An Intimate Interview with Lesbian Author R.J. Stevens
By Heather Madigan
Upon publishing her first novel, Becoming Bobbie, R.J. Stevens is feeling a sense of relief and accomplishment; as are those around her. R.J. is excited, yet nervous, as she looks to its August 5, 2003 release date. This is when I meet up with R.J. to discuss the novel and writer.
Our meeting took place just days before the release of Becoming Bobbie.
Welcome to the world of R.J. Stevens!
HM: Who is R.J. Stevens?
RJ: Oh, geez. Well, every person is a big melting pot, people are made up of parts. I'm an EMT. I'm a Lesbian. I'm a writer (I hope!). I'm a daughter. I'm a sister. I'm a lover. I'm a Mom. I'm a friend. But I'm not just one of those things. I'm all of them, and more. No two people are alike.
HM: Where are you from? Where were you raised?
RJ: Oak View, CA in Ventura County until I was ten years old. Then we moved to Mammoth Spring, AR. Yeah, huge culture shock. My grandparents were three hours away in Benton, AR. I read a lot and used my imagination.
HM: So what did you do for fun, besides read?
RJ: We would drive the dirt roads, hang out at the river. I read a lot though. I was reading The Hobbit by the time I was 8 years old. I also read The Lord of the Rings series in sixth grade, so I was what, 11?
HM: Wow. What is your writing process like?
RJ: I write a little bit all the time, because I take a characteristic from a person I see and begin building a character or thought around that. Like once, I started writing a story because of the way a woman flipped her hair over her shoulder. It's not the whole person, just a movement, sound or look that sparks something. Stephen King creates a situation then begins writing to see how that situation develops and who takes part. I'm more character driven. I start with a fully developed character and begin writing, to see what happens to them. Mostly I do my serious writing at home.
HM: Do you have to be alone?
RJ: Not necessarily. If someone's around I'll sit at the desk and put on my head phones.
HM: Have you ever suffered from writer's block? Or do you? And how long does it last?
RJ: In short spurts. Usually it's for a week or so because something isn't working. In the story or with a character, something isn't working. To think out a problem I either pace or pull up a puzzle on the computer to let my mind wander. It will go places and figure things out. What I do is save my writing by chapters and I have a file named "pieces" and I will develop some aspect that's in there to plug in somewhere else.
HM: Music is used as a kind of time line in Becoming Bobbie and it's obviously a huge part of your life. Do you listen to music when you write?
RJ: Yes. I use music to set the mood. If I'm writing a medical trauma scene I listen to rock 'n roll. If I'm writing a very sensual scene I might listen to Sara McLachlan. When I write fantasy I listen to New Age music. I got Melissa Etheridge's "Your Little Secret" CD and put it on while I was writing Siren Call (the next hopeful release) and this one song came on and all of sudden Bobbie is in my mind, a fully grown woman with a story to tell. I went back to writing and she popped in again, but this time I know more about her like that she likes to take baths but nobody knows that. So I finally put Siren Call aside and began writing Becoming Bobbie.
HM: Fiction is based on fact, how much of this story is about your life or people you've known?
RJ: Everybody thinks I'm Bobbie. I'm not. She's just a character that had to have her story told.
RJ: Sometimes I can change the story some, but sometimes not. Originally, Agatha or Miss Clarady died in Becoming Bobbie. It took a bit to work it around to a happier place. Hey, I guess it was meant to be that she lived.
HM: Speaking of Agatha. She's the English teacher in the novel and that description of her in the bar, she's uh . . .
RJ: She's hot. (laughter) I swear, I'm the only lesbian I know who hasn't had a crush on a teacher. Never. I had two teachers who I became friends with after high school. We had intellectual conversations about books; they treated me as if we were intellectual equals. JoKay was the first adult to tell me my writing was good and that I had talent. I send her a rose every year on the Friday before Mother's Day because she would've been a great mother. But there was never that teacher crush, I had to make it up!
HM: If you could interview or spend the day getting to know one person, who would it be?
RJ: Hmmm, Whoopi. I would like to hang out in a non-public place.
HM: I just like the way she thinks. I read her book, The Book, and it's the best celebrity-type autobiography I've read.
RJ: A non-public place where we could talk. Like my mom's backyard. When you walk into my mom's house it's like being rejuvenated. She's a natural healer. I have a great relationship with my mom. We're really close.
HM: The burning question: God. You mention God a few times in your novel. Are you a religious person?
RJ: I wouldn't say religious. Spiritual. I don't think you have to be in church to worship and be in awe of the world. I figure if I'm okay with God, I'm okay. If I'm okay with my Self, I'm okay. If I'm okay with My mom, I'm okay. The rest of the world doesn't matter. God, my Self and my Mom. I believe there's one God or love or energy, whatever you want to call it, it's all the same.
HM: Are you easily offended?
RJ: No.
HM: When does the next book come out? What is it about?
RJ: Siren Call (later titled The Best Of Friends) is on my editor's desk right now. It's about emergency workers: EMS, fire fighters. I don't know when it will come out.
HM: Are you working on anything now?
RJ: I'm writing a fantasy novel now. I'm working on my own magic system because I don't want to be a copy cat, I want my own magic system that works. If it's not my own, and not good, I won't use magic at all.
* * * * *
R.J. Stevens is one of those people you feel really sees you for you. She is serious about life and living it to the fullest, yet reserved and pragmatic when it comes to making tough decisions. She is also the first one to find the humor in a situation and laugh out loud. R.J. mentioned names like Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, JK Rowlings and J.R.R. Tolkien, to name a few in a list of many, as some authors who have inspired her to develop her writing craft. As for advice to those out there yearning to tell their story to the world, bottom line: get a good agent.
As varied as her life experiences, R.J. Stevens refuses to stick to one single genre and continues to explore her writing style for her readers' enjoyment. I asked R.J. what people could do to improve the perception of gays in the Midwest. "Stop denying you don't know one. You know. You just don't know you do. Don't make preformed opinions either. Watch your language. Be conscious of the words you use in life and to one another." One of R.J.'s goals is to help at least one person through the day or night through this story of intense adversity, courage and love. I know she helped me analyze my own use of language and also gave me the opportunity to slow down and read a damn good story.
