Character Interview
Name: Pamela Fabian Smith
Book Title: Pam of Babylon Series
Age: 50ish
Profession: Housewife and Gym Rat
City and State: Babylon, New York
Thank you so very much for this interview, Pam. Now that the book has been written, do you feel you were fairly portrayed or would you like to set anything straight with your readers?
I really don't think I was! Ms. Jenkins kept emphasizing my interactions with other people instead of what really mattered; how I was coping with Jack's death and infidelity when I was alone. She made it seem like I was a pushover with Marie and Sandra. She didn't show how devastated I was when the doors were closed and I was in pain. Well, she did a little bit.
Do you feel the author did a good job colorizing your personality? If not, how would you like to have been portrayed differently?
I was angry at first that she made it seem like all I cared about was how I looked. But I am fussy about my appearance. Also, people think I'm stupid because I preferred to stay at home and take care of Jack. I did well in college! I'm a voracious reader and can discuss all the topics, well most of them. I like fashion, decorating, and the home arts like design and cooking. Ms. Jenkins showed that.
What do you believe is your strongest trait?
I think optimism is my best trait. I've always been that way; being able to look at the bright side. I grew up with an alcoholic mother. I bet you didn't know that. Nelda was and is still to some degree, mentally unstable. She's trying to make restitution for wrongs she did. That's her stage of life. Integrity vs. Despair. Living with her forced me to try to see beyond her problems. I guess I am a true adult child of an alcoholic.
Worse trait?
I guess to hear my family say it; denial. It's the negative of an optimistic personality. Marie said I had the truth about Jack under my nose the whole time and conveniently looked the other way. How is that possible?
If you could choose someone in the television or movie industry to play your part if your book was made into a movie, who would that be (and you can't say yourself!)?
Lol! I can't imagine. Maybe, Helen Hunt? And just for the record, Hugh Jackman for Jack. Lol!
Do you have a love interest in the book?
I go through three guys in the series! The last one, that book isn't out yet, is the one who has the most promise. Andy the cop was who I thought I'd end up with but he really turned out to be a schmuck. He really betrayed me.
At what point of the book did you start getting nervous about the way it was going to turn out?
It seemed pretty hopeless when I heard the truth about my sister. That was the worst. Everything else, even to the end of the series; it was the news about Marie that hurt the most.
If you could trade places with one of the other characters in the book, which character would you really not want to be and why?
Definitely Sandra. She's the youngest of Jack's victims and has the longest to suffer.
About The Author
Suzanne Jenkins lives at the west Michigan lakeshore with her husband, two dogs and two sheep. Her latest books are Pam of Babylon, Don't You Forget About Me and Dream Lover.
Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway
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Contest Dates: July 2 - September 27
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Pam of Babylon Series Book Trailer
Book Review
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Publication Date: March 13, 2012
Format: Paperback - 323 pages / Kindle - 357 KB
ISBN: 1468126237
ASIN: B007O9VL2G
Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction
BUY THE BOOK: Dream Lover
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
BUY THE Pam of Baylon Series
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book! Virtual Book Publicity Tours.
Book Description:
The third book in the Pam of Babylon series, Dream Lover is a compilation of character studies of the women and one man who Jack Smith left behind. Slowly, they make their way to the Long Island village of Babylon for an audience with his widow. No longer in denial and stronger than she thought possible, Pam Smith is able to confront the horror of her marriage in its totality as she draws a new picture of the man she was married to. The new discoveries she makes empowers her and she is able to maintain her strength and the grace and compassion she’s known for. Truly a formidable woman, Pam conquers her worst demons in Dream Lover.
Book Excerpt:
Jack started to talk. He told me about his
children, a boy and a girl. His son was looking at colleges
and Jack took him from one campus to another,
all over the country. He was vague about where he
lived; I thought it must be at the Jersey Shore because
he talked about the beach. His wife loved the water,
so they had moved there from Manhattan soon after
he graduated from college. He loved his wife, but she
was preoccupied with the lives of their two children
and her mother and sisters.
He was lonely. He looked at me. “I’m giving you the opportunity to run from me right now. I’ll never leave my wife. My boss is a religious fanatic who will fire me if he finds out I am involved with another woman. Do you understand that? Are you willing to take this on? Er, take me on? Haha!”
He didn’t say anything about having feelings for me, about being interested in getting to know me better. It was all about what I was willing to put up with. For some unknown reason, I said yes. I would take him on.
That night we met for a drink after work and he asked me to go to a hotel near the Path Train. It was one of the few times we went to a hotel, and he never stayed overnight. It was totally impersonal. Once, last winter, there was a horrible snowstorm. I stayed the night and went into work the next day with the same makeup and clothing on; fortunately, I had a hairbrush. No one seemed to notice.
I don’t know why I allowed it, why I chose to waste three years of my life with a man who didn’t have one single feeling for me. He used me like an accessory hand. I was a mouth, a vagina, a pair of boobs. When I think about my relationships with other men, there isn’t any evidence of self-deprecation, or self-loathing like that I exhibited with Jack. I was raised by loving, caring parents. My father and I have a warm, supportive relationship to this day. Well, until I tell them the news. I’m sure this will throw them both for a loop. My mother won’t hear that I am sexually active, even at the age of thirty-one. It is not discussed in our family. I love God and Jesus with all my heart. I know that sounds like a contradiction, after what I’ve done.
He was lonely. He looked at me. “I’m giving you the opportunity to run from me right now. I’ll never leave my wife. My boss is a religious fanatic who will fire me if he finds out I am involved with another woman. Do you understand that? Are you willing to take this on? Er, take me on? Haha!”
He didn’t say anything about having feelings for me, about being interested in getting to know me better. It was all about what I was willing to put up with. For some unknown reason, I said yes. I would take him on.
That night we met for a drink after work and he asked me to go to a hotel near the Path Train. It was one of the few times we went to a hotel, and he never stayed overnight. It was totally impersonal. Once, last winter, there was a horrible snowstorm. I stayed the night and went into work the next day with the same makeup and clothing on; fortunately, I had a hairbrush. No one seemed to notice.
I don’t know why I allowed it, why I chose to waste three years of my life with a man who didn’t have one single feeling for me. He used me like an accessory hand. I was a mouth, a vagina, a pair of boobs. When I think about my relationships with other men, there isn’t any evidence of self-deprecation, or self-loathing like that I exhibited with Jack. I was raised by loving, caring parents. My father and I have a warm, supportive relationship to this day. Well, until I tell them the news. I’m sure this will throw them both for a loop. My mother won’t hear that I am sexually active, even at the age of thirty-one. It is not discussed in our family. I love God and Jesus with all my heart. I know that sounds like a contradiction, after what I’ve done.
My Book Review:
In the third book of the Pam of Babylon series, Dream Lover, the saga of Jack Smith's widening trail of deceit continues when the reader is introduced to the many women and one man who Jack has had a sexual relationship with over the years. The author continues to weave a spellbinding and sad tale of the legacy and wide spread ramifications that is left from Jack's sexual deviant and promiscuous behavior. Just when I thought that this series couldn't get any better, author Suzanne Jenkins pulls out all the stops and takes the reader further down the rabbit hole with more tantalizing and earth shattering revelations.
When Don't You Forget About Me (book 2) ended, Marie finds a list of women's names in a file that belonged to Jack. Dream Lover seamlessly picks up on that portion of the storyline with the unveiling of the other women and man in Jack's life, while continuing to keep the reader up-to-date with what is happening to Pam, Marie and Sandra. Book 2 was just the tip of the iceberg when it delved into Jack's dual lifestyle, now in book 3 the author goes all in and reveals the depth of his deviant predatory sexual behavior and the complex widespread web of deceit that he has cast out over the years.
Masterfully written in the third person narrative with alternating chapters dedicated to the individual perspectives of each character involved with Jack, the reader is introduced to the new characters and how they became involved with Jack. The author brings the characters to life with a richly detailed description of their complex personalities and lives, they literally jump off the page and draw the readers into their individual stories. The author also continues the individual journeys of Pam, Marie and Sandra with updates on how they are struggling to moving forward with their lives while continuing to deal with the latest fallout of dark revelations that are uncovered.
Dream Lover continues to take the reader on a complicated emotional roller coaster ride with enough drama, suspense, twists and turns that will keep them holding onto the arms of their chair. This compelling series packs a powerful punch, and the author isn't through as she keeps her readers completely hooked on the series with yet another cliffhanger and leaves them wanting more of the saga that will be revealed in Prayers For The Dying, book 4 of the Pam of Babylon series. *sigh*
RATING: 5 STARS *****
*My Book Review of Pam of Babylon:
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/pam-of-babylon-by-suzanne-jenkins.html
* My Book Review of Don't You Forget About Me:
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/08/dont-you-forget-about-me-by-suzanne.html
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