AmeriCymru: Hi and many thanks for agreeing to be interviewed by AmeriCymru. I suppose the first question on many of our readers minds is:- What inspired Crap Wife? What is the story behind the blog?
Crap Wife: Thanks for having me, the site is marvellous- such a strong sense of community! I’m sorry to say that CrapWife is me- it’s how I act and behave for the most part- the label CrapWife is just a way of filling my various shortcomings under one title and conning myself into thinking there’s less wrong with me than there actually is.
There’s no real story to the blog, except that i love to write and struggle to find topics that flow easily, a friend had suggested writing about the battles at home, and being as I’m no closer to breaking Husband, the blog’s proving to be a great outlet. It’s nice to know that even if my actions aren’t having the desired effect at home, they’re at least making people laugh online.
AmeriCymru: 'Husband' is of course a key character in your blog. May we ask how he feels about the project?
Crap Wife: He knows I’m up to something- there’s been a more sustained attack on him recently and I’m nicer to him when I want peace to write the blog. At the moment, he thinks that I play a lot of online scrabble and am perhaps writing a Children’s book for my neice. Daily CrapWife on facebook has sent him a friend request which I have accepted on his behalf... he never logs in, and if he tried, I’ve changed his password.
AmeriCymru: We learn from your bio that:- "The main objective of the blog is to make people laugh and break away from the Bridget Jones/Sex and the City ideas of relationship ideals." Care to expand on this a little?
Crap Wife: I’m convinced that in 40 years time there’ll be Old People’s homes full of spinsters wearing knock off Jimmy Choo’s still waiting for Mr Big- if I had a pound for every female I’ve heard slagging off their significant other because they’re not comparable to someone from Sex and the City, then I’d have eleven pounds, probably more if I had more friends. Bridget Jones the same, it’s just not my cup of tea. I don’t really like the whole chickflick culture, not to say that there isn’t a place for it, just that it doesn’t appeal to me- also, I think Bridget Jones looks a bit like what would happen if someone left a waxwork of Cameron Diaz next to a radiator.
AmeriCymru: Humorous writing is not easy, yet you seem to have a natural talent for it. Have you written before?
Crap Wife: Thank you very much! I have written bits and bobs over the years, I’m told as a child I showed promise, but I never really followed anything up. Before CrapWife there was CrapTeen. My family have a lot to answer for- they’re all very funny; my Father is very dry and quick witted- he doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s gold. My Mother has her own special brand of humour and my sister is able to floor me with a look. My grandparents are a fabulous comedy act, and after spending years with them, you learn to have an answer for everything! If I could get one of my Uncles to start blogging, I would- he’s in a league of his own. Unfortunately, he’s too old to see the keyboard now and the home only lets him out for an hour at weekends.
AmeriCymru: The choir sang Elvis at your wedding. Whose idea was this and which numbers did they perform?
Crap Wife: My mother arranged the Choir, they were absolutely wonderful, I have a great passion for Male Voice Choir music- especially when they sing the Welsh rugby songs (which they did, as a special treat for my extended English family ;-) The Elvis idea was Husband’s, I love Elvis we had them singing ‘Can’t help falling in love with you’, an highlight for me was Ar Hyd Y Nos.
AmeriCymru: What's next for Crap Wife?
Crap Wife: I intend to keep blogging, I am finding it immensely rewarding, and am having so much fun with it. The Husband-torture has gone on long before the blog, and it’ll go on long after no doubt, but it’s lovely to think that there are people out there enjoying reading about it.
AmeriCymru: Any final message for the members and readers of AmeriCymru?
Crap Wife: Of course! Thanks for reading and please support a local wife on the verge of braining her Husband- I would love to be able to reach more readers, so anyway you can pass on the blog would be appreciated greatly, also, if anyone of you has a suggestion for a torture method I’ve not yet thought of then please, please let me know.
The Dead of Mametz is a crime novel with an unusual setting, set as it is against the backdrop of the famous battle of Mametz Wood during the Great War in the summer of 1916. Several events also take place in Barry and Swansea. The central character, Thomas Oscendale, is a captain in the Military Police who is charged with investigating the murder of two soldiers of the Welsh Regiment and, subsequently, that of a local Frenchwoman.
