L. E. Harvey currently resides in New York with her wife, their four-year-old daughter; four (rescued) cats: Chantico, Consuelo, Squeak, and Teddy Roosevelt; (rescued) dog, Yankee; and (rescued) mallard duck, Plucky.
1) Describe your book.
Imperfect is the story of Carol Mathers. Carol was born a sickly child in a
turbulent home. During her childhood, she is so sick that she receives a blood
transfusion; it is the early 1980s.
The book opens on her twenty-first birthday when she meets the love of her
life: Alexandria.
Over the next twelve years, the couple finds triumph and tragedy. They face
prejudice, racism, sexism, joy and sorrow, always by each other’s side. In 2000,
they discover that Carol has acquired AIDS as a result of her childhood
transfusion. Now, they must face even more prejudice and ignorance as they
create a new life for themselves as AIDS patients.
An unexpected tragedy causes Carol to ponder the meaning of her life, or if
there is any meaning at all…
2) What drew you to the subject of Imperfect?
When I first began writing Imperfect I was going through a medical crisis of
my own. Trying to understand my own situation and to deal with the various
emotions that go along with such a situation, I began writing from my heart.
I am quite happy to say that I am in good health once again. Even though my
ordeal is long over, Imperfect is still a book that very much came from my soul.
Writing it helped me through one of the darkest times of my life. I did not hold
back as I wrote it, and I think that translates to readers. My heart is written on
those pages, and I am proud of that.
3) Did you Encounter any obstacles in researching it?
Thankfully, I didn’t really come across any obstacles. Researching a book
that so heavily relies on medical information is tremendously time consuming.
Being a person with a medical background, I really wanted to make sure my book
was accurate. Paying such close attention to detail and ensuring the validity of
my information drove me insane at times, but I think the final product was well
worth the time and effort.
4) What’s your favorite thing about your book?
That is a toughie. Imperfect is so close to my heart. I really made sure I
wrote scenes and events that everyone could relate to. There’s a particularly fun
scene where Carol and Alex are singing their hearts out to their favorite songs.
Who doesn’t love to just sing and have fun when a good song comes on the
radio? Relate-ability is important to me as a writer, and I think that Imperfect is
the kind of story that many people can relate to.
5) What is one thing your hero would do that you wouldn’t?
Carol is very much a studious person. Too much so, actually. She never takes
a break from school when she’s in college. In fact, she takes classes during the
winter and summer interims. Although I am a proponent of high education and
learning, I gladly enjoyed my breaks in college. I don’t think I am as dedicated
as she is!
6) What was your favorite scene to write?
Undoubtedly, the scene where Alex and Carol are singing in the car to their
favorite songs. It was easy to get swept away in their fun and care-free moment
as I wrote it. I love writing fun, happy scenes. I think I have as much fun, if not
more, as my characters!
7) What was the hardest scene to write?
The hardest scene in Imperfect was towards the end. I’ll simply refer to it as
the scene in the bank, so as not to give anything away. It was a scene about a
very unexpected event, so it was difficult to put my characters in such an unusual
scene. It was also a very intense scene that causes dramatic changes for all of the
characters, so that made it emotionally difficult to write. I get very emotionally
invested in my books and characters, so a scene like that really affects me as I
write it. Despite the difficulties in writing it, I think it ended up being a strong,
powerful scene and it carries the story well.
8) Who is your favorite character in Imperfect?
The obvious choice would be Carol, the heroine. Mind you, she does hold a
special place in my heart. Candace, though, I think is probably one of the
greatest characters in the book.
Candace is Carol’s young sister-in-law. We get to watch Candace grow up
and blossom into an incredible, wise woman. She has tremendous depth. She is
an incredibly interesting and unique character. I thoroughly enjoyed watching
her grow and change. I’ve had a few readers tell me that she was their favorite as
well.
9) What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
There was so much to take pleasure in when I wrote Imperfect. The research
and details that went into were enjoyable and educational. The best part, though,
was writing a book that was emotional, cerebral and even spiritual. Imperfect
(and its soon-to-be-released sequel) is/are books like you’ve never read before. I
am very proud to have written something that truly moves people and causes
them to think, and possibly even change. Writing such a unique story has got to
be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences a writer can have.
10) What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?
I’m an extremely emotional person, and I think that helps me to convey
emotions well when I write. Feeling things deeply makes it easy for those
emotions to flow up and become more than just words on paper.
I have had several readers and reviewers also tell me that my descriptions are
quite vivid. That pleases me to no end. I believe that the job of a writer is to
paint with words. According to these people, I do just that. That is a strength I
am proud to have.
Book Blurb:
Imperfect is the life story of a woman named Carol Mathers.
Carol was born prematurely and she had to receive a blood transfusion.
She meets her partner, Alexandria, on her twenty first birthday.
Carol eventually learns that her childhood transfusion has caused her and Alexandria to acquire AIDS. Trying to live with AIDS and maintain a normal life becomes increasingly difficult.
An unexpected event causes Carol to lose everything, and wonder if her life has any meaning at all.
A story too great for one volume, Imperfect is the first in a set of two very powerful and emotional books.
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