Interview with Carol Ann Culbert Johnson

Torn Between Two Lovers
Carol Ann Culbert Johnson
Lulu (2006)
ISBN 9781430300823
Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (11/06)

Reader Views talks with Carol Ann Culbert Johnson, author of romance fiction novel, “Torn Between Two Lovers.” Carol is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views.

Juanita:  Thanks for talking with us today Carol.  We are excited to hear more about your book “Torn Between Two Lovers.”  Would you tell your readers the storyline of your new novel?

Carol:  My novel is based on Candy Thomas, and her friends.  Candy is torn between two lovers. She’s in love with Mace James, but when he takes their relationship for granted she begins to question it.  In the midst of this she meets Jordan Hayes, a new white attorney at her law firm, and the sparks are evident.  Who will Candy choose?

Candy has two best friends, Helen and Lisa, and they meet to discuss their lives.  Helen is fed up with her husband and his cheating ways; Lisa is a wild girl, but when something happens to change her life, she rethinks it. This is a story of having two men, and trying to find your soul mate, and friendship; the trials and tribulations of trying to deal with the stresses of your existence.

Juanita:   What inspired you to write this story?

Carol:  I am a romantic person, and I was probably watching or reading something and this inspired me to write this story.  I got on my laptop and Torn Between Two Lovers was born.  The story was geared to Candy Thomas making a choice between the two men in her life, but along the way it developed into more than just Candy.  I introduced Helen and Lisa who added some spice of life, and devoted chapters to them and their lives.

Torn Between Two Lovers is a book about issues – divorce, finding your soul mate, challenges, and changes, finding love, respecting and loving yourself, fighting for your belief, children, and romance, with some happily ever after endings.  It’s about being in a marriage since high school, and trying to make it work, but finding out that your husband didn’t love you enough.  I wrote this book to focus on the many conflicts that most of us are experiencing.  I wanted someone to be able to relate to the same story of divorce or being in love with two men, and making a difficult choice.

Juanita:   Would you tell us about your three leading women and their distinctive personalities?

Carol:   Candy is a laid back plus-size woman.  She has not a lot of confidence in herself, and she settles for Mace James who likes her healthy body.  She’s in her forties, and she loves her job as a paralegal.  It’s the essence of her life until Jordan happens upon the scene.  She’s a romantic at heart and wants to find unconditional love.

Lisa is a wild child. She’s in her thirties and men are her game.  She loves men, and after falling in love with two men, and having her heart broken into tiny pieces; she decides to have fun with men, and never fall in love again. Her life is all planned – no children, and no husband. When she meets James King her entire life changes, and she’s having a difficult time dealing with it.  Lisa is not afraid of expressing her opinion and having a good time in the process.  Lisa is an actress on a soap opera and when she graduates into movies, she is able to showcase her talents.

Helen is in her forties and also a plus-size woman.  She loves her body and has no intention of changing it for anyone. She’s a fashion designer, with dreams of owning her own boutiques and making a name for herself in the designing world.  She married right out of high school and loves her husband, but when he continues to cheat on her, she has to reevaluate her marriage.  She has two children and she’s contented with her marriage, until her husband turns her world upside down.

Juanita:  What is each of their unique situations in the area of love?

Carol:   Candy is the most romantic, and she thought she had found love in Mace. She’s searching for her soul mate, but then there’s Jordan…

Lisa doesn’t believe in love until her life changes and she has a realization, and a reality check.

Helen loved her husband for years, and now she’s so angry with him, and the concept of love.  She doesn’t believe in it anymore, and will never let herself fall in love again…

Juanita:   How did these three women evolve as characters in your book, and in the writing process?  Were they based on anyone you know?

Carol:  I would say Candy is like me.  She’s overweight, and confidant to some extent, and she believes there’s a soul mate out there for everyone, and size or color shouldn’t be an issue.  She doesn’t believe that a black man could be unconditional, and this is how she so easily falls in love with a white man.

Lisa and Helen came about as a friendship tool. I don’t have any close girlfriends, anymore. I had a few, but they stabbed me in the heart, and I learned my lesson.  I wanted to bring these three women into the story as best friends, no matter what, and to let my readers know that there are women who can be true and deep friends.  Candy, Helen, and Lisa share a bond that will last forever.  Although Lisa and Helen had a moment, but their friendship will handle the cracks, and will last.

Juanita:   How long of a time frame do we follow the lives of these three friends?

Carol:   This is a friendship forever.  The chapters are elements of each friend, and their separate entities.

Juanita:   How does race and physical diversity play a part in the stories of these women?  What are your personal statements towards these aspects of “Torn Between Two Lovers”?

Carol:   Race isn’t an issue in Torn Between Two Lovers, but it does come up with Candy meets Jordan who is white.  Another issue of weight is also in the novel.  Jordan is usually dating petite women, and he finds himself attracted to Candy and it’s a major concern with him.  He has never dated a black woman, or one that is curvy and he has to come to terms with this new avenue of his life.

I don’t believe that color or size should be a stumbling block when love is the contributing factor. We can’t help who we fall in love with, and sometimes, love is very blind. We are all human beings made from God, and it just doesn’t matter to me. Jordan came along at a time when Candy was torn about Mace, and he just happened to be white. Sometimes my characters run amonk, and I just have to go with the flow.

Juanita:  What is the importance of the women’s friendship as they move thorough their relationships with the men in their lives?

Carol:   They have a bond, and the elements of relationships are like a therapy session for each woman.  Helen and Lisa learn something about Candy’s relationship. She’s living with a man, and she’s in love with another one.  Lisa and Candy consoles Helen on the breakup of her marriage, and the years she spent with this one man, and his cheating ways.  Candy and Helen follow the path of Lisa falling in love against all her odds, and a major event happening to her, which she didn’t plan.  The fact that she’s an actress and a celebrity to them is another part of their friendship.  These three friends learn from each other in a quest to find happiness.

Juanita:   Would you comment on the women’s unfolding self discovery process?

Carol:  Candy has doubts about her weight.  She settles for Mace because of this fact, but she’s not happy with the relationship. She feels that Mace is with her, so she should be happy, or the fact that he’s the only man out there for her until she meets Jordan. Candy discovers that love is blind, you can’t help who you fall in love with, and that she is a beautiful woman worthy of finding love at her size. She also discovers that she does not have to be skinny to find romance.

Helen is in love with her body, but she doubts herself when her husband puts her down by calling her fat.  She also wonders why her husband needs to cheat on her, and she lacks self-confidence in herself.  She believes that she wasn’t kinky enough for her husband, or she wasn’t giving him enough at home to make him find the comforts of other women.  Helen has to really come to terms with herself, and realize that you can never please a man. 

Lisa is a wild and crazy woman, and she compliments Helen and Candy.  Her antics blow their minds, and she leads entertainment into their lives. She’s a playa and proud of it, and men are just sex to her. She loves herself, is vain at times, and her body is perfect in her eyes.  Men will worship the ground she walks on.  Of course I had to bring her down a peg or two in the novel to show her that love blossoms everywhere, and she’s not exempt from it.

Juanita:  What statements are you making towards love in “Torn Between Two Lovers”?

Carol:  Race and size is not an issue when falling in love; love will bite you on the ass when you least expect it; making a choice, and hoping it’s the right choice; getting what you want out of a relationship, and that romance exists for everyone, and there’s someone out there right around that corner.

Juanita:   I believe “Torn Between Two Lovers” is your fourth book, what are your favorite aspects of this particular novel?

Carol:   Torn Between Two Lovers is my fourth book, and this is my favorite book. I love the story with Candy and her friends, and the fact that she has two men in her life, and she has to make the choice, when in reality this doesn’t happen often. I had a thrill writing this book in less than one month. I spent a lot of time revising this book, and I got to really care about Helen, Lisa, and Candy and their friendship. I was sad when the book ended, believe it or not.

I love the interracial relationship between Candy and Jordan; the marriage woes with Helen and Joseph, and Lisa finding love against her wishes, and confronting a major issue in her life with dignity.  I usually write in the first person, so I was able to create this book in the first and third person voice, and this was definitely a challenge for me.

Juanita:   What is the underlying message of “Torn Between Two Lovers”?

Carol:   Love comes in all shapes and colors, and when it comes, watch out!

Juanita:  Carol, you have written a number of books to date, and have many in the works. Would you comment on your love of writing, and your preference to the genre of romantic fiction?

Carol:  I have written four books so far, I Confess, a collection of twenty-two confession stories about romance and relationships.  Rejection, a short story taken from I Confess, which developed into a novella about unconditional love, and my focus on weight. I was so in love with the characters Rejina and Adonis. Articles for the Soul, is about topics and articles of interest to me that is like a therapy session to me of everyday life.

My fascination for romance began when I was fourteen years old. I was in the ninth grade, and on my lunch break I used to spend time reading Harlequin Romances, and Black Romance Magazine. I fell in love with happily ever after, and was hooked on romance to the present, and I am forty-four years old now. There’s not a day that passes me by without a romance in my hand.  I wanted to write romance, and I did. I am blessed to write a romance column for www.myshelf.com/beneaththecovers/column.htm.

Juanita:   Carol, how can readers find out more about you and your books?

Carol:  My website is like a bio of my life, and this is the perfect place to learn about me. My readers can visit me at www.carolannjohnson.net and sign my guestbook, and follow the links to my life. I can also be emailed at greeniconfessbooks@yahoo.com for comments from my readers which would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you Juanita for this interview and God Bless!

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