Thanks to casual sex and sperm donors, countless men across the country are clueless about the facts and fallouts of their acts of fatherhood. What happens when a recently widowed, middle-aged man unexpectedly crosses paths with an attractive woman who is not only young enough to be his daughter, but actually is? What if he discovers that his daughter has always dreamed of being rescued by a fantasy father because she believed her real father had to be someone horrible?
Tragic, comic, uncanny, and edgy-it’s a premise that would have fascinated Shakespeare and has the makings of a classic Woody Allen movie. It’s the brainchild of a San Francisco-based improv actor, Charles R. Souby. What happens when a cynical, self-centered, grieving wreck of a man meets the messed up grownup daughter he never even suspected he had? That’s the subject of Souby’s riveting, funny, and uplifting debut novel, WINIFRED (March 2011). www.CharlesRSouby.com
Flirting with provocative and taboo subjects, WINIFRED grabs readers with a startling twist on love at first sight. Rayleigh, a bereft and bitter man on the brink of being old and unbearable, is inexplicable drawn to Winifred, a deeply troubled twenty-two-year-old recovering drug addict who definitely isn’t his type. After a DNA test confirms their blood connection, Rayleigh and Winifred try to have a normal, father-daughter relationship. Getting to know and learning to trust one another is a complicated, messy process for two people with painful, shameful pasts. Gradually, they come to believe that a higher power brought them together when they both desperately needed someone to love and put up with them. Yet, what finally keeps Rayleigh and Winifred together is something equally miraculous: a true and fulfilling sense of family.
Intrigued? That’s the magic of WINIFRED. Charles Souby talks about:
The mystical power of love and blood. Is a biological parent naturally drawn to his or her biological child? Do sperm donors, as well as accidental fathers like Rayleigh, have a natural inclination to instantly fall in love with their offspring, even if they first meet as adults?
Life’s uncanny moments of synchronicity or what Winifred calls God Shots. Does God have a mysterious way of bringing people together when they need each other most? Does every sin (like having thoughtless, careless sex with a stranger) hold the potential for bringing the sinner’s redemption? Is what happens in life ultimately determined by a divine plan?
The mutually healing and nurturing impact of relationships between grown children and their parents. In the novel, Rayleigh gains as much from loving his troubled daughter as Winifred does from being loved by her long-absent, flawed father. Why should distant, divorced, and deadbeat dads reach out to their offspring? How can a parent begin to build a strong, loving relationship with an adult daughter or son they barely or never knew as a child?
An Interview with Charles Souby, author of WINIFRED
1. How can a parent build a strong, loving relationship with an adult daughter or son they barely or never knew as a child? Is it ever too late to build a relationship with one’s child?
The key to any relationship is a dedication to honesty. In that regard it is no different than the relationship between lovers or spouses. It can dissolve as easily with or without a blood bond. I have seen deep ‘family’ ties develop between people who have no blood relationship and are even of different race, creed or religion. Truth is the guiding path, and if one accepts the common universal spiritual attitude that we are all ‘one’, then ‘family of origin’ is only relevant when the family is together.
2. Your characters are highly flawed, yet they find strength in their lives because of their familial bonds. How important do you think family is in helping the individual through hard life moments?
I’ve just finished reading ‘Outliers’ by Malcom Gladwell which explores the depth with which family can influence the life of an individual. It’s of course a double-edged sword because some families are so toxic that it leads to tragedy. However, I think it’s generally understood that group support is absolutely essential in providing the strength to handle life’s adversities. There is the Gospel adage, when two or more are gathered, I am there which I believe is an example of the power of spirit in a group mind that is trying to be genuine, supportive and truthful.
3. The father/daughter relationship in your novel begins in a non-traditional way-through a result of a one night stand. Regardless, there’s an instant connection when father and daughter meet years later. Do you think there is a natural inclination for a parent to be drawn to his or her natural child?
In the case of Winifred she is the product of two human beings engaged in an intimate act, and while it might technically be referred to as ‘anonymous sex,’ I believe even if it is ‘unhealthy’ by social definition, there is still a spiritual power to that union and the resulting conception would create a sacred bond between parent and offspring.
4. Your book places a great amount of belief in the notion that God has a plan for all our lives. Should one look for God in only the good events in our lives or do even our sins bring us closer to redemption?
My personal experience is that all moments of life are a ‘calling’ to/from the spirit, and pain can simply be a ‘course correction’ much like when a broken bone causes sharp pain when it is reset. I can’t answer for the sufferings of all individuals in the world. The only ‘redemption’ in which I believe is the awakening to our oneness – which already exists anyway – so it’s not a new event but a simple awareness of what is.
5. What are God Shots?
God shots are coincidences that occur in response to personal wishes or needs. For example: someone may be unemployed in a field where it is nearly impossible to find work. Nearly destitute he/she decides against another day job searching and instead takes an opportunity to be of service volunteering somewhere. At the job he/she meets somebody who is looking to hire an employee with this person’s specific qualifications in a field in which he/she has dreamed of working. He/she is hired and things work out better than anything that could have likely occurred on his his/her own search. Carl Jung referred to these events as synchronicity.
6. In addition to being an author, you’re also an actor . How do you balance it all? Does each role complement the other?
I’m an improv actor. Although the work I do is often funny, the method we use is based on not trying to be funny. Instead we aim to be honest.
Improv informs my writing in every possible way. I dedicated Winifred in part to Stephen Kearin, an amazing improv actor in L.A. who encouraged me to dive into improv to awaken my spirit. I also learned most of what I know about narrative from a improv master in Calgary, Keith Johnstone. Keith taught me how to ‘go into the cave’; in other words, how to take the characters to places that are uncomfortable and threatening. Drama (and comedy) according to Keith is based on providing the audience something they would never dare experience in their daily lives. Also, the principle foundation of improv is based on ‘yes and’ There is no such thing as a bad idea; it’s where you chose to take it. If you’re interested, the audience (reader) will be interested.
7. You struggled with addiction for many years. How did your experience and recovery help you write the book? Are there any similarities between you and your characters’ experiences?
So far, addiction and recovery have been the bedrock of my writing. It is in many ways one of the best metaphors for the human condition. I believe all of our discontents in life are based on survival and the fear of not getting what we want.
