Welcome, Jeff Rivera

Welcome, Jeff! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us. I have read Forever My Lady so I am especially excited to hear more about the author behind such a wonderful story. So, if it's all right with you, I'd like to get right to the questions.

Forever My Lady takes on some pretty tough topics without holding anything back. Was it emotionally taxing to write this story? If so,how did you unwind after a day spent at the keyboard?

It wasn't emotionally taxing at all, in fact for me it was therapeutic and felt exhilarating to write. I loved every minute of it. Though, there were times when I wondered if I'd ever finish it and had to force myself to keep writing, I'm so glad I did.

The scenes with Dio's mother were especially poignant. Was there anything you drew upon that helped you make these parts of the book so heartfelt?

I didn't draw on my own mother at all (except for wearing the blue eye shadow thing which my mom STILL does) but I created a character that I thought would be true to Dio's experience. I thought to myself what would Dio's mother look like. She was a very fun character to create.

How did you celebrate when Grand Central bought your book?

Well, I was in shock for the first 6 months and to be honest, I never did really celebrate it. I really ought to, maybe I'm still in shock!

How has your life changed since Forever My Lady has been published?

I definitely feel more validated as a published author. You go through so much self-doubt when you're writing, wondering if people are going to "get" what you're writing so to have a major publisher get that excited about it to the point that they're willing to publish it was awesome.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you're working on now?

Well, now I'm working on a YA novel. My goal this year is to write as many first drafts as possible then the next year to rewrite them. So many stories that have been screaming to come out for so long.

Where do you see yourself in the future? Do you aspire to write forever or do you have other plans?

I do plan on writing forever. It's what I do, it's who I am. I'd definitely like to have the sequel to Forever My Lady out too soon as well.

Thank you for visiting with us today, Jeff. Readers, Jeff has graciously donated a copy of his novel, Forever My Lady, to be given away to one lucky commenter on today's post. I'll randomly pull a winner's name from the comments, announce the winner tomorrow and make arrangements to send the paperback to the winning commenter. So comment away! This is a thought-provoking story, and I believe the winner will definitely enjoy reading Forever My Lady.

To learn more about Jeff, visit his website http://www.jeffrivera.com/