Interview with Mitzi Penzes

Author of Perfectly Crazy · Digital Journal

About Mitzi Penzes

Mitzi Penzes grew up in Hungary, where she trained and practiced as a neurologist. She has lived in the US for the last twenty-five years, where she pursued a career in lab management before becoming an entrepreneur. She lives with her son, husband, and cat in San Diego, California.

You can visit her website at www.perfectlymitzi.com.

The Interview

What inspired you to write your first book?

My fantasy. My main character somehow popped into my mind and I needed to tell her story. It has flowed from there. Almost all of my characters had someone that I can maybe consider as an inspiration for. Mainly it was sprouting from my parents’ marriage that seemed very happy and content despite the unexpected beginning. It seemed perfectly crazy yet it was fulfilling and lasting. Love can surprise us that way sometimes.

Do you have a specific writing style?

In my stories there will be a lots of love, action and intrigue, some twists and unexpected turns. These are the things I enjoy in life the most and I hope my readers would feel I can portray them the way they just want to see what would be in the next chapter. When I go through my story I see these scenes like a movie; I am a very visual person. Maybe that is why I write about locales I have seen before—it makes it feel more real. On the other hand books are better than movies in a sense that everyone is allowed to picture their own faces for a character whatever they feel would fit the story or their ideals.

How did you come up with the title?

Perfectly Crazy comes from the situation presented in the book. From the outside these marriages seem so flawless and fine yet my main characters fall in love despite all odds and that makes them realize how wrong they must have been assuming things. Love can present itself when it is inconvenient or not expected, or just plain crazy, yet it is there and it conquers.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Yes, I want them to think about things and muse about the fact that there are more than one way to happiness. I think this story touches upon issues like motherhood, relationships, fertility, illnesses and its effect on families. I just want everyone to muse about these subjects and draw their own conclusions—maybe different ones than my characters and still a good one for themselves. Not everyone is the same; we all have our personalities. Me and Nell were going through one story line—maybe some of my readers would go on a different one—but the fact that they speculated about these issues are the real asset of the book, I hope.

How much of the book is realistic?

I do believe that love conquers everything. I seriously do. It is one of the major shapers of our life; most of us do have long standing attachments to loved ones—we are social beings. Whether it is a marriage or friendship or love between parents and children, it is a major biological force in shaping who we are and whom we will associate with, how we live our life.

Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I think it is a scenario that could happen any time even though it is unexpected. Love shows up everywhere and marriages are broken, new bonds are built all the time. The medical issues I touched upon are realistic; I have seen the effects first hand when I operated as a physician. I also have seen the places portrayed in the book and hope to see them still in my life. I did enjoy having my characters move around in Europe—that, for obvious reasons, is very close to my heart. As for San Diego, it is one of my favorite cities.

As for the characters I explained before that they are inspired by real people in my life, but a large part of my fantasy as well. How else can you achieve “perfectness” otherwise? We all have our flaws and personality problems; we would like to see how nice it would be to have a better world around us with caring and happy people. In that respect every romance is a little bit an escapist story—we all want to hear of happy endings and moving love stories.

What books have influenced your life most?

My favorite book is also a romantic one, written some time ago by the French writer Alexandre Dumas. It is The Count of Monte Cristo—his story of human achievement and winning against all odds is just amazing. Through education he discovers that knowledge is such power it can forge anyone’s fate and from the deepest despair he transforms himself to be a very powerful and successful individual ready to take on the world. He does take on the world and serves justice to the deserving and revenge to the ones who harmed him.

My other favorite book is Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell for obvious reasons. Scarlett O’Hara is a heroine most women thought of emulating—with her quick wit, good business sense, her inner strength and infallible instincts except when it comes to her love life. I felt so desperate and disappointed that she did not return Rhett’s love; I wanted to shout to her or shake her to realize what a man she is missing. The book is a masterpiece both when it comes to portraying a war and giving an account of a heart wrenching love story ending badly.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?

I did not have a mentor, but the above two books shaped my life immensely. I wanted to be so powerful as the Count of Monte Cristo and as strong as Scarlett or as resourceful and capable as Rhett Butler. All these characters shaped me in a way maybe a very close friend could have; I related to them, tried to learn their ways and become a little bit like them. I felt they pushed me to do things I might not have done otherwise, like emigrating to another country. It is not easy, but I just felt if this is how I feel, I will have to act on my desire. I was fortunate and I am happy with my decision and some of the courage came from these characters from books.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished reading Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen and I enjoyed it immensely. I love horses and even though I did not do eventing, I understand the love of horses portrayed in this book so amazingly. I have this love for horses from my early childhood and I felt it throughout the pages. She is a fantastic writer. There was another chapter that made me laugh so hard that tears were running down my cheeks. It is a scene when the main character, Annemarie, tries to impress her man with cooking despite her inability to do so and ends up putting the kitchen on fire. I have to go to her website and tell how much I enjoyed her book.

Are there any authors that have grasped your interest?

I love the books of Sharon Kay Penman; I read all of them and when I started I could not put it down. She has a way of portraying the past so it comes alive. I love history, especially the history of the British empire, so it was a treat. I also like Lisa Jackson, Kat Martin, Danielle Steel and Sidney Sheldon. Frederick Forsyth is another favorite and Robin Cook, Dick Francis, to name a few. My favorite subjects are romance, mystery and historical novels. So I also loved the books of Ellis Peters.

As for the new authors: Emily Griffin and Elizabeth Gilbert along with Sara Gruen. They are wonderful—how they tell stories that come alive full with feeling and psychological lessons worth learning.

About Perfectly Crazy

Sexy, stylish and successful, Nell always prided herself on her common sense. So why is she suddenly crazy for David, her married best friend of twenty years? With a single kiss, Nell’s perfect Californian life turns upside down. All the safety of her well-adjusted marriage to a respected plastic surgeon and her growing fashion business pale in comparison to the passion experienced in that kiss. Can she go on as before, or will she make the biggest change of her life? Will she face disaster and tragedy, or perhaps adventure and a second chance? Or possibly both? Find out from this fast paced book where the sceneries are changing as fast as the movies. Life is full of surprises and challenges that anyone would call perfectly crazy yet they may become reality one day. Or will they?