Victoria Rowell, best known as Druscilla Winters on CBS’s daytime series “The Young and the Restless,” first penned her memoir, The Women Who Raised Me, last year. It went on to become a best-seller and won many awards. We first featured her here in March, where we talked briefly about her background as a foster child and an actress.
Now the paperback and audio versions of The Women Who Raised Me are available at bookstores everywhere. And if you order them from Victoria Rowell’s website (see below for addresses), you can get her to send you an autographed copy. Victoria Rowell is fast becoming a writing powerhouse, with more books and even a novel on the way! Read on for all the juicy details.
Connie Briscoe: Your memoir, The Women Who Raised Me, received widespread recognition in the literary community and hit the major bestseller lists including the New York Times and Essence magazine. Do you have plans to do more writing in the future? If so, what kind of book might that be? Fiction, nonfiction, more memoirs?
Victoria Rowell: Yes, I plan on writing two companion books—The Men Who Raised Me and The Perfectly Imperfect Inheritance. Currently I am working on a novel, which will be my next book, Secrets of a Soap Opera Diva. I am also happy to announce that the audio book version of The Women Who Raised Me is complete, which is read by me and went on sale May 1, so please log on to www.victoriarowell.com and get your copy. It’s a great Mother’s Day gift!
CB: It sounds perfect for Mother’s Day. Was writing what you thought it would be? In other words, was it harder or easier than you had imagined to open up and put your thoughts and feelings on paper?
Victoria Rowell: Actually this was the hardest thing I have done in my career. Ballet was hard, but writing has been the hardest because of the solitude nature. Revisiting people in my life was also a challenge. I can say it was really joyous and painful at same time.
CB: What time of day did you do most of your writing and what was your favorite writing spot. Why do you think that was?
Victoria Rowell: Morning time. For The Women Who Raised Me (hardback), I was really under a tight schedule. I had a serious deadline to meet so I would get up around 4:00 a.m. and write prior to going to the CBS set for The Young and the Restless tapings. By nature, I am a morning writer.
CB: What were you trying to accomplish by writing your memoir? Who were you hoping to reach?
Victoria Rowell: The purpose of writing my memoir is to thank all of the extraordinary women throughout the country for sharing their lives. I wanted to share the fact that too often our mentors do not get enough recognition. I also wanted to shine light on the ordinary people doing extraordinary things…the millions of mothers and mentors who go unheralded. I want The Women Who Raised Me to be a call to action so I have listed resources in the back of the book. Anyone who is willing can be a mentor, a volunteer or foster parent if your heart and mind are in the right place. Connie, I really think we achieved that in the hardcover, which, as you stated, is a New York Times and Essence magazine bestseller! For more information on my book, you can visit www.thewomenwhoraisedme.com.
CB: My children were adopted out of foster care at ages 6 and 8, so I’m well aware of how important good foster care homes are. What is the message about foster care that you hope we get from The Women Who Raised Me and your work supporting foster children.
Victoria Rowell: I want all to be aware of the fact that 98% of foster parents are doing a great job! Unfortunately, the media tends to write about very discouraging stories. It is very important that I write about the majority. My ambition is to smash this myth that all foster parents are not doing their job, when it’s really only about 2%.
CB: Thanks for doing that. It’s so important. What’s next for you in film? Anything in the works?
Victoria Rowell: First let me say, I encourage folks to rent the movie Home of the Brave. I star in the film along with Samuel L. Jackson, where I play his wife. The film is about family and the effects of the Iraq war as it relates to mental health. In other news, as you may recall, Druscilla has slipped off the cliff…not sure if she will climb back up so stay tuned. Beyond that I am hopeful that The Women Who Raised Me will be a theatrical release.
CB: Thanks for bringing us up-to-date. I’m sure your many fans will be happy to know this. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Victoria Rowell: Yes, I would like to thank all of you who helped to make The Women Who Raised Me (hardback) a bestseller! I have been on tour for over a year and on May 1 the paperback came out. I am hopeful that my story will continue to resonate with people across the country and we will also make the paperback a bestseller! I am still on tour and hope to be in a city near you. To find out my schedule, please visit www.victoriarowell.com
Last thing, remember, May is National Foster Care Month! No matter how much time you have to give—a few minutes, a few hours or more—you have the power to do something positive that will Change a Lifetime for a young person in foster care. To find out more about my foundation visit www.rowellfosterchildren.org
2 comments ↓
Hi Connie,
I saw Victoria last year at Book Expo America in NYC when her book came out. One thing in her comments in the blog resonated with me. She said she wanted “to shine light on the ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” This is so true. These people need to be commended.
I am an adoptive mother, having gone through the procedure twice. Like Victoria, we don’t know whom these children will become in life, but they need a chance to be loved and to become the extraordinary people they are.
Shirley
Really great interview. Hope everything works out OK with your family!
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