Interview with Children’s Author Mary Ruth Weaver

Mary Ruth has lived in Tennessee, Illinois, California, and finally settled down in sunny Arizona. With a degree in English, she has taught kindergarten in Christian schools. She and her husband share five children and 17 grandchildren. Mary Ruth works at Arizona Western College, coordinating and working with the winter visitor population; and her husband, who is a retired Marine, assists her with the activities. They are both active in church and the community. They love to travel and have visited all 50 states throughout the years; and, several of them many times.

Hello, Mary Ruth. I’m so glad that you’re on my blog. We met in Yuma a few years ago and I absolutely love that part of the country. It’s so beautiful in the fall, winter, and spring. Please tell us about your new book.

The Forgotten Trolley is not only a cute children’s story, but it appeals to adults as well. The lesson learned in this book is what to do when life disappoints you. You can either give up on life and be miserable, or do what Al did. He humbled himself, was reborn, and started a new phase of his life as a working café instead of the former transporter of passengers. He learned that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

What a wonderful lesson to teach our children… a lesson to remember ourselves! Where did you get your inspiration for this book?

My inspiration for The Forgotten Trolley was inspired by my husband, Gary. He grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and rode the trolleys with his parents during the 1940s. He remembers his mother putting him on the trolley at age five, and sending him across town, by himself, to visit his grandmother! Having heard many stories throughout our 34 years of marriage, and our family visiting and riding on several trolleys housed in trolley car museums, the idea of trolleys out of commission and rusting away in scrap yards prompted me to write a children’s story.

Wow! The inspiration behind a book is so interesting to me. Are there very many cities that still have trolleys?

Some of the trolleys of the past have been refurbished and are in trolley car museums. They are either on display or are working examples that transport passengers around the museum grounds on a limited route. Recently, some cities, such as Phoenix, Arizona, and San Diego, California, have built light-rail systems that are similar to trolleys that transport passengers throughout the city on scheduled routes.

What does your family think about your writing?

My family, especially my husband, has been very supportive of my writing throughout the years. My daughter, Vikki, has been my “go-to” person for any kind of support I have needed. When I finally decided to publish this book, I called her at work and said, “Vikki, I want to be immortalized!” She asked, “So, what do you want me to do?” I said, “Help me find an illustrator for my book.” “Okay,” she answered, “I’ll get back to you.” Forty-five minutes later she called back and said, “Here, talk to Jeff.” “Who’s Jeff?” I asked. “Your new illustrator,” she replied, and the rest is history.

Your daughter sounds like she was just as excited about your new future as you were. Okay, now it’s time to tell us something about the real you that we’ll never forget.

I am a lucid dreamer. My dreams consist of flying, tasting, smelling, vivid colors, and seeing words or sentences written on walls, blackboards, or anywhere throughout my dreams. I can change the way the dream is progressing by changing the storyline myself during the dream. I can make sure the outcome is to my liking by simply willing it so. One of my favorite reoccurring dreams is that of dancing. I will have the whole dance floor or hall to myself, and I will twirl and leap and spin to my heart’s content. My flying dreams allow me to either fly within an airplane, or fly solo, without a vehicle. I have dreamt that I flew alone, just my body, and as I was landing, slowed down my feet, so as to gently land on top of a bookcase! During college, I wrote a research paper on lucid dreaming and not only received an A+, but was asked by my psychology professor and my English professor for a copy for their files. So, I not only enjoy my lucid dreams, and they not only paid off for me during college, but I have written several stories based on ideas I have received in my dreams.

I would love to be in control of all my dreams. That would be great. When I was a kid, I used to have flying dreams and I remember how much I loved those dreams. But when I grew up, I stopped having them. Hmmm! Now I know the real you! A Dreamer, a Child at Heart, and an Author all rolled into one!