Today’s guest is Eileen Rifle, who writes in many formats, and often co-authors with her husband.  Welcome, Eileen.

Jim:  You started out writing poetry and short stories. Did you attempt to publish any of those?

Eileen:  I dabbled in poetry and short stories as a child, just for fun. The thought of publication never crossed my mind at the time.

Jim:  Next came drama.  You wrote some scripts and you acted.  Did you appear on stage in the production of the script you wrote?

Eileen:  I appeared in two productions of the scripts I wrote: “Old Tatters” and “An Attic Christmas Tale.”

Jim:  Tell us a little about how Marriage with an Attitude: How to Build an Exciting Marriage came about?

 Eileen:  In 1995, my counselor husband asked if I’d like to team up and conduct marriage seminars. At the time, I was knee-deep in home schooling our three daughters. I said, “Nice idea, but not yet. Maybe when we retire.” In 1999, two years after our oldest graduated, I thought, Hmm . . . this home school gig isn’t going to last forever. Maybe it’s time to step a toe in the seminar waters. Chuck decided we’d need a syllabus and I said, “Why not a book?” Thus, Marriage with an Attitude was launched which plunged me into a serious writing fever from which I’ve never recovered . . . at least not yet.

Jim:  Next came When Mourning Comes, Living Through Loss.  What prompted you to write this book and who is your audience for it?

 Eileen:  As I approached the empty nest, I wanted to write a book that would encourage parents when their children left home. I was 100 pages into my manuscript when I lost the entire thing! Those were my early days of working with a word processor, so I didn’t know how to recover the file. I grieved then decided God wanted me to reach a larger audience. His direction birthed When Mourning Comes which covers a variety of grief and loss issues, including death, divorce, abuse, miscarriage and infertility, aging, chronic illness, empty nest, and job loss. Since the horrific tragedy of 9-11 occurred right before I sent the manuscript to my publisher, I quickly added a chapter on grieving a national tragedy. The book also includes information on how the Church can serve as a support team for the mourner. My target market is anyone who has experienced loss, whether great or small, which in short, is all of us! The book can be used as an effective tool for healing and growth as readers move through the seasons of life.

Jim:  You wrote these with your husband.  Tell us about your experience of having a co-author.

Eileen:  Ha ha! Not always an easy task, especially with someone as close as your husband. But I think we make a pretty good team, especially when we can do a bulk of the brainstorming and writing at the beach, our favorite vacation spot. Since Chuck is a licensed professional counselor and marriage/family therapist, he’s great at coming up with material. We generally organize the collected information into an outline based on a theme. This process forms the chapters. For each chapter, I jot down Chuck’s thoughts, then write the chapter. I read the chapter back to him. We tweak until we have the info the way we want it, then move on to the next chapter, repeating the process. On the second draft, we read back through and edit more. The resulting effort turns out to be a mix of expert counseling help, inspirational stories, and scriptural examples.

Jim:  It sounds like you have now moved on to writing for magazines.  Have you given up books altogether, or just taking a break?

Eileen:  Actually, I’m doing more book writing than periodicals currently, with the focus on fiction.

Jim:  At this point, is speaking becoming a bigger part of your life than writing?

Eileen:  No. On a daily basis, I spend more time writing. Spring typically provides the most speaking opportunities through women’s banquets and retreats. Fall would be a close second.

Jim:  What do you see in your future as for as writing is concerned?

Eileen:  I am currently working on four projects: Seasons of Hope, coauthored with Jennifer Slattery; December Sunrise, a novel loosely based on the Sandy Hook shootings and written from the point-of-view of one of the children; 4R Rejuvenation Retreat for Women, a nonfiction title, birthed from my passion to see women rest in the midst of a hurried, harried lifestyle; and Breathe Deeply My Grace, a devotional written from God’s point-of-view, which traces His grace from Genesis to Revelation.

Jim:  Where can readers find your books?

Eileen: Many places, including

http://www.eileenrife.com/bookstore.htm

http://amzn.to/12UIdtJ

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/eileen-rife?store=allproducts&keyword=eileen+rife

Jim:  Thanks, Eileen, for giving us some insight into your writing career.  Sounds impressive.  We’ll look for some of your books.  And I encourage our visitors to leave a comment.  Thanks, Readers.