You Belong To Me: Interview with Author Marlie Bridges

RURAL MOM (RM): “You Belong To Me” addresses issues pertinent to so many women – uncertainty, insecurity, empowerment – and certainly tests the boundaries of love.  What compelled you to write Erin’s story? 

MARLIE BRIDGES:  Since this was my first book, written over a long period of time with other stories started in between, these were the first characters that really jumped into my head and said, “Tell my story.”

And then they evolved. Erin, the main character, is a woman who wants to be strong and in charge of her own life. But she’s vulnerable, as we all can be sometimes. I wanted to show that we can take control of our own lives, and still be part of the male/female yin and yang relationship.

RM:  I know readers of “You Belong to Me” will be surprised by the plot twists and drawn-in by some of the poignant, touching scenes.  Were there moments that surprised you while you were crafting the novel?   

BRIDGES: What surprised me the most is how much I value the family and domestic arts as part of a story. I wanted to put in even more, but the story was long enough as it was.

Erin, the main character, has many of my own characteristics in that way. She loves to make a home welcoming, she cooks, she likes to decorate and do crafts. In the book, I was able to weave in a scene about her love of quilting, how she had learned it from her grandmother, and how important it was to her. And although I have a business and I write, I am ever the domestic goddess. My neighbors actually nicknamed me “Martha” after you-know-who because of my gardening.

Secondly, I learned that I could write a scene that actually made me cry. Several times in the book I had to stop writing and get tissue. I was so involved with these characters that I sometimes ached for them. In talking with other authors, I realized I am not alone, and that these characters become a part of our lives for a time. They seem real while we are writing the story.

RM:  Readers may not know this, but we’re going to spill a fun fact:  you are based near New York City, but the story takes place in another major metro area.  Tell us, how did you select the location and was it more difficult to write about a different city?  

BRIDGES:  So, here it is, my secret confession…I have only been to Chicago (the setting for the book) twice. Once on business and once on a family trip. But there is something about that city that intrigued me. It isn’t New York, but it still has a great cosmopolitan feel. It has fabulous history, interesting places to go, and the art scene is exciting and well-established.