave when creating?
Hot beverages, even in the summer. I drink coffee like nobody’s business. Chai
lattes are great. This fuels my creativity.
I still can’t get the knack of...
...getting online to do something and just doing that one thing. I will get online to
check dictionary.com and end up reading about American Idol.
The only thing I know for sure about the creative process is...
...there is work involved. You talk about being inspired and the creativity flowing, but
there is editing and rewriting to be done. The greatest job is still a job.
What do you know now that you didn’t know when you started?
The people in the publishing business are just people and not to be intimidated
because they have glamorous offices and power. They bring their own biases and
interests to the table, and they want to like your book. They want to find a great book
to publish and are not looking for reasons to hate your book.
What is your most current project?
I received two grants –– one an artist enrichment grant from the Kentucky
Foundation for Women and the other is the Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky
Arts Council –– to write a novel about women with young children who are trying to
balance work and home life. The book deals with emotionally hard questions about
identity. When I started having children, I worried about what I would talk about at
parties. The joke was on me because I can’t go to as many parties now that I have
two young children.
One thing I can’t stand is...
...unrealistic portrayals of reporters in fiction. The fictional reporters almost seem to
foam at the mouth and ambush people. Their motives are extremely noble or
extremely selfish. When I was a reporter, we were just trying to do a good job and
get the facts straight. Maybe one percent of the time we were wondering if we would
win an award for something we were writing.
Mary Jo Harrod is a regular writer for Today’s Woman.