JS: Welcome Zara and thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule. I know that you almost never do interviews, so I feel quite honored that you agreed to this one.
ZM: Thanks for inviting me. When I got your request, I was intrigued. It is not your atypical interview. You authors are usually the ones who get the interviews.
JS: Point taken! LOL! So before we start let’s get a few things out of the way. How is everyone, you, Amadeus? That’s as far as I’ll take it Zara. We don’t want to ruin future sequels, do we?
ZM: LOL! No, we don’t! Everyone is doing great, thanks. Amadeus is enjoying some down time. But you know A, instead of relaxing, he’s got a dozen projects going. He has no ’off switch’.
JS: So why don’t you give our readers some background on yourself Zara?
ZM: As you mention in Tudor Rose, I had been the band’s manager and publicist for years. Amadeus was not even twenty years old when I accepted the band’s offer. I was with them for well over fifteen years. I was young, not too long out of college. I had big dreams of doing exactly what I ended up doing with Tudor Rose. As for my life outside of the band, I grew up in southern California, and without busting myself, age-wise, it was similar to how Amadeus grew up. Upper middle class, I guess you’d call it, two cars, good schools, everything my parent’s wanted for us. My father was quite successful, my mother stayed at home to raise us. I was always sort of the odd man out, or in my case odd woman out. I didn’t follow my siblings in the Ozzie and Harriett lifestyle our parents expected: go to college, get married, have kids, live happily ever after. I guess I marched to a different drummer.
JS: Your career choice was somewhat unusual for a woman, especially when you started out. It was a male dominated field and yet you made it work. Explain for us please.
ZM: You’re right, it was and still is to a great extent a male dominated field. I never wanted to simply be a secretary at a record label. Sharon Osborne started out as a secretary, but she’s an exception to the rule. She’s a role model to young women. I was fortunate to have met Tudor Rose and that they were willing to take a chance on a woman steering their careers. It worked out well for everyone.
JS: Do you consider yourself a role model for young women?
ZM: I’ve never really thought about it, but yes I suppose I am to some degree. Women today don’t have to ‘just settle’. They can be anything they dream of being.
JS: After all the years with the band why did you decide to leave?
ZM: I was suffering from total burnout. I had kept my company small, the majority of my time was focused on Tudor Rose. All the years on the road, traveling, the lifestyle just got the better of me. I had no life, Tudor Rose was my life. Quitting was the only way I knew I could have me time and do what Zara wanted to do.
JS: Why not just take a leave of absence?
ZM: Easier said than done. I had tried several times in between tours. I would take off about a month by myself. But I had a business to run and Amadeus was quite adamant in wanting only me handling the band. So I waited until the end of a tour and did just that. I quit and I immediately left for Patagonia and stayed out of touch for approximately six months.
JS: But you did come back. This time for Amadeus as a solo artist. Elaborate for us.
ZM: I came back because he had had bad management twice after I left. Without giving away too much of your book, the members of Tudor Rose quit and Amadeus took the opportunity to go solo. Probably the best move he could have made because he was Tudor Rose. I helped him through the transition and today he has a fantastic management team. Everything is done under one roof, I still over-see and have a major say in okaying what is done. I just don’t have to do it myself. I can pursue other interests.
JS: There had always been a lot of unresolved feelings between you and Amadeus. What, you didn’t realize the man’s feelings were more than those of a male friend? And you, you had the same feelings for him too Zara, am I right?
ZM: Damn! Yes, we were both guilty. I looked at things a little differently than Amadeus. He was my client and I had to draw a line. Amadeus respected me and accepted things as they were. Mind you he got around that by being a terrible tease. Sort of like a big brother, only worse. Always, subtly letting me know how he felt. He finally told me he’d had enough of hiding his feelings and the rest as they say is history.
JS: And what does Zara do these days?
ZM: I have quite a full life. Just like any other woman! A family, dogs, the whole thing. LOL! In all seriousness, I am pursuing my photography more. We’re doing a total renovation of a house, so that keeps me hopping, trying to stay on top of contractors.
JS: One final thing as we wind things down. What would you like to see in future sequels?
ZM: Perhaps, something on Amadeus’s two brothers? Damien especially. He’s had to sacrifice so much at such a young age. There’s no telling where he’d be today. You’re already working on a sequel, one I’d do. Something we should discuss.
JS: Thanks, Zara. This was fun and we’ll do it again sometime. Perhaps next time we can get Amadeus to participate.
ZM: My pleasure and I’d love to talk with you again. I’m sure Amadeus would love to participate. We’ll work on him.
Tudor Rose book links:
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Tudor+Rose+by+Jamie+Salisbury&x=11&y=19
Barnes & Noble Link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1036968163?ean=2940013521254
Smashwords Link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/102928
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