Janet Rebhan

Janet Rebhan is the author of the novel Finding Tranquility Base (2012) and Rachael's Return (2020). Born in Texas, she was sixteen when she moved to Los Angeles, where she pursued acting and modeling before studying creative writing at UCLA. Rebhan has two grown daughters and still resides in the Los Angeles area.

Twitter: @JanetRebhan

Are there particular films that have influenced your writing? 

Oh, without a doubt. Since I was a little girl, I have always loved watching movies! My first husband was a cinematographer and I did a little acting, so I have been fortunate enough to go behind the scenes and see first-hand how many of the good ones have been made. Movies are such wonderful representations of collaborative creative effort. And they are one of the most powerful and influential artforms we have to effect positive change in the world. 

Relative to the subject matter and themes in my latest novel, Rachael's Return, I can think of quite a few movies just off the top of my head that have had an impact on my writing. They are What Dreams May Come starring Robin William and Annabella Sciorra based on the novel by Richard Matheson; Defending Your Life, written and directed by Albert Brooks and starring Brooks and Meryl Streep; Heaven Can Wait with Warren Beatty and Julie Christie; Always with Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter; City of Angels with Meg Ryan and Nichola Cage; Chances Are with Robert Downey Jr. and Cybill Shepherd, and The Sixth Sense with Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. 

Is your go to comfort food sweet or savory? Is it something you make yourself? Does food inspire your writing? 

That's a tough choice, but I would have to go with sweet over savory. And that sweet would most likely involve chocolate. These days it would not be something I make myself because I am usually always trying to behave and eat a plant based diet. So, when I do indulge, it is usually on special occasions like my birthday. Or perhaps as a reward for when I complete a first draft of something. My husband hand picks my favorite truffles at the candy store every year at Christmas. I like the ones without nuts, my choice flavor being mocha buttercream. I wouldn't say food inspires my writing, but it is definitely something I tend to indulge in while I am going through the motions of creating something new. It's just another outlet (though not as healthy) for expressing creative urges. 

Is there a work of art that you love. Why? Have you ever visited it in person? 

Starry Night Over the Rhône by Vincent Van Gogh. I love the bold color choices and the heavy impasto brush strokes. I love the emotion and passion that imbued all of Van Gogh's work. I saw Starry Night in person on a trip to Paris where I visited the Musée d'Orsay. On that same trip, I visited Monet's gardens at Giverny. I guess I'm a bit of a Francophile. And I have an affinity for the French Impressionists period in general. 

Do you have another artistic outlet in addition to your writing? Do you sew? Paint? Draw? Knit? Dance? 

Lately I've been painting. It feels like a guilty pleasure to me. I love playing with color and texture, composition and design. And I enjoy the process. I have indulged in a variety of creative artforms over the years, from painting, decorating and gardening to singing, dancing and acting. I briefly sang with the Los Robles Master Chorale. I was also active in community musical theatre. I play piano and clarinet. And I've dabbled in photography. I tend to move from one creative outlet to another at different junctures in my life. If it involves imagination and creative self-expression, I'm all in!  

What brings you great joy? 

Beauty. In any capacity. It can be a stunning sunset, a fragrant garden, an emotional song or a visceral painting. People with beautiful souls bring me the most joy. They are usually of the tiny variety, as in babies and small children. It's easier to find purity in the little ones because it is still so plentiful. They are largely uncorrupted by the harshness of living. Yet I will look for the good I can find in adults and focus on it. It builds connection when we attempt to reflect back to someone their own inner qualities. Hopefully they will reciprocate, but if not, then perhaps with the next person they meet. It's one way we can all spread the beauty and the joy.