Fay Jacobs

Fay  is the author of three 
hilarious memoirs about 
 life, politics and her beloved hometown Rehoboth Beach, Delaware..  

She is Publisher and Managing Editor of A&M Books. She and Bonnie, her partner of 30  years, relocated to Rehoboth Beach, DE in 1999. They have two Miniature Schnauzers and a riding lawn mower.  PHOTOS!

Fay  has contributed feature stories & columns to such publications as The Washington Post, The Advocate, OutTraveler, The Baltimore Sun, Curve magazine, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, The Washington Blade, The Wilmington News Journal, Delaware Beach Life & more.
Since 1995 she has been a regular columnist for Letters from CAMP Rehoboth & she has a monthly column in Delaware Beach Life, and writes for Delaware Today,  
Now making her career as a full-time writer, Fay  served for a decade as the Executive Director of the tourism/economic development organization Rehoboth Beach Main Street.

Awards - 

2011 ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year from Independent Publishers
2011 National Federation of Press Women non-fiction Book of the Year
2011 Goldie Award from Golden Crown Literary Society
2011 Delaware Press Association Non-Fiction Book of the Year!
Finalist! Ann Bannon Readers' Choice

2009 National Federation of Press Women First Place Award,  First Person Humor Column
2009 Delaware Press Association Award, Humor
2008 National Federation of Press Women Book of the Year Non-Fiction Humor - Fried & True 
2008 Delaware Press Women's Award for Non-fiction Book of the Year - Fried & True
2008 Winner of Golden Crown Literary Society Award for Non-fiction book - Fried & True

Stefani Deoul

Stefani is the author of The Carousel, published by A&M Books in  2010.  (See Stefani's Q&A Below)

Television producer and writer Stefani Deoul recently she enjoyed spending time near her native New York, coffee cup in hand, hunched over her laptop, engaged in her passion for writing. Hence, The Carousel.
In addition, Stefani has written for numerous publications, including Outdoor Delaware, Curve magazine and Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, penned both short stories and film and television treatments and has produced TV series such as The Dead Zone and Brave New Girl along with being the executive in charge of production for the series Dresden Files and Missing. She is currently producing the SyFy Network series Haven - based on the Stephen King story The Colorado Kid, now in its second season. She spends time between Nova Scotia, New Jersey & Rehoboth Beach, DE

Awards:
2011 National Federation of Press Women
3rd Place for Fiction Book of the Year
2011 IPPY Bronze medal for Regional Fiction from Independent Publishers
2011 Fiction Book of the Year, Delaware Press Association

Stefani's Q & A 

So, what’s your background and where do you hail from?

 I was born in Brooklyn, grew up on Long Island in New York, and went to the University of Maryland to study film. After graduating I got in my car, and drove across the country to Los Angeles, California determined to “make movies.”  I worked my way up to “producer”  (there are all kinds of producers- executive, supervising, etc.) and realized while I love producing, I also wanted to write a novel.

With all your filming, how did you have time to write?  A few years ago, the writer’s strike shut down most of TV production. I was on hiatus and had the time to see if I could really write that book I always said I would write “someday.” 

Did you already know all about building a carousel before you sat down to write or did you have to do a lot of research on the topic?
I did a whole lot of research.  The restoration of an old wooden carousel is the heart of the story,  and I really didn’t know a lot about what it would take to have a successful restoration project.   People always say “write what you know,” but my friends tease me, because I rarely know about the topics I choose before I start a project.  The learning curve for this story including things like the pieces needed to carve a horse and  the number of pieces needed to build a carousel.

What’s your favorite piece of information you learned? 
Well, one thing became very important to the story. I learned about the immigrant carvers who came to this country in the early 20th century, some of them Italian, some of them from Eastern Europe and many of them were Jewish. It was rewarding to me to develop characters who shared my own Jewish heritage. I loved being able to put these characters in a small town, where they could teach other people about their holidays and traditions.

Can you introduce us to some of the characters without giving too much away?  Well, they are all very diverse individuals, remote from each other as the novel begins, but they come together in many surprising ways through their shared carousel project. The mystery of the nameless carousel lady threads through the story and gives rise to much of the events, One of my favorite characters is the  elderly carver Morris. His voice imparts some of the story’s most salient messages.

What do you like most about the writing process, and what is (for you) the worst part? I love the emergence of the characters. I feel as though they are kind of visitors who gift their story to me and when I can hear them, it’s an amazing sensation. So, I guess the worst part is when they decide to not stop by – then, writing is a struggle. Luckily, I believe if I can quiet my mind and be in the right circumstance, the characters will stop by for a chat when they are needed.

I also have to say I hate showing the first draft. It’s that cringe-filled, “can you just take a quick read and let me know what you think” that’s incredibly tough for me. Just taking that leap to hand it off hits every insecure button at once. However, I perversely do love the process of editing. Maybe because it means there’s a finished draft in hand, but getting suggestions designed to make your work better and fighting about words and meanings and punctuation even – might sound horrible, but if you can laugh through the debate, as my editor and I can, it’s really a pretty cool process.

Do you think about producing what you write for TV? 

Well, I work in television so I can’t say I don’t think about it, but no, I create television for television and words for a novel. I have a short story I recently finished which was written to be a short story. And then again, wouldn’t it be great to be offered a producing deal for the book…

And finally, what can we look forward to seeing from you in the near future?
Hopefully another novel, plus a short story that I am quite passionate about, continuing my work with Haven  and some other TV projects I am putting together. Whew! But for now, when shooting is through in September, I’m hoping to have time to do some more book signings and readings, meet readers, and spend some quality time wearing my author hat for a while.

J. Lee Watton

Lee is the author of Out of Step,
 a memoir about Navy life in 1965,
before Don't Ask, Don't Tell but not before anti-gay witch hunts. (See Lee's Q&A below!)

New Jersey native and retired journalist, Lee is the mother of a 40 year old son. She worked for the Atlantic City Press, a large daily newspaper, in the 1960s, as a general assignment reporter, feature writer, and entertainment columnist. She then joined the Citizen News in Waldorf, Maryland, winding up her career as a staff writer with the Herald Tribune in Sarasota, Fl. She also spent time as a singer/guitar player in the entertainment business during both the 60’s and 70’s. She currently resides along the Delaware Shore, near Rehoboth Beach, with her partner, a retired Army Captain.
 
Lee’s Q & A

1.  Your book is titled Out of Step - what do you mean by that?

 In my time, gays were believed to be a dangerous threat in the armed forces.  In other words, we were considered seriously “out of step” with military life.

2.  When did you know you wanted to write a book about your 1965 Navy WAVE experience and the witch hunt against you and your lesbian colleagues?

Serious consideration began in 1994 with the publication of Margarethe Cammermeyer’s book, Serving in Silence.  Aware of the positive response to her story, my fear of coming out publically began to diminish.  I had also returned to the truth of my sexuality in 1991, after 25 years of living solely as a heterosexual.  Occasional writing began in 2000, but nothing full-time began until 2008.

3.  In reconnecting with your friends from that era, have there been lifelong consequences for you or for them from the Bainbridge Training Center investigations?

There are always consequences to being humiliated for something that actually brings no harm to others.  Being declared unstable and unfit to pursue a dream simply because of one’s sexual orientation is a bitter pill to swallow.  The book reveals individual responses to such treatment.

4. How long has it taken you to come to terms with those events and the hurt and anger about being made to leave the Navy?

 I came to terms with those events at the time my son was born in 1970.  That was when I understood the reason my path had taken a different turn.  When I became a mother, my focus shifted to my child and away from my Navy experience.  For the next 20 years I buried those negative feelings.

5.  What was it like when you learned that Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer wanted to write a foreword for the book?

 I refer to it as blissful shock.  One minute I’m watching TV, and the next minute my hero is calling me on the phone.  When Grethe said she “loved” my book proposal, including only the first five chapters, and wanted my story published, I’m just glad I was sitting down.  She was delightful to speak with and after our chat, I hung up the phone and said to my partner, “What just happened?”

 6.  Do you think there are societal changes that have come about since that time that might have made it easier for you to cope then?

Absolutely.  If gay closets were as open in 1965 as they are today, there would have been people with whom I could connect.  When everyone was in hiding, no one could be found.

7. How do you think the lifting of the ban against gays serving openly will affect new recruits? And those who have lost their military careers previously?

 New recruits can now serve openly without the threat of discharge.  There is now a level playing field where all will be judged solely on their character and how well they perform their jobs.  However, full acceptance of gays will not happen overnight.  In some circumstances, caution should remain the better part of valor.  For those of us previously discharged, there is finally vindication for the long and difficult road we took to get here.

8. What was the most frightening moment you faced during the investigation?

 It happened during my first interrogation. I was told I was a suspected homosexual and could be dishonorably discharged if I didn’t cooperate by becoming an informant against my friends.  Scared out of my wits?  You bet!

9.  Did you have fun reconnecting with your military friends more than 30 years later?

 A reunion with my first love proved to be bittersweet.  It was wonderful seeing her again, but stirrings from the past interfered with the present, resulting in more sorrow than joy.  Other reconnections were a pure delight and contact has remained close between three of us.  I have not yet located two other close friends also discharged at that time.

10. With the book’s publication set for the exact time of both the repeal of the ban, and National Coming Out Day in October, what do you hope readers learn?

 It is my hope to simply attach more faces to those who happen to be homosexual, bi-sexual, or transgender.  Except for the emotional wiring between our ears (not between our legs) we are no different than heterosexuals. We bleed red, love our country, our families, our friends, and strive to be all we can be.  We are each a mixed bag of success and failure, strength and weakness -- simply human.  My own journey has taught me that as difficult as it was to be discharged from the Navy, today I am proud to have been out of step.