J. Michael Krivyanski
Author of Wives, Mothers and Other Wonder Women

• Why did you decide to write a book about women?
  Women are a big part of everyone’s life. At home or at work we’re all influenced by women. I wanted to write a book that showed the many good things women bring to the lives of those around them. I’ve published numerous stories about family life and felt writing a book about women would be a good experience.
   
• Was it a good experience?
  It was a great experience. When I started making notes about the many women I’ve met and how much they meant to those around them the list was quite large. It seems as if everyone has a story about a special woman who has influenced their life in some way.
   
• What about all the bad women in the world?
  They get more press coverage than they deserve. It’s about time all the good women in our world get some recognition.
   
• Couldn’t you just as easily write a book about men who have influenced all those around them?
  That’s a good idea. I’ll consider it for my next book.
   
• How did you start writing about family life?
  I moved to Burbank, California shortly after getting married. My goal was to become a screenwriter. After years of frustration I decided to quit writing. I enrolled in the paralegal program at UCLA and felt it was time to give up on my dream of being a writer. The only problem is I kept writing. I was a new father and wrote funny essays about what I was experiencing with my little daughter. A friend read the essays and suggested I send them to various local publications including the local newspaper. I was convinced I didn’t have the talent to be a writer, but felt I’d send out my work and prove it to those around me. About a week after sending out my essays an editor from the local Burbank newspaper called and said she’d like me to be a featured columnist for them. It was very exciting. I really enjoyed writing the column which was published every other week and had my picture with it. At last I felt that maybe I had some talent for writing.
   
• Do you still write for the Burbank newspaper?
  In 1995, I moved back to western Pennsylvania where I’m from originally. Since the Burbank newspaper was a local paper they didn’t want to use a writer from out of town. I had such a positive response to my humor columns with the newspaper I decided to try and market them to different parenting magazines around the country.
   
• What type of response did you receive from the magazines?
  I had a very positive response. There were months I would have one of my columns running in parenting magazines in California, Ohio and New York. I also have had other editors who would read one of my columns in a parenting magazine and then contact me about running one of my columns in their publication.
   
• What publications run your columns?
  Today I write a regular column for a national family publication, Family Digest, and the newspaper syndicate, Continental News Service. I also have various parenting magazines around the country occasionally run some of my humor columns.
   
• What influences did you have in your life that made you want to be a writer?
  I was not a good student when I was in school. The only real skill I had was the ability to see humor in any situation. I wasn’t a class clown, but could remember the details of events and tell them in a humorous manner. I had to take a writing class in high school. Instead of writing a serious essay about a book we read I would turn in a humorous view of the book. I didn’t get a good grade, but the teacher got me on the school newspaper. It was the first place I ever had my humor columns published.
   
• Did you go to college?
  Yes, I got a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I still wasn’t a good student when I went to college, but I was content to be immersed in an environment where writing was important. I learned a lot by being around other students who had a real love of writing and a desire to be published.
   
• Where do you get the topics you write about?
  I’m fortunate to have a wife and daughter who have a great sense of humor and an ability to see the funny side of many situations. My wife is a preschool teacher and shares stories about the children in her classes. I also talk with many other parents. I only have one child, but I’ve gained an understanding about what it’s like to have many children by talking with friends who have several. Every family dynamic is different and each one has something interesting they’ve experienced. I’m always open to listening to people talk about their family experiences.
   
• Do you ever have difficulty finding a topic to write about in your columns?
  I have never had that problem. I always keep a list of column ideas and regularly add to it. I think that getting ideas is just a matter of listening to what people talk about and asking the right questions. Any conversation with a fellow parent usually provides a few more ideas for my columns.
   
• Do you have a favorite humor column that you’ve written?
  I would have to say I like all the columns I’ve written to different degrees. The one column that has probably been published the most is the one called “B-Day” where I talk about my daughter’s birthday party. I think the appeal to that column is how well parents seem to relate to all the things that happen when they have a birthday party for their young children. I wrote that after we had a party to celebrate my daughter’s fifth birthday. We wanted to hold it at our house because we felt we could provide a party just as good as any party organization. The party started out fine, but then we realized the games we provided just weren’t holding the attention of the young party attendees. That was when the children began creating their own games and things got a little difficult for us. I was becoming frantic, but my wife remained completely calm during the entire event and handled the situation. At the end of the day my wife made me realize we were celebrating not just my daughter’s birthday, but actually the day we became a family.
   
• Have you done any other types of writing?
  I’ve written many non-fiction stories for local newspapers and both local and national magazines. My writing has been seen on some web pages, newsletters and even slogans on buttons, but my favorite writing remains the humor columns.
   
• What are your future plans for your writing?
  I plan to keep writing humorous books about family life. I’d also like to write a young adult novel. I may even do a non-fiction book about the many interesting people I’ve interviewed for magazines over the years. I plan to keep very busy writing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO SCHEDULE AN INTERVIEW WITH
J. MICHAEL KRIVYANSKI, CONTACT HIM AT:

readmikenow@juno.com