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An Interview with Rebecca Glassman

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Rebecca Himmel Glassman is new to the publishing world even though she has been writing since childhood. After honing her legal writing skills while working as a paralegal for well over twenty years, she decided it was time to tap into her creative side.

Married and a mother of three, Rebecca decided it was time to take her writing to the next level and almost fourteen years ago she began her middle-grade fantasy/fiction series, Welcome to the Enchanted Forest. She completed four books. Unfortunately, because “life got in the way”, the books were put aside temporarily. It is now fourteen years later, and Rebecca has decided the time has come for her to share her stories with the world.

Rebecca loves to relax with family, especially her three young granddaughters. She also enjoys singing and recording music.



Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

I wasn’t sure at first what to name the series. Initially each of the individual stories had its own name, but the stories had one major thing in common and that was the Enchanted Forest. I decided to name the series Welcome to the Enchanted Forest instead of simply naming it “The Enchanted Forest” because that was the point of my series—children were being welcomed into the forest so that they could learn how to cope with their lives. I also thought I was going to give each book a subtitle but a very smart editor told me that was not necessary. The fact is, without the subtitles, each story then becomes a mystery and a new adventure. Some of my readers have already asked whether Book Two will continue the story of Book One. I told them to wait and see!

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I was actually blown away by the cover! It was more than what I thought it would be. When I started out I was looking at covers of middle grade fantasies just to try and get an idea of what I might possibly want. Nothing struck me at all. As I looked at the covers they all began to look alike. While I was on the computer I decided to google pictures of the forest, at a loss for what else to look for. A Thomas Kincaid painting popped up that got my attention. I sent the picture to Ronaldo at Atmosphere Press. Obviously, he couldn’t use the actual picture, but he came up with a cover that was amazing. I loved it. As an aside, there was no bridge in my original forest. There is now!

When I first received my proof copy, I just stared at it. Here was my book with my name on it! I finally achieved my dream. When I received the hardcover copy, I just cried. It’s not quite like giving birth to your first child, but it comes pretty close!

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I worked as a paralegal and always wrote for lawyers. My name was never on the papers but the thoughts and ideas were mine. A friend of mine who knew I was frustrated encouraged me to write for myself. Maybe something would come of it, maybe not—but at least it was my own with my name on it. I sat down at my laptop one day and just started writing. I had no notion what I was going to write about or if I would do fantasy, fiction, etc. Without thinking too much about it, I ended up writing a fiction/fantasy for kids. I liked the idea of making something up from nothing where no one could argue with me. I wrote whatever popped into my head. I liked the idea of not having to fact check anything. These are my thoughts, my ideas, and you can choose to like it or not, but you can never tell me I am wrong.

I am a huge reader. I can read roughly a book a week. I usually read on weekends. I don’t know if I could say specifically what influences my writing. I read legal thrillers, medical thrillers, historical romance, psychological thrillers. I don’t read much in non-fiction. I like the escapism. I do like books with happy endings! As a child I loved fantasies, fairy tales, mythology—maybe my childhood reading preferences are my influences.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I worked as a paralegal for over twenty years. I knew when I was in college that I enjoyed the law, but I had no interest in going to law school. A friend who planned on going to law school suggested that I study to get my paralegal certificate. So, after college that’s exactly what I did. It took less time to earn the certificate, but the work was hard. I enjoyed it, though. I got a job working as a paralegal for a plaintiff’s personal injury law firm. It was specialized. No car accidents, more like airline disasters! I got to write, and work with clients and go to court. See I didn’t need the law degree after all! I also didn’t have the responsibilities that land on the attorneys’ doorstep. It worked for me. I worked for several firms, and then started to work for my husband when my kids were in school full time.

I don’t know if my readers would know that I sing and record. I’ve done about twelve videos. My music is another form of escape. We’ve had some hard struggles within the family and music was my outlet. I did my last video about a year ago. I still sing, but I haven’t done any videos. At this point I am too busy with my writing. I will go back to doing videos eventually.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

I think that I enjoyed the whole process. I was especially intrigued when I gave my editor my first two books—one to edit and the other for her just to read and understand where I was going with my series—and she told me to take both books and combine them. How was I supposed to do that? They were two distinct and separate stories. She told me that I would be able to figure it out. Well, I did. I didn’t realize that though the characters from each book have distinctly different backgrounds, a lot of their issues were very similar.

I was able to connect the books and draw the similarities so that now my book is out there with a solid story that I hope will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. I loved the challenge and I felt that I was able to accomplish my goal. Thank you to Megan for that wonderful idea! I would say that was very rewarding. But, as I stated in a previous comment, working on the cover was also very rewarding. I may have made Ronaldo crazy with my numerous changes, but the end result was awesome!

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

That’s a hard one. I think “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” would definitely fit. I also think “The Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie. Both songs talk about hope and a brighter future, which is what my animal characters try to instill in the children that visit the Enchanted Forest.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I don’t really have a vision of the perfect reader. Most of those that have purchased and read the book, as far as I know, have been adults. I know of a few kids/tweens who have read it, but as I said before, mostly adults.

I think the takeaway from my book and hopefully the rest of the series is that no matter how bad things may seem, there can be a solution. Not necessarily a perfect one, but if people can learn to compromise and have perspective things are not as bad as they seem.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

I am currently working on Book Two of the series and I continue to pursue my singing. I am also preparing for the upcoming holidays and a visit from my daughter and the three granddaughters. Those little girls make everything I do worthwhile.

How was working with Atmosphere Press? What would you tell other writers who want to publish?

Hybrid publishers get a bad rap. Before publishing I was warned that hybrids are “vanity” publishers. They take your money and give nothing in return, but I would be very happy to have Atmosphere Press work with me on my next novel. I think that speaks volumes about how I feel about this publishing company. If you are someone who wants to publish, I say go for it! There’s is nothing more gratifying than completing something that you put your heart and soul into—and then seeing your name on it. The fact that people want to purchase your words makes it that much more special!


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Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.