Interview with Stella Rimmer, Contributor to On Our Own: Widowhood for Smarties

Stella Rimmer is one of the talented authors featured in Silver Boomer Books' new release, On Our Own:  Widowhood for Smarties.

TZ:  Would you summarize your piece for readers?

SR:  "Blind Dates" is one of the more lighthearted pieces in the book, but being widowed at age 73, I was able to approach it with a sense of humor rather than with the agonizing emotions evoked during the actual time of the events described.  The piece is really a cameo of my dating experiences over the last 31 years of widowhood.  I doubt that the story is unique to me, so perhaps other people in similar situations will be able to relate to it and know that they are not alone.

TZ:  What has been the hardest thing to cope with during your years as a widow?

SR:  The hardest thing has been--and still is--not having someone to share both the good and bad things.

TZ:  What are you most proud of?

SR:  As a cosseted young married woman for some 20 years, I am most proud of subsequently having been able to conquer my fear of making important decisions on my own, handling financial problems and, not least, being able to guide and support my two daughters during their earlier years.

TZ:  Any advice to widows?

SR:  We all react so differently to the state of widowhood with all its attendant emotions.  I don't think I would deign to offer any advice.  All I will say is that the sadness it bring is the price we pay for having loved someone so deeply and perhaps we should feel grateful for having been blessed with the opportunity to do so.

TZ:  What is your writing background?  Your writing process?

Although up to now I have not attempted to have anything published, I've always enjoyed writing and found it therapeutic to express myself on paper. My notebook is always nearby so that I can jot thoughts down as they occur to me, and when I want to write about something specific, I dfraw on those notes for elaboration.

TZ:  What are you presently working on?  Any specific writing goals?

SR:  Presently I am writing the story about my husband's two heart transplants in 1981, which is something he began himself just weeks before he died.  It has always been my goal to fulfill his dream of doing this, if only vicariously though me.

TZ:  Any advice for writers?

SR:  Speaking from personal experience, I would urge other would-be writers to join a writing class.  Apart from the enjoyment of spending a couple of hours every week with other like-minded people, I have learned so much about the actual craft.  I pay tribute to my teacher, who has encouraged me to express myself with more emotion and vulnerability.  Her classes have been inspirational and a great motivation to write on a regular basis.