Spotlight on Rita Y. Toews

June 2004

Sharyn: Rita, I want to thank you for joining me today. I know this interview is a bit of a surprise due to internet gremlins and I appreciate you taking time out of your day.

Have you always wanted to be a writer? What, if anything, influenced your decision to write?

Rita: I hadn't always wanted to be a writer. I did consider it when I was in my twenties and I even started a novel. I soon realized that I didn't know enough about the craft to be any good, and I gave up on the idea. I started getting a lot of encouragement from friends and family when I began to include a Christmas letter with our Christmas cards each year. People mentioned how they looked forward to receiving the letter and would complain if I became lazy and didn't include one. :-)

When I turned fifty I decided it was now or never--if I wanted to write, I'd better get serious about it. I registered at the University of Winnipeg and began to take their "Writer's Series" courses. That was when I was introduced to my writing partner, Alex Domokos, so I know I did the right thing. I suppose the expression -- "You'll never regret getting more education" is very true!

Sharyn: What's your favorite part of being an author?

Rita: Giving free rein to my over-active imagination! From the time I was a child I've been told I have an over-active imagination. For an author, that's a great problem to have! No matter what mundane job I might be doing during the day, I'm visualizing a place I want to write about, or a person, or an action, or perhaps I'm mulling over the turn of a phrase. It sure beats being trapped in the kitchen making supper, or in the basement doing the laundry.

Sharyn: What are some of your most memorable moments as an author?

Rita: I think our first book signing was a real high. Alex is quite old, and to see him achieve his dream of publishing a book was just such a wonderful experience. Another memorable moment was when I sent my mother a copy of our book. I only wish I could have been there when she opened the package!

Sharyn:You have written several novels with a co-author. What happens when you have very different ideas as to where the story is headed?

Rita: I really enjoy writing with a partner. We never have problems as to where the story is headed. Alex writes the plot and I flesh it out. If, during the course of the writing, the action takes the story on a different course, he's okay with that. Once I receive the plot he is totally hands off. I remember when doing Masquerade I met a roadblock. The police investigation wouldn't have been handled the way he had written it. It was a crucial difference that changed the plot substantially. It's amazing how one small detail can effect a piece of work.

Sharyn: Much of your writing are stories for children. Is it harder to write for a younger audience?

Rita: I don't find it hard to write for a younger audience. The hardest thing about my children's stories is finding a suitable illustrator. I've been very lucky in finding talented people to bring my work to life.

Sharyn: Now, one of the books you co-wrote is Alex Domokos' biography, The Price of Freedom. Was it harder to work on than say, Masquerade? This wasn't a fiction, it was someone's life. The experiences were real and sometimes heartwrenching.

Rita: Twice while writing The Price of Freedom I was brought to tears. Once was when they were fleeing and topped a hill. They realized they had reached Austria because the village below was decorated with Christmas lights, something they had never seen before. The authorities had set a huge wreath on the steeple of the church to guide the refugees out of Hungary. I just wept as I worked on that scene.

Alex met with me every week while we worked on The Price of Freedom, and he had a very good attitude about his experiences. He once told me: "It was a terrible time in my life, but I survived. And now when I look back I can view it as an adventure."

Since the events in The Price of Freedom were real, I didn't have to worry about writer's block. For Masquerade, on the other hand, even though I had the plot I sometimes had difficulty getting over some rough spots.

Sharyn: In your latest novel Masquerade, the hero is a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Did you get a lot of help and information from the RCMP while writing Masquerade?

Rita: I used the internet for some information, and I did submit a few chapters to an RCMP officer for his input. He was happy to oblige. I made an appointment with our local police force to confirm crime scene procedure, and with a pathologist to be sure I was on the right track with the hair sample. I also asked for, and received a tour of our level 4 laboratory. What I discovered on the tour necessitated rewrites to five chapters! Authors shouldn't hesitate to ask for expert help. I found that the people I spoke with were pleased to meet an author and offer their assistance. We're exotic people in their eyes!

Sharyn: Prometheus has an interesting storyline. Humankind has advanced to the point they send themselves back into the dark ages. Where did this idea come from and how have readers taken to it?

Rita: Yes, Prometheus does have an interesting storyline. You may be surprised to know that Alex come up with the idea while he was in the slave labour camps in Russia after WWII. He observed mankind at its worst in the camps. Alex is a very deep thinker and he had a LOT of time to think. He began to wonder about the nature of mankind, and how we react to not only the stress of living but also the stress of knowing we are about to die. We haven't had a lot of feed-back from our readers.

Sharyn: I especially enjoyed the fact all of your children's novels teach a valuable lesson without children realizing it. Caring for others, putting others first, and taking care of nature. Was this intentional?

Rita: Very much so. Children don't like to be preached at, any more than adults do. I like to present the problem then work to a resolution in an enjoyable way. You'll notice that I intentionally made my lead characters female. Although the situation is much better these days, the majority of books in the past had "heros" and very few "heroines". Even Little Fawn is a young doe.

Sharyn:I did notice the lead characters were female. Since I now have a daughter, it's nice to know I already have several wonderful children's books with "heroines". I noticed on your website that you offer several free ebooks, one of which deals with the subject of bullying. Bullying is something most people would rather overlook than admit. Why is it important for parents and children to take action when being bullied?

Rita: In the past, bullying was often looked at as something children had to "get over" or "learn to live with". Unfortunately, the scars of bullying can be lifelong and have profound effects on not only the bullied child, but society in general. A high percentage of people in prisons were bullies in school. Programs that stop bullying in the lower grades help not only the bullied child, but the bullier as well.

Since children look to their parents as role models, how a parent deals with a bullying situation will model the way the child should deal with it as well. My book, The Bully, gives practical ideas to parents on an effective way to deal with the problem.

Sharyn: What can we expect to see from you the rest of this year?

Rita: Well, hopefully we'll find a publisher for our latest book - The Centurion! It's a story that takes place in Rome and Judea during the time of Christ. Perhaps my children's story The Flood will also be published.

Sharyn: Now that we've tackled the tough questions, let's have some fun. What is your favorite way to relax?

Rita: Oh, lets see - on a warm day - a bottle of cold Starbucks coffee and a gardening magazine in my gazebo would do it. One a cold winter day, a snuggle with my cat and a good book in front of the fireplace sounds pretty nice!

Sharyn: Your idea of a perfect meal in which you have no part in preparing? Ifyou're anything like me is any meal. *g*

Rita: I'm with you Sharyn! Cooking a meal ranks pretty low on my "to do" list! I'm a sucker for bar-b-que ribs. A good rib dinner with fries and a Caesar salad would make me a happy woman.

Sharyn: Rita, thanks again for doing this. I had a lot of fun.

Rita: So did I. Thank you for your interest in my work!

Sharyn: Be sure to stop by Rita's site for more information on her available books and upcoming releases, not to mention pics of her adorable Cornish Rex cat, Mickey. He's enough to make me reconsider having a pet in the house. *g*
Rita's Site: www.domokos.com/rita.html and Alex Domokos and Rita's site: www.domokos.com

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