|
For Sylvia Rochester, there is more to the bayous of Louisiana than
alligators, bass and lonely egrets. The watery swamps also hold the key
to her imagination. Her hauntingly beautiful paintings depict various
scenes of cypress trees and wildlife, and her novels use the many
colorful towns and cities of Louisiana as a backdrop.
Born in Baton Rouge, Sylvia graduated from LSU with a bachelor's degree
in Arts and Science and spent a couple years in Ethiopia with the Peace
Corps. When she retired from the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton
Rouge, she moved to Belle Rose at Bayou Corne with her feline friends,
Mandy and Kizzie.
Approximately five years before retirement, Sylvia had a story in her
head that demanded to be written, and so she wrote her first novel. Her
sister, a teacher, asked to critique it. "She graciously took the time
to go through the entire manuscript," Sylvia said. At the time, the book
was named "The Locket." Her sister suggested things that needed to be
changed, and Sylvia completely rewrote the book. She changed it from
first to third person, eliminated scenes that slowed the story down and
added scenes to keep it moving. She even changed the title to "Come
Back, My Love," and it is one of her most requested books. Since then,
the stories have kept rolling out of her.
Realizing how important a critique partner can be, Sylvia joined a
writing group-HeartLa (www.heartla.com), the Baton Rouge chapter of
Romance Writers of America. "The support and understanding of fellow
writers is a necessity," she said. "They understand how difficult it is
to bring a work to fruition. Along with encouragement, HeartLa presents
informative speakers and discussions on their Internet group."
Through HeartLa, she met and formed a small critique group with several
members. They mostly pass their work to each other online, but once each
month they meet for a brainstorming session. Each of them writes in
different genres. Sylvia feels the diversity lends a different
perspective that she might not have considered otherwise.
Sylvia also belongs to an online writing group called WritingGIAM (Goals
In a Month writing). It's designed for monitoring progress, and on a
weekly basis, writers post their progress and their goals for the
upcoming week. It is also a place where writers can discuss their work
in progress and post links to contests, helpful topics, blogs and
conferences. A few other online groups that she belongs to are EPIC
(Electronic Publishing Internet Connection), RWChange, Crimescenewriters
and Louisianabooknews.
But don't let the writing side of Sylvia fool you. She can hold her own
with any fan while watching the LSU tigers fight for touchdowns, and
when the Saints won the Super Bowl, her cries of victory rang throughout
the bayou. Then she had to check to ensure the swamp had not frozen
over.
Her sons, Maury Drummond and Mark Drummond, are very supportive of her
creativity. They attend her many book signing events and have her
paintings hanging in their clinic in Hammond (Internal Medicine of
Tangipahoa). In return, she is very proud of their accomplishments. All
of her seven grandsons are straight-A students. "I don't doubt any of
them could out-write me," she laughs.
In addition to receiving inspiration from the bayou, Sylvia listens to
music while writing. The type of music she uses depends on whatever mood
seems to fit the scene she is working on. Her favorite musicians include
Billy Joel, Elton John and Rachmaninof, which indicate a wide span from
old pop to classical.
More of Sylvia's favorites include author Tess Gerritsen, singer Rod
Stewart, the movie "Gone with the Wind" and the book, "Rebecca," by
Daphne du Maurier. When asked what her favorite book of her own work is,
Sylvia states that she like them all. The genres of her books vary from
romantic suspense, paranormal, mainstream/historical fiction to
inspirational. For her to pick only one would be a difficult task.
The biggest obstacle she has had to overcome in order to attain and
maintain her writing goals is dividing her time between writing and
painting. "I love both and never seem to find enough hours to devote to
either. Sticking to a schedule helps." As writing is very fulfilling for
Sylvia, she makes it work. The first memorable experience for her as a
writer was holding her first book in her hands. Today, the best moments
are when readers tell her how much they enjoyed her story.
Sylvia's latest novel was recently released in January. "DaVinci's Lost
Years" is a mainstream/historical fiction story begins in 15th century
Italy and travels through time to 1969 New Orleans. The young Leonardo
Da Vinci strikes a bargain with the Old One (a weaver of time) and leaps
forward to land in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Things go awry when
the medieval man meets T-Man and Monique. "Throw in murder and romance,
and you're set for an adventurous romp through history," Sylvia says.
Sylvia loves to give workshops on how to write novels and how to get
published. Some of her recent workshops were held at the main library in
Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, Gonzales, and Pierre Part. It was attended
by writers of all genres. She encourages everyone to visit her website
which has first chapters and blurbs on all of her books, as well as a
gallery of her paintings. If you're interested in autographed copies,
visit Sylvia at the Houmas House plantation art gallery March 3 from
10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or at the next HeartLa meeting March 27 at the
Bluebonnet branch of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library at 10:00 a.m.
In addition to the opportunity to meet Sylvia, Toni McGee Causey will be
speaking about outlining.
"I'm available to talk writing and help you get started," Sylvia states.
Feel free to drop Sylvia an email at srochester@atvci.net or visit her
website at
www.sylviarochester.com . Her novels are available at
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
, www.amazon.com ,
www.barnesandnoble.com , and
other online outlets.
|
