Interview with Author Lana Jean Rose

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1.  1. What inspired you to write your book? The inspiration for my book came from a need to continue to be creative after breaking both my wrists and not being able to paint each day. Even though I am more known as a solo/public environmental artist, www.lanajeanrose.com, my true passion and delight is writing. I thought it would be fun to write about the stories I’d told all my life about my childhood. My childhood stories were dark yet I had a way of story telling that would have most on the floor crying with laughter.

2. What is it about?  I think the review by Julia Ann Charpentier  on February 4, 2016 from the Forward Clarion is best said. She gave me four stars and wrote: This candid view of the art world from the perspective of an ambitious woman will enthrall, and perhaps frighten, creative audiences. A gifted artist faced with formidable obstacles exceeds expectations in this mesmerizing, true-to-life story. Arrivals and Departures from Normal by Lana Jean Rose captivates and inspires, allowing an intimate look at what it takes to succeed in a competitive profession.

A freethinking, sensitive, and intellectual heroine aptly named Airstream embarks on an arduous journey into the depths of her soul. In the 1960s, she is rejected by her parents as an idealist with socialist leanings—a commie pinko. Right out of high school, she is forced into independent living. She relies on friends and her street smarts as she adapts. Air fluctuates between highs and lows that send her from the gates of a heavenly existence to the pits of a hellish ordeal.

When faced with homelessness, Airstream reacts as any young adult would: “Air’s mind began to deconstruct. She felt as though she could not breathe. She thought she was dying. Perhaps that might not be such a bad idea.”

The behaviors of the eccentric characters in this provocative novel are ripe for analysis. They are inconsistent and unpredictable, fascinating yet disturbing at times, too. The contrasting environments that Air contends with are as varied as a tertiary color palette.

Depicted with empathy and knowledge, this candid view of the art world from the perspective of an ambitious woman with innate talent will enthrall, and perhaps frighten, creative audiences. It pursues “only if” scenarios with courage. This heartfelt work avoids the temptation to pass judgment on the dangerous roads to artistic success. Instead, the pursuit of success takes precedence over the destination. Air is passionate and ambitious, yet insecure, which may be typical of many artistic personalities pulled in multiple directions.

Rose portrays her protagonist as a complex woman with a personal agenda—a vibrant individual in need of acceptance and love. Air’s accomplishments are integrated into a plot that concerns itself with daily living, interaction with people, and healing wounds of the past. Her romances, letdowns, and anxieties manifest in a natural progression of events. There’s no contrived outline imposed upon the story, allowing authenticity and realism to be the guiding forces behind Air’s actions.

Rose is an internationally acclaimed environmental artist. Her novel is infused with details gleaned from a lifetime of experience. Arrivals and Departures from Normal delves into the complicated realm of self-expression for public consumption. This is art as the driving force in the human spirit.

I also think that the well-known writer Lee Quarnstrom gave a wonderful review on Amazon: Poignant, Mind-bending -- and at times Hilarious!

By Lee Quarnstrom on June 16, 2016

Tales from the life of a woman who could well have been Leonard Cohen's fabled girl/angel "Suzanne." Poignant, insightful, touching, mind-bending and, on many pages, yarns that are laugh-out-loud funny, particularly her visit to her boyfriend's proctologist for a diagnosis of her lover's gastro-intestinal problems. (Really!)

3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?  A smile when thinking of the book would be nice. I think the discovery of my own mental illness and Complex-PTSD through writing this book might be of great help for those who don’t understand why their lives have always been so difficult. Why panic attacks show up out of the blue for no reason at all. Why suddenly after feeling completely comfortable with a group of people you start to feel anxious and feel like bolting for no substantial reason. The world of mental illness and the proper diagnosis for people is just now on the minds of those who can really make a difference in providing help in thriving instead of surviving.

4. What advice do you have for writers? Get all the help you can when it comes to editing. Have someone who does not know you read your book and give you feedback.

5. Where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?  Sadly, I think people are choosing to read books online and loosing the sensual tactile feeling of paper. People will always want to read so there will always be a publishing industry. I think it is a loss not to be able to hand a book you just read to a friend and say, “You have to read this!”

6. What challenges did you have in writing your book?  For me, the editing process was overwhelming. Not only in the actual editing but leaving the creative realm and entering the intellectual word and realizing things about yourself you have never in your life been confronted with. I had always known I was in pain and suffering, yet I had developed fabulous coping skills through my art and fashion design. I was like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. Once I started to really read my book from a different perspective, I realized how horrific my childhood was. It was not funny at all and I could never tell any of the experiences I had endured as funny any more. I absolutely had a meltdown and have been in a critical care state for almost a year now. I am now about to enter a residential treatment center for at least two weeks perhaps a month. I have spent everyday since last November in Kaiser’s Intensive Out-Patient trying to deal with the diagnosis of Complex PTSD. I’ve been in and out of therapy since I was 19 and was never properly helped. I have been very successful and accomplished a lot in my life and yet I have always had to move through “deeply suffering” first.

7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours? I think we are all suffering and with proper help and reading my book understanding the real truth behind the story—the humor can be healing.

ARRIVALS and DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL

For more information, please consult: http://www.arrivalsanddeparturesfromnormal.com/ )!