Interview with Jeff Rivera

Today, we have a special author with us: Jeff Rivera, author of Forever My Lady, which we recently reviewed.


Welcome, Jeff!


1. What inspired you to write a love story?

I was inspired by a real friend's story. I was working at K-Mart at the time. It was my first job after having been homeless and he was starting over too. He was in a work release program where he had been a gang member and was trying to start his life over. We became friends very quickly and he used to come in every day and tell me about this girl that he loved and was trying to change his life around for.  I got the idea of doing a boot camp because I belonged to this screenwriters association in Nevada and this producer visited us and said there was a prison boot camp out there in the middle of the desert, why hadn't someone written a story about it? Those two things and infusing a lot of events had happened in my own life began me on my journey to writing this story.

 

 

 

2. How did you come up with the title?

 

Well, my friend that I met at K-Mart always talked about his "lady" all the time, and I just thought Forever My Lady would be a great title.

 

 

3. Were any of the characters, like Dio, Jennifer, Simon, or Groissant, based on anyone?

 

Yes, all the characters were based on people I know but usually a combination of people I know. And many of them were based on aspects of me and my own experiences.

 

 

 

 

4. The main character, Dio, seemed adamant in the fact that he and Jennifer were destined to be together forever. Do you think this is true of some couples? What do you think love is and what is it that makes couples stay together?

 

I really want to believe that some people are destined to be together. It's very romantic. Now, that I get older, I do think that you can have more than one soul mate in your life time but you'll never forget your first love. That's what Jennifer and Dio are to each other and will always be. No body can take that away from them, ever. There are two schools of thought: Stay together no matter what vs. Life is short, why go through pain and suffering. It's really hard to decide which path you want to go on when you become a couple.

 

 

5. Do you think Dio and Jennifer could've worked it out?

 

That's a really good question. I hope so. I will this, that it is not the end of the two of them. They still have issues to work out.

 

 

 

6. That prison camp was interesting. Did you do any research on that?

 

Yes, I did. I went to the actual boot camp out in the middle of the desert in Nevada. It was so amazing! I became good friends with the drill instructor, who became one of the inspirations for the Jackson character; he's been amazing.

 

 

7. What was your writing process like for this story?

Well, first, it was a screenplay and after Hollywood rejected it, I decided to write it as a novel. I wrote the novel in less than 3 months and published really just the first draft. That's the same draft that ended up getting published by Warner Books.

 

 

8. What was the main message that you wanted readers to get from this story?

 

I think at that time, I wanted people to know that sometimes you have to love someone enough to let them go. And if they're meant to be with you, it will work out eventually, no matter how much it may hurt at the time.

 

 

9. Do you feel that your book is an inspiration for Latinas? How so?

 

I certainly hope so. I think a lot of Latinas can relate to falling in love with someone and then growing past them. It's really hard when you fall in love with someone and then find that you're outgrowing them. 

 

 

10. Are you currently working on any other books?
 

 

I am working on so many books, it's making my head spin! One of them is the prequel and sequel of Forever My Lady. But it's taken years to get it ready.



 

11. And, finally, where can we learn more about you and your works?

You can visit http://www.JeffRivera.com or of course, check Amazon. I have tons of books that I'm writing and co-writing there.