An Interview with Author Maxine Schreiber

Maxine Schreiber

West Palm Beach, Florida

Good morning, Maxine, and welcome to Vision and Verse, the Place for Art and Authors.  Tell us a little bit about what you've written.  

I’ve written four as yet unpublished novels, two screenplays, two non-fiction proposals – one an art guide and the other a self-help book - and now at last my first PUBLISHED children’s picture book The Story of DAPHNE the Duck.  Oh, and I forgot I also published a book of my Dad’s and my artwork called The SCHREIBERS The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree.  Daphne allowed me to both paint and write, so children’s picture books may be my genre.

What is your favorite genre to write?  

Fiction.  I also used to be a columnist for three dot com art magazines and enjoyed writing articles about artists and the art scene.

Favorite food.  

Pretzels

Tea or coffee?  

Definitely coffee, though I do like iced tea.

Pizza or ice cream?  

Omigod, how can I choose?  I love both.

Where would you like to visit?  

Asia, especially China or Japan.

Favorite musical artist.  

Barbra Streisand.  Oops, gave away my age.

Do you listen to music when you write?  

No, I actually often have TV running in the background.  I listen with half an ear.

What?

  I like The View the most during the day.  And when I write late at night I like it quiet.

What makes you laugh?  

Being silly.  My sister has a great sense of humor.  I think she got it from my Dad.  She can always make me laugh.

Favorite work of art.  

It’s hard to pick a favorite work of art.  I love so many.  When I was a kid I used to visit the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan and stand in front of a painting done by a Russian surrealist named Tchelitchew.  He painted a large tree filled with children’s faces.  He’s not very well known, and the last time I was in NY and visited the museum they didn’t have the painting out, but I will never forget it.

How old were you when you started writing? 

I started writing when I was a grade school kid.  I used to write poetry – not very well written, but I saved them, and in Jr. High I wrote a play.  My painting began in childhood as well.

Describe your perfect evening.

A perfect evening would be spent having dinner at home cooked by my sweetheart, and afterwards we would listen to music, dance, and make love.  Now if I could find him that would be truly perfect.

Good luck on that one, Max.  Where do you get your inspiration?  

I’m inspired by everything around me.  Mostly I paint landscapes.  Daphne is a true story.  She actually landed on my fifth floor balcony, and for months I watched her waiting for the ducklings to hatch.  She greatly inspired me.

What do you do when you get a writer's block?  

I paint, and when I get a painter’s block, I write.  But I pretty much do both all the time.  I’m very disciplined.  I write and/or paint even when I’m not in the mood because….  I guess I’m driven.

Who is your favorite author? 

Jane Austen.  I also loved Dostoyevsky, Dickens, and D.H. Lawrence.

Best book you ever read.  

Crime and Punishment or maybe Pride and Prejudice.

Who is the one person who has influenced your personal life the most and why?  

I think my mother was the most influential.  She was a wonderful person, very good, kind, and well liked - Both of my parents actually - they had good values and they were spiritual people.

If you could sit down and have a conversation with ONE person, living or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?  

Sigmund Freud popped into my mind, maybe because I was a therapist professionally.  Though always a writer and painter, I had to earn a living.  But it would be neat to have a conversation with Albert Einstein as well.

What advice would you give someone who aspired to be a writer?

My advice would be, don’t listen to all the people who tell you that you will never get published or never earn any money, just write because you want to and love doing it.

Links: 

http://www.schreiberstudio.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Daphnetheduck?ref=hl

http://tinyurl.com/lvubshz

http://www.amazon.com/SCHREIBERS-Apple-Doesnt-Fall-Tree/dp/1499115016/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399047779&sr=1-10&keywords=the+schreibers 

A Note from Maxine:  

I am having a book signing at the Art on Park Gallery, 800 Park Avenue in Lake Park, Florida on Friday, May 30, 2014 from 6 to 8 pm.  All are invited to attend.