Oh my goodness! Excuse the extremely delayed post detaling my interview on The Writer's Block. I had the most AMAZING time and felt so honored to be given this great opportunity to talk about my plays and my approach to writing.
I landed this interview in possibly the most perfect and unintentioned way imaginable. My mother in law works as a server at a steakhouse in Simi Valley, California called Sutter's Mill. Jim Christina and his wife, Gerry, stop in all time for weekend dinners. They also happen to run the live radio show, The Writer's Block, for LA Talk Radio. Jim interviews writers in the area, while Gerry schedules the interviews. My mother in law mentioned me being in graduate school as a playwright and they asked if they could interview me. JUST LIKE THAT. HOLY COW.
I get a text from Mom saying a woman named Gerry will be emailing me about setting up an interview for their talk show. !!! I just about exploded. I found out about the interview in March, but wasn't scheduled until October 27th. I had to keep it hush hush for months and months before I could finally tell anyone. What a chance in a lifetime!
I landed this interview in possibly the most perfect and unintentioned way imaginable. My mother in law works as a server at a steakhouse in Simi Valley, California called Sutter's Mill. Jim Christina and his wife, Gerry, stop in all time for weekend dinners. They also happen to run the live radio show, The Writer's Block, for LA Talk Radio. Jim interviews writers in the area, while Gerry schedules the interviews. My mother in law mentioned me being in graduate school as a playwright and they asked if they could interview me. JUST LIKE THAT. HOLY COW.
I get a text from Mom saying a woman named Gerry will be emailing me about setting up an interview for their talk show. !!! I just about exploded. I found out about the interview in March, but wasn't scheduled until October 27th. I had to keep it hush hush for months and months before I could finally tell anyone. What a chance in a lifetime!
I kept in contact with Gerry over the course of the summer and early fall. We went over the agenda for the night, what I wanted to talk about, ect. The night of October 27th finally arrived! I was gonna be ON LIVE RADIO. AH. My husband, Zac, his mother, Karen, and his two sisters, Sarah and Stephanie, all came with me to the interview. I was so nervous! We were all waiting in the lobby outside the studio when Jim arrived. I just about forgot how to speak. He sat next to me on a couch and said his co-host, Bobbi Bell, wouldn't be able to join us because she was on vacation in Yosemite. YOU WANNA KNOW THE FIRST THING THAT CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH? "Bears." Look. Here's the thing. I wanted to find some sort of common ground with this man. Something that would make me stand out. Something that would make me sound witty and sure of myself, because I was definitely shaking in my boots. And what did I come up with? "Bears." Thank goodness this wasn't on air! haha! We crammed everyone into the studio and were on our way! You can listen to the interview in its entirety here. I immediately got into the zone as soon as we took off. I was sure in my writing and my knowledge in the field. Or as sure as I could be with the amount of experience I had at the time. We talked about KCACTF a few years ago, my acting, theatre at BYU, Mercy Meal, graduate school at UCR, and UCR's New Play Festival. We talked about my plans and goals as a playwright in five years, ten years, and twenty years from now. We also talked about my ultimate goals as Chelsea, in her regular, every day life. When we finished, I couldn't believe time went by so fast! Is it over? REALLY? How could it be over? I felt like I had just finished the best race of my life. It was exhilerating! Afterward, Jim said he was very interested in having me back on the show and to keep him updated on any progress with any of my shows. ... And now for some AWESOME NEWS! I've been asked to come on the show AGAIN for a second interview. June 17th, 2017! I met up with Gerry and Jim at Sutter's Mill last week while visiting family for Christmas and we set the date! Just think. By that time I will be graduated from UCR with my MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts. I'll be hooded. I'll be done with my THESIS. CAN YOU EVEN? I CAN'T. I just want to thank The Writer's Block for having me on their show. Thank you, Jim, for taking my bear comment in stride and making me feel so comfortable and confident during the interview. Thank you, Mom, for making all of this happen in the first place. Thank you, Zac, for believing in me, my writing, and my career. Life is good. Best, Chelsea |