Jen: Please take us through you writing process.  Plot first? Outline? What is the most challenging part of the story to write and why?  Which is the most enjoyable and why? 
Saralee: I was one of the lucky writers who learned early on to trust my voice. I may have thought I knew how the story was going to unfold because I’d written out, not an outline necessarily, but certainly copious notes. Then I’d be writing and a character would say something, or a new one would appear and rather than shushing them up or shooing them away I’d let them speak and jump in, and always, always it was the right thing to do. Now I don’t bother with an outline per se. I start with a premise, a theme, characters and I let them drive the car. Where the story goes, the story goes, as long as it takes me where I want to end up. As for the most enjoyable parts, I love to create the beginning of a novel. Like a new relationship, it’s all undefined and exciting and there is so much to explore. I also love to write the ending because I’m very emotional and what is more emotional than saying good-bye? All of my endings make me cry- even now and I know them word for word. 

Jen: Your two main characters, Mindy and Beth, are so believable because we all know someone like them.  Both women have unexpected obstacles to overcome and wind up relying on one another for support.  Who is the stronger character and why?  Which character can you more closely relate to and why?
Saralee: My kids will tell you with 100% certainty that I am Mindy. I’m funny and I struggle with my weight and I’m always offering to help the neighbors. But the truth is, I am also Beth. I can be self-centered and bite your head off.  I think most women are combo-plates. Just depends on the day and what else is going on in our lives.  As for who was the stronger character, no question it was Mindy. While Beth was hiding behind the curtain of material wealth, Mindy was out front on stage trying to keep the show going. She had to be resilient, resourceful and accepting that her life wasn’t perfect, but at least it was whole.

Jen: Mindy’s husband Artie is such a likeable character despite his many faults. His family is a bunch of screwballs; however, you can’t help but love them, too.  How is Mindy able to keep it together despite all the drama going on in her personal life?  If you had to choose, what are her greatest and weakest assets?
Saralee:   Mindy is the master juggler. She has trained herself to keep all the balls in the air- her kids, her husband, their extended family, her job, her friends and her hobbies, not by taking the perfectionist route like Beth, but by just hoping that none of the balls fall on her head. If she could get by without aggravation, it was a good day. Mindy’s greatest strengths were her loving heart and her ability to laugh. Her greatest weakness was her bad attitude. She assumed that by virtue of how much they struggled that there would never be daylight. What she came to learn was that a more positive outlook could do wonders for finding that happy ending.

Jen: Beth is the snarky neighbor-next-door that we all love to hate.  Quite obviously, there are dents in her armor that she tries to shield from others.   Why do her insecurities cause her to lead such a phony existence that ultimately causes such destruction in her life?  With the materialistic society in which we live, do you feel that there are more “Beths” out there today? 
Saralee: Have you heard the expression, denial ain’t the only river in Egypt? Beth did not want to come to terms with her failing marriage or the fact that her children resented her for her overbearing ways, so she built a wall to protect herself from having to deal with them. Actually, it was four walls and a door, aka a closet. And she filled that closet up with expensive clothes, shoes and pocketbooks to make up for the emptiness in her heart. It is a very common problem today because we have such high expectations that our lives are supposed to go a certain way, or that we’re entitled to happiness. But when these expectations are unmet, when our spouses or children disappoint us in some way, we feel gypped and rationalize some fairly outrageous behavior.

Jen: No matter what path in life we choose to walk, our actions directly affect our children forever.  Mindy’s step-son, Aaron, has to overcome many life-altering situations that quite frankly no child should ever have to experience.  Why does he choose to connect with Mindy more so than his father Artie?  In his eyes, what makes her such an instrumental part of his “new life”?
Saralee: The beauty of the connection that Aaron felt with Mindy was that she was the warm, nurturing, and problem-solving mother he never had, and much as he protested that he didn’t need a mother because he was almost 18, he fell in line as one of her kids faster than he imagined and in the end, felt very blessed.

Jen: Secondary characters are crucial to the overall fluidity to the plot.  I especially liked the storyline between Artie’s parents. Was the turmoil in their son=s life the catapult that sent them running in opposite directions?  Often when there are marital issues within the family, it subconsciously affects others by causing them to evaluate their own situations.   Do you agree or disagree with this observation?
Saralee: I totally agree.  You can’t grow up in a house and not be affected by the dysfunction, even if it’s not directed towards you. Parents who fight with each other create untold chaos for everyone. Their anger and hurtful words not only make the children feel vulnerable, but full of despair. It does not matter that those children may now be adults with children of their own. Watching your parents fight and threaten to break up is bad news at any age.

Jen: Is this the end of Mindy’s and Beth’s story?  Will there be a sequel?  If not, are you currently at work on your next novel?  And if so, what can you tell us about it?
Saralee: I am often asked about sequels for my novels and I understand because when I finish a novel I love, I don’t want to lose my connection to those characters. And too, as a writer, I miss my characters and wonder about revisiting them. That being said, the trouble with sequels is that it is near impossible to recreate the same intense and unique circumstances that shaped the original story. Of course I could develop totally new challenges for them, but the risk would be that they would never compare to those that cropped up when readers were first introduced. Then everyone would say the first one was better. It’s like pizza. You may be hungry for a second piece, but nothing compares to that delicious first bite... As for my next novel, I am working on a very different type of story that still has great humor, but goes much deeper into the psyche. It is about a twice divorced mother who fears separation from her only child the year before he leaves for college. In anticipation of being alone, she goes a little wild and crazy on the college tour circuit, trying to rediscover the girl she left behind when she was a student. I'm calling it EARLY DECISION. I don't have a publication date as of yet, but it is shaping up to be my most intriguing and enlightening novel yet.

Jen: Please tell us a little bit about your appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show?  How did it meet or exceed your preconceived expectations?
Saralee: Meeting Oprah is a rush. Being on her show is like being queen for the day. It was exciting and wonderful. I was so trying to take it all in, I forgot to be nervous. I just went on and talked to her... I recently watched the video and was so pleased. I made her laugh several times.... would give anything to do that again.

Jen: Please take us on a tour of your website.  Do you have e-mail notification of upcoming releases? Do you participate in a blog? Do you do author phone chats?  And if so, how would my readers go about arranging one? Do you have a Reading Group Guide available for DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD?  If so, where can it be found?
Saralee: My website is in the process of being revamped, but yes absolutely I will have all of the above- email notification, a blog, and interactive events for readers. I did not create a reading group guide for Dear Neighbor because after having done three of them for my previous books, I learned that while I was always asked if my books had one, I never actually heard of any book clubs referring to them. Seems they like to do their own thing, which is fine.

Jen: Thank you so much for being a part of Jen’s Jewels. I can’t wait for your next book to come out! Your hilarious spin on life is what we all can use right about now.  Who needs therapy when we have you!  You make us laugh and forget about all the other stuff going on in our lives.  Bravo! It was a pleasure meeting you.
Saralee: Thank you so much and thank you for the opportunity to share with your readers. I love what I do and when I get such positive feedback, it totally inspires me to keep going.

When a twist of fate landed Jennifer Vido at the "Reading with Ripa" roundtable discussion with Kelly Ripa and Meg Cabot, she knew that her career as a French teacher would never be the same. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Jennifer is a member of Romance Writers of America and reviews books for the major publishing houses, such as Random House, Penguin, and Hyperion. Currently, she is a columnist and reviewer for www.freshfiction.com, where her popular monthly column, Jen's Jewels, also appears.  As a national trainer for The Arthritis Foundation's Aquatic and Land Exercise Programs, she is an advocate for those like herself who suffer from arthritis, the nation's #1 cause of disability. In addition, she serves as Vice-chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Harford County Public Library where she resides with her husband and two sons. She may be reached at jensjewels@gmail.com and JenniferVido.com