Our 164th Dad in the Limelight is author Eric DelaBarre. I want to thank Eric for being a part of this series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing him with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself:
Hey there. My name is Eric DelaBarre and I am the author of Saltwater Taffy, an award winning filmmaker, speaker, and last year I became a bestselling ghostwriter for Random House/Harmony Books. I began my career with Universal Studios on NBC’s mega-hit drama, Law & Order. While this would be considered a dream job for some, not to mention truckloads of cash you make in Prime Time, the schedule of TV production is consuming. After 7 seasons, I broke free to become a writer/director in the challenging world of independent filmmaking. My first outing was a thriller called Kate’s Addiction. Made with 22 credit cards, I went on to win the Newport Beach Film Festival and sold the rights to Lions Gate. I would do another two unforgettable films with Lions Gate before waking up. Stories of murder, mayhem and all that goes with focusing on criminal behavior began to wear on me. I was then hired by 20th Century Fox and Samuel Goldwyn films to adapt the New York Times bestseller, Conversations With God. While it’s cool to say that my work has been sold around the world and showcased on HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz/Encore, USA Networks, and NBC, I feel my latest endeavor Saltwater Taffy, a children’s adventure novel that has been endorsed by 9 Teachers of the Year is my best work to date.
2) Tell me about your family:
My wife Julie DelaBarre and I are the proud parents of an 8 week old baby girl. I met Julie here in Santa Monica. She’s from Fargo, North Dakota and was Miss Teen North Dakota out of high school. I say that because, get this…MY MOM IS FROM FARGO. Imagine the chances of meeting the girl of my dreams here in Santa Monica and she’s from my Mom’s hometown? What are the chances? We later found out that our families grew up on the same lake in Minnesota. Pelican Lake is just across the state line of North Dakota and her family has been on the north shore for some 75 years. My family was on the south shore for 80 years. Talk about fate finding a way for two souls to meet. I plan on writing the script and making the movie about it one day.
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
The biggest challenge is juggling work and baby. Saltwater Taffy hit shelves on 1/11/11. Distributed by Perseus in New York City is a blessing because the book is available worldwide. This means I spent the first 3 months of this year on a nationwide tour. Speaking to schools, Boys & Girls Club and doing book signings is taxing to say the least, but again, I need to answer the call, now more than ever. It would be a crime to write the best thing of my career and not go out and get the word out. Being away from Julie while she was on the last legs of her pregnancy was hard, but we both know this is the life of an author. Our daughter was born on May 20, 2011 and I still had 5 school visits on the calendar. Luckily only one was out of state, but the demands of a newborn is…well…demanding. I don’t know how single mothers do it. My mother is my hero! Wouldn’t it be wonderful is we had more acknowledgement for mothers in our country than the knucklehead professional athletes? We somehow devalue the most important people in our lives: mothers, police officers, firemen and women, nurses, and my favorite, TEACHERS!!!! Wouldn’t it be great if a teacher got paid as much as a football coach? $5 million for a football coach? Please. That much money could fund an entire English department for years!
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
As a heavy social media artist, I quickly blogged my 7 Secrets of a New Dad on my www.whatagreatbook.com website. While this is the official website for Saltwater Taffy, I just had to share my ideas on being a new father with my followers. http://www.whatagreatbook.com/7-secrets-of-a-new-dad
5) Seeing that you are in the limelight as an author and filmmaker, how have you come to balance parenthood and your work life?
Well, thankfully we both have non-traditional careers. Julie is a professional trainer and nutritionist. She is currently writing her first book and I am writing the script for Saltwater Taffy, which goes before cameras during the summer of 2012. I feed our daughter at 4 am…and I’m out the door at 5 am to write. I return around 11 am and then Julie goes off to manage her responsibilities. We meet back at the house around 5 pm for family time, which has become my favorite time of the day!
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
I have learned that babies cry. As a man, I am first to admit that I always try to “fix” the situation. That first week when we came home from the hospital…well…I thought I was going to lose it when she wouldn’t stop crying. Now it’s not so much of a stressor because babies need to cry. Another secret from my buddies who have been fathers for years is to support your wife no matter how crazy she might get. LOL. By saying “crazy” I mean…wow…the hormones after giving birth is like a roller coaster ride. You just have to hold on and love each other unconditionally.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
I have done some amazing things in my life, but this by far is the most amazing. To look into the eyes of my daughter is….INTOXICATING.
What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
When my daughter smile at 3 weeks OLD!!!!! This, I hear is not normal, but then again…she’s my daughter and we all know that I am the furthest thing from normal. This is a good thing and one of the many things I am teaching kids with Saltwater Taffy. Be original. Be different. Stand out. And hey, not to sound like an armed forces commercial, but I want kids to be the best they can be. Or, as we say at the Boys & Girls Clubs…BE GREAT!!!!!
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Eric DelaBarre is an award-winning filmmaker and the author of the ‘Tween’ adventure novel, SALTWATER TAFFY, which is endorsed by 9 Teachers of the Year. Copyright July 14, 2011. All Rights Reserved
If you have any questions for Eric, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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Great interview! My daughter absolutely loved the book Saltwater Taffy.
It was great to learn more about the author.
~Jeana @StuffSmart