Rebecca Himmel Glassman

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

I'm a wife, mother of three and grandmother of three beautiful granddaughters with a fourth grandchild, a boy, on the way. I love to read and always have. Writing is my passion and so is music. I play classical piano, and I also sing. I have a You Tube channel with my vocal recordings of Pop and Broadway songs. I haven't added recently to my channel because I have been focusing on my writing, but in my spare time I do continue to sing and hope to post more music on my channel in the future.

When and why did you start writing books?

I have always written, ever since I was a little girl. English and writing were my favorite subjects in school. After college I became a paralegal and honed my legal writing skills working on briefs and other legal documents. Legal writing is very different from creative writing and I felt that I wanted to use more of my imagination and expand my writing skills. A friend encouraged me and one day I just started working on my first book. When I finished the first book I continued to write until there was a second, third and fourth book. The words kept pouring out and I decided to make the stories a series. That was about fifteen years ago. Last February I published the first book in my series, writing and re-writing until I thought it was good enough to publish. It was a lot of hard work, but I enjoyed it. I am now redoing the second book in the series. I hope to have it done and to the editor within the next few months.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I always enjoyed writing and as I said before, I had been making up stories from the time I was very young. I thought it would be a challenge to write a book and I like challenges. I wasn't sure if I was going to make a career out of it. At this point I have only published one book and am in the middle of working on the second. It's a middle grade fantasy fiction and what I love most about writing fantasy is that anything I write is a figment of my imagination. No one can fact check me and tell me that I am wrong. It's my imagination. I suppose, as I am plugging away at the next book, that I have chosen writing as a career. In writing, I feel that I have found my place and my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong, I loved being a paralegal, but writing feels like home!

Which one of your books or characters is your favourite?

I enjoy all of my characters. My book is called Welcome To The Enchanted Forest. And, my story is about a young boy who is lonely and lives with his mom and dad who have no time for him. My book also tells the tale of four sister's who live in a trailer park with a mother who is mostly absent. The Enchanted Forest is a place where children befriend magical creatures and explore a mysterious house. I'm very fond of the children, of course, but they are struggling and need guidance. I also enjoy the animals who guide the children through their struggles. One of the animals is a large ladybug known as Lady. She's funny and has attitude when interacting with the sisters who are exploring the forest and trying to find their youngest sister who ran in without then. Lady has a lot of character and is probably one of my favorites.

Which one of your books was the hardest to write and stretched you the most as a writer?

It's hard to answer the question with only one book published thus far. As I have mentioned before, I wrote my original manuscripts about fifteen years ago. At the suggestion of my editor, I put my original Book One and Book Two together and that was published as Book One. You always stretch when you write. Having written four books almost 2 decades ago and then sitting down to rewrite and edit, I was startled to see how my writing had changed and as a result there were many rewrites. Combining my first two original manuscripts and making the story one was very challenging. Originally I thought both of the stories were very different and I wondered how I would be able to combine the two. I then started contrasting and comparing which led me to see similarities and differences and I was able to combine the two books together to make what I consider a heartwarming tale of inner strength, of growth and friendship.

Who is your favourite author and book?

I read many different genres. Believe it or not, even though I write fantasy fiction, I am not necessarily a huge fan. I enjoy, psychological thrillers, mysteries and an occasional romance. In the mystery/thriller genre I love the author Ruth Ware. I also enjoy historical fiction, but I can't think of a particular author that stands out for me. I usually purchase books and don't necessarily look for specific authors but more a story that intrigues me. When I go book shopping, I spend a lot of time reading the book jackets.

What book are you reading right now?

Right now I am in the middle of reading A Better World by Sarah Langan. It's a satirical thriller that takes place in the future about a family's trip to an exclusive enclave for the wealthy that may not be all that it seems. The story is very different and very dark. I've never read this author before, but her writing makes you feel as though you are in the middle of the story. It is a bit sinister and dark. I usually prefer books that are not so dark and have a positive ending. I haven't finished the book yet, but I hope it ends on a happy note.

Where do you get your inspiration for your books?

That's hard to answer. I love children and I want to see them happy. Having raised three of my own and watching my granddaughters grow and thrive--- I want that for all children. The reality is that that is not the case. But, I feel that even if kids have hardships they should be able to have mentors that can teach them to cope. I try to send that message in my stories using fantasy as the backdrop to help make children connect more easily with what I am trying to say.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love to read almost as much as I love to write. I also sing and record and I have a You Tube channel. I'm trying to learn how to set one up for my books and am struggling with that. I didn't set up the original channel for my music. I think I'll eventually learn how to do that. I'm trying to learn more about social media as I want to set up a Bookstagram account. I didn't set up my original instagram account either. I am committed to learning how, though! I also travel to visit my daughter and her kids a few times a year. And I enjoy spending time relaxing with my dogs Willow and Lexi.

Do you have any new books in the works?

I do. I am working on Book Two of my series Welcome To The Enchanted Forest---a set of twins in an adult situation they can't cope with. In come the animals of the Enchanted Forest to help them. I don't want to give the story away. Stay tuned!