Q&A With Wanita Humphrey, Author of “Only a Moment Ago”

Wanita Humphrey is a mid-Missouri author whose debut book is “Only A Moment Ago.” The book is a fictional romance starring two people who fall in love in rural France, with a time travel twist of one person living in 1952 and the other in 2006. Will they be able to bridge the gap of time or will the years between them separate them forever? The book was named one of the finalists for the Daphne du Maurier Awards for Mystery/Suspense – Published Division, Paranormal Category in 2022. Humphrey is a retired teacher who taught for over 30 years in Missouri’s Public Schools. She was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email.

Daniel Boone Regional Library: Was this book an idea that you had for a while? How long did it take to write?

Wanita Humphrey: The manuscript had started out as something totally different but was just lying abandoned in my computer. I started going to some writing conferences and at some point remembered that I had about 30,000 words languishing that would be a good start for a novel. From that point, I finished in about two years.

DBRL: Why did you choose Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in France as the main meeting place for the main characters in the book?

Humphrey: I visited St-Remy many years ago and found it to be beautiful and romantic. Anyway, it just sounds terribly romantic.

DBRL: If you could time travel, would you go into the past or into the future?

Humphrey:  I would choose to visit the past. History fascinates me. There are so many places I would like to visit, events to witness, people to meet…

DBRL: You also give writers workshops as well, which seems appropriate for a former teacher like yourself. If you could give one writing tip, what would that be?

Humphrey:  Writing tip… write! Put words on paper! It doesn’t have to be perfect… that’s why editing exists. Use what you know… your life, your interests… anything. When you get an idea, write it down… no, you won’t always remember it!

DBRL: Read anything good lately you’d like to recommend?

Humphrey:  I have been reading anything I can find about Eleanor of Aquitaine. I think she was a most fascinating woman. She ruled the Aquitaine, highly unusual for a woman. Through marriage she became queen of France. Dressed as Amazon women, she and her ladies accompanied her husband on a crusade. She divorced the king of France and married a man who would become a king of England. She was the mother of Richard the Lionhearted and King John, who signed the Magna Carta. Often plotted with her sons against her husband, who then kept her imprisoned for many years, periodically bringing her out for holidays. The movie “The Lion in Winter” tells of one such Christmas holiday. Her story is truly spectacular.

DBRL: Where can readers get a copy of your book?