Featured Interview With Lexy Duck
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Camden, NJ and later moved to Philadelphia in my teens. Presently I live in Daytona Beach, FL with my spouse, two dogs, and two cats. My professional career encompassed writing, designing and producing books, teaching guides, project proposals, reports, and sales materials for clients such as The Fairfax Connector, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, the American Bankers Association, and the Transportation Research Board. My few accolades for writing fiction were in Freshmen English many years ago. After I retired, I found I had an enormous amount of time on my hands. And, at my sister’s urging I rekindled my passion for writing fiction and The Tattered Black Book was born.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I think I've loved stories since I was born. I grew up in a large Italian family where storytelling was dinner's entertainment. So, I think, a love of books is a natural extension of that. But because I am dyslexic I had problems reading so I began to write. Was that ever fun. No one could read what I wrote so I could say anything I wanted. It became a game and I love it still.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Favorite authors – Steinbeck – his characters; I could reach out and touch each one. I know them. I feel them. And Hemingway's adventures; the places I visited and the experiences I had through his writing are priceless. Then there is Fitzgerald and all the emotion-filled moments he wrote about; especially those with Zelda. WOW-to express a thought like them is why I write. Those three shaped and still inspired me.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
"Tattered" is a story about the unlocking of secrets; secrets about love forbidden by prejudice, death at the hands of unbridled hate, and why a family history was expunged because of societal inequities. And getting the truth; getting answers is the reason I wrote it. I've pondered their secrets all my adult life but there are no answers. No records exist that explain my mother's ancestry. So I made one up.
My characters, Diana, Auntie, and Danny, could be my mother (Diana) – Auntie (the woman who raised my Mother), and Danny (me) who finds the tattered black book and photograph. The time frame and place fit my reality. But that's where any similarity to my real-life story ends. But still, it was a hoot to play with and even my older sister thinks it could be.
