Be careful what you tell me, or it might end up in one of my novels. I come from a large family with a few skeletons rattling in the closet. I’m also a mom of two and a serial wife (as my current and forever husband calls me—as you may have guessed, he’s not my first). Luckily my friends and family are still speaking to me, and readers continue to read what I’ve written. Maybe because I’m not afraid to go there. So, please, pull up a chair if you dare.
I’ve led a storied life in more ways than one. I’ve gone places and done things that amaze me looking back on it. Where did I find the courage to move to New York City with two small children and no visible means of support outside a few, piddly writer-for-hire book contracts? What kept me going in the face of enough rejection slips to paper an entire room? But good or bad, my experiences were grist for the mill, so I regret none of it. The beauty of fiction is you can reinvent your past to make it better, brighter, or more tragic. I wasn’t one of the popular kids in high school but got to hang out with the cool kids of Sweet Valley High when I wrote for the phenomenally successful teen series in the early years of my career. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to live through some of what I have gone through, but hopefully, you’ve enjoyed the novels that came of it.
Mine is a Cinderella story, as captured by the header of the article about me in The National Enquirer that read WELFARE MOM TO MILLIONAIRE. But I wasn’t an overnight success. I was a starving artist for a longer time than the year I was on welfare. I often had to forgo office supplies or postage stamps with which to churn out or send out the articles and short stories I was submitting on spec, to feed my children.
The lean years were the making of me, though. When I wrote my first novel for adults, Garden of Lies, the story of babies switched at birth, one of whom grows up rich, the other poor, I knew what it was like to go hungry. When Rose wears her one good skirt to work that’s been ironed so many times it’s shiny in spots? Been there, done that. Garden of Lies went on to become a New York Times’ bestseller and was sold around the world, translated into twenty-two languages. I attribute its success in part to my having followed the timeworn advice: write what you know.
I’ve also had my share of romantic ups and downs. I met my current husband, Sandy Kenyon, in a Hollywood-style meet-cute, which seems fitting given that he covers entertainment as a TV reporter and film critic. He had a radio talk show in Arizona at the time. I was a guest on his show, phoning in from New York City, where I live. My interview went so well, he called me later that day, at my invitation, and as we like to say, we just kept talking. Twenty-two years later, we’re still at it.
I am blessed to have loyal readers from all walks of life and all four corners of the globe, ranging in age from fourteen to ninety-four. The many positive comments I’ve received from readers through the years are the best part of what I do for a living, worth more than fame or fortune.
I hope to enjoy doing what I do for many more years to come, so stay tuned.
Eileen Goudge
