Naked Under the Light – An extraordinary interview with Judith Peck, The Ariqza.com “Best Entertainment Celebrity Magazine in the UK” By Ariqza, author Judith Peck talks about the story behind her family drama Naked Under The Lights and what inspired her to write it.
I interviewed Judith Peck about her life and career that inspired her to write her new family drama Naked Under The Lights and the creative writing process.
Tell us something about yourself
Thanks for the question. The answer from the outside is: I am a sculptor whose works are in 80 public and private collections, my contemporary sculptures are mainly made of bronze, steel and fiberglass. I am also an author with 8 published non-fiction books, 2 novels and 2 children’s books. Most to my honor and joy, I am the mother of 4 amazing adult children and 12 grandchildren, all doing amazing things.
By teaching me a particular approach to the creative movement, the children told me through their actions, enthusiasm and total commitment that I had discovered something incredible. I discovered what I understood was children’s natural gifts, the qualities they had been taught from birth: physical energy, imagination, and the need to express themselves. They discovered all of this in my classes on movement, imaginative ideas and stories. I needed to put what I discovered in my lessons into a form that others could share.
Confused about how to organize all the materials in the first draft, I went to the local hotel to find out, packed a typewriter, coffee, snacks, and no distractions. It took a long time to find a publisher who didn’t know how to do it, but Prentice-Hall finally got it out. Leap to the Sun: Learning Through Dynamic Play has sold thousands of copies and was recommended to New York City elementary schools by the Board of Education’s program manager.
When did you start writing?
To answer the insightful intent of this question, I’m going to talk about the novel, not the first non-fiction book. I take this step and recognize the deep unhappiness in my marriage that I cannot express. At a secluded restaurant on Route 59, where no one knew me, I drank countless cups of coffee and began reading a novel in a yellow notebook. I couldn’t start at home.
Too ridiculous, hard-working mother and wife carve in stone and wood, and the children behind me in the workshop glue in clay.I’ve always felt like there were stories to be told in my sculpture; It was always about people, so the desire to expand these works monolithically, free-standing or on a pedestal was a natural search for words.
How long did it take to publish your first book and Naked Under the Light?
This answer is hard to believe, but it is true. I was working on a novel while counseling art, dance and acting at a summer camp. My youngest daughter, then 5, sat on my lap with joy when I pinged! typewriter when he reached the end of each line. He just turned 60. The novel’s 2020 release was preceded by many iterations.
What was your biggest challenge writing Naked Under the Lights?
Courage has always been my challenge (which I’m still discovering shovel after shovel). How to write about shame I can talk about night wetting up to the age of 10 and am proud, thanks largely to my wise and caring mother who, despite this bitterness, is confident and fairly good at problem-solving. Having always been a loner and not easily adapting to small or large groups, I have become a people watcher. It gives me the insight that is at the heart of the narrative, but the courage to explore it further remains my greatest challenge.
What inspired you in creating your character?
The protagonist of Naked Under the Lights is ultimately a family whose members have weaknesses that lead to their dissolution. 18-year-old Sonata, with no plans for the future, throws a party in her father’s honor (who has largely ignored her but surrounds her with an unknown artist’s secret) to which everyone but him turns up and sleeps with his model .
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The event where my Art Student League teacher did not show up for his wife’s birthday party actually happened when the amazing artists of the 20th century were waiting for his arrival. This was the inspiration for the novel that the family developed from it.
What is the main conflict in Naked Under The Lights?
The downward spiral of family dysfunction due to individual actions and weaknesses is a growing conflict. Finding out how a younger brother died opens a wound that reflects future actions as well as the past. Along the way, art itself is seen as a force blowing a wind of shock while inspiring passions.
Did you plan Naked Under The Lights in advance or did you fly behind your pants and start writing?
I didn’t plan the book in advance. The book evolved as I wrote it, and the characters basically told me what their next steps were.
Did you get editing assistance and how much did Naked Under The Lights cost to edit?
No, I have neither requested nor received an editorial. I feel secure in the grammatical aspect of writing and haven’t felt the need. However, through unprecedented luck, I won first prize at the New York Writers’ Conference and received a critical review of the novel. Of course I took it and used it.
And finally: Are you proud of your achievement?
Nothing is perfect, so I have reservations about everything I claim to have achieved; but I accept it and continue with new ideas and efforts to bring the ideas to life. I think the ultimate effort is to strive for a life well lived. When I was forty, writing that first novel and fearing I would die before I finished it, I thought it was okay; that I have lived four times as many years worshiping, nurturing and raising my four children, teaching dance, making sculpture, running a home and a husband. See more about Naked Under the Light:
Place all your books, websites and social media links here for readers to find you:
- Website sculpture – https://jpecksculpture.com/
- Website books: https://iapbooks.com
- Website novel: https://www.ariellesstory.com/
- Website novel: https://www.nakedunderthelights.com
- Website parenting: https://www.smartstartsinthearts.com/
- Website art techniques: https://artscraftssculpturebooks.com/
- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/JudithPeckArtandWriting/
- Twitter – https://twitter.com/JudithPeckArt
- Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/judithpeckarts/
- Blog – https://iapbooks.com/blog-posts/
- LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithpecksculptor/
- Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/Judith-Peck/e/B086LJFC1C
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