Christina Hamlett’s Stories, Lessons & Insights

We recently had the chance to connect with Christina Hamlett and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Who among us hasn’t said to our soulmate, “I’d be lost without you!” The combined comfort of shared memories and the anticipation of creating future ones makes it terrifying to imagine what our lives might be if the person we loved most was suddenly gone. And yet that’s exactly the reality I faced when I recently lost my beloved husband to Stage 4 cancer after 25+ years of a marriage which friends and even total strangers envied.

Wolves, swans and French angelfish are among a litany of species which mate forever. If a partner dies, the survivor literally becomes a lost soul and gives up all interest in continuing alone. Humans, too, often embrace the mindset of there being only one true love allotted to each of us per lifetime. In “Eve’s Diary” by Mark Twain, an inconsolable Adam weeps at her grave with the words, “Wheresoever she was, there was Eden.” Even if Eve had been the first one to face the future newly single, there’d have been no Central Casting to which she might easily apply for a replacement.

In a perfect world, we would blissfully exit our shared existence hand-in-hand. In an imperfect one such as that in which I suddenly found myself, we can either fold to despair like a cheap suit or summon new strengths, stride boldly into grand adventures and do our dearly departed lovers proud. Whereas once I thought it would take a miracle to survive such a loss, I quickly discovered—and continue to learn—that miracles don’t require a belief in magic, just a disbelief in limits. Once you recognize that, you can rise to accomplish whatever may have previously frightened the living daylights out of you.

My proudest accomplishment was finishing and publishing the gourmet cookbook which my husband had started prior to his death. All proceeds from THE OPEN DOOR GOURMET (available on Amazon) go to cancer research. A close second to this project was publication of EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT WIDOWHOOD I LEARNED FROM JESSICA FLETCHER. So very gratifying when readers tell me it helped them through their own darkest hours. It is even infused with humor, especially the chapter I titled, “Cremation Guy and the Great Hall of Urns.”

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Along with being a former actress and theatre director, I’m the published author of 52 books, 278 stageplays and squillions of articles and blogs. I hold a degree in Communications with an emphasis on Audience Analysis and Message Design–a specialization which I’ve been able to utilize in all aspects of media relations and creative storytelling. I teach distance-learning classes in screenwriting, playwriting and cozy mysteries through WOW! Women on Writing. My latest passion besides traveling, cooking and music is my cozy mystery series which is set in various towns and cities throughout the UK. Am about to wrap work on the seventh book in this series and can’t wait to dive into the eighth one. Several new stageplays are also in the works for my British publisher, Silver Birchington.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Throughout school I was fortunate to have teachers who saw my potential as a writer and encouraged me to pursue it with gusto. Following college, publishers took over those reins and guided me in developing plots that would be commercially viable. As an adult, I was blessed to have a treasured friend and mentor in Peter S. Fischer, the creator of COLUMBO and MURDER, SHE WROTE. The most significant influence on my career and outlook on life, however, was my beloved husband, Mark. He was the biggest fan of my work and also my strongest cheering section on the occasions when a much-awaited envelope contained a rejection letter instead of a check. During the final three months of his life, his faith in me was absolutely unshakeable. He knew he had prepared me well for surviving without him and discovering strengths I didn’t know I had. He also knew I had lots of stories inside of me which needed to find an audience. I have no doubt he continues to read them over my shoulder and smile in approval.

When you were sad or scared as a child, what helped?
Losing myself in the pages of a book. That the words of a complete stranger could hold such magical, transformative power shaped my dream at a very early age to become an author myself whose own words could one day heal, comfort and inspire in ways I would never know.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Honesty, loyalty and integrity. If I can’t trust a person’s word, their next role in my life is likely to be a chalk outline on the floor of one of my mystery novels.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. When do you feel most at peace?
Three occasions actually.

Mark and I always loved traveling and he was insistent I continue this tradition after his passing. Although I never take any work with me when I’m visiting interesting places, I do take a small notebook and invariably return home with it filled up with location descriptions, quirky characters, snippets of dialogue and even potential titles for future works. I’m also gregarious by nature and enjoy meeting new people, many of whom I have stayed in touch with after my return. Such unapologetic bliss to return to favorite haunts or explore new places!

I am self-taught on piano and nothing excites me more than to buy new sheet music and challenge myself to complicated arrangements at the keyboard of my 1908 upright. Although I set a timer to ensure I practice for at least 20 minutes, I often play well past that marker and truly do lose myself in the moments when I finally master a piece which has been vexing me. (Multiple sharps, flats and key changes continue to be my nemesis…)

Come late evening, I close out each day with a glass of hundred-year-old port by the lights of the dining room table fairy tree and tell the hugsman about my day. The silence of my surroundings is both calming and energizing and makes me excited to see what the morning will bring.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.authorhamlett.com