Check out 4 Things about Author Lizzie Harwood on the Huffington Post.
Amy Sue Nathan, author of The Good Neighbor, brings us the story of Elizabeth aka Izzy Lane and her introduction to the worlds of Internet celebrity and dating after divorce. Set in Philadelphia, Nathan's book really captures Lane's struggle with moving on after her divorce. We talked about the secrets we keep, what makes Philadelphia awesome, and how imagination is the writer's best friend.
Tell us about The Good Neighbor; how did you first come to know Izzy Lane?
I met Izzy Lane when I thought "what if..." Then, Izzy became near and dear to my heart for two reasons. First, she did the opposite of something I did. While we both started blogging anonymously after our divorces, I did it as a way to tell the truth. And I did! I told some funny and obnoxious dating stories, I wrote about my kids, I wrote about motherhood and life. Izzy used her blog as a way to disguise her life, not to recount it. Izzy lied on her blog, and then she continued to lie. In real life, my true blog stories led to writing essays for magazines and newspapers. No lying going on there! It was so much fun to flip life around and really give Izzy good reasons to make up stories, and get herself into a lot more pickles than I ever have. (Thank goodness!) Second, and probably what makes Izzy near and dear to me, is that , I based Izzy's old neighborhood on the Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood I grew up in, and where I lived until I was twenty-six. That street, and that neighborhood is ingrained in me, and I could easily have been one of Izzy's neighbors. Maybe I was...
What do you hope The Good Neighbor says about secrets?
I think the story says "be careful." Be careful what you tell, and be careful what you don't tell. Mostly I think The Good Neighbor says BE YOURSELF--because a secret or lie that hides who you are might feel good at first, but at its core, it's the worst kind of secret. It robs others of the opportunity to know you. Izzy learns that lesson well in the book.
I see that you live in Chicago while The Good Neighbor is set in Philadelphia. As a fan of Philadelphia, I must ask--what do you think makes Philly great?
That's easy! Soft pretzels, Butterscotch Krimpets, and growing up on a one-way street where you knew everyone and everything by heart.
I lived in Philadelphia until I was twenty-six, it's all I knew. I went to elementary school, Hebrew School, junior high, high school, and I went to Temple University while living in the house I grew up in and commuting to campus for four years. Then I worked in Center City (and wore sneakers with my business suits when I rode the El, bus, and subway) until I married and moved away. And, while I haven't lived in Philly since 1990, I am planning to move back in a few years!
While The Good Neighbor is set in Philadelphia, it's not set in Center City, nor is it sprinkled with historical landmarks. What it does offer the reader, I hope, is the real experience of being part of a working middle class neighborhood where kids played in the middle of the street (and survived to tell the tale), and where everyone lived there for as long as you did, or longer. The Good Neighbor doesn't chronicle Izzy's childhood, but growing up on that street shaped her, as it did me.
It's a little funny that the very thing that gets Izzy Lane in trouble, her great imagination, is what helps you to succeed as a writer. What do you think it take to be a women's fiction writer? What inspires your imagination?
Real people and the funny, happy, sad, and wacky things they do or say inspire me. I'll never tell who inspired Mrs. Feldman and her story - but she and the life she lived were a combination of several people I know (now everyone I know will read more carefully). I usually take something or someone I disagree with or don't understand and I flip it around and make it right, and that's what inspires story details, plot, subplots. I also take something I admire of someone else's and make it my own by giving it to a character. It can be as simple as a haircut or as complicated as a career choice. My characters spur my stories, and they appear ready to tell me what's what. I have learned to listen to everything they say.
Lynn Cullen beautifully imagines the life of Isabel Lyons, secretary of Mark Twain, her historical fiction novel, Twain's End. Cullen's novel unravels how Lyons shifted from being Twain's beloved secretary who knew him better than anyone else to, as he called her in a 429 page document, "a liar, a forger, a thief, a hypocrite, a drunkard, a sneak, a humbug, a traitor, a conspirator, a filthy-minded and salacious slut pining for seduction." In this interview, she talks about her discovery process, public versus private personas, and where her research and imagination might lead her next.
Share your discovery process; how do you find the books and articles that informed your telling of Isabel Lyon's story? What first prompted you to capture her story?
After decades of resisting the urging of one of my wisest friends, I reluctantly looked into the life of Mark Twain as a possible subject for a novel. Strife drives a novel, and I wasn't expecting to find much of it in the life of the wry humorist who wrote such homespun Americana as Tom Sawyer. Well, like Isabel Lyon's mother says (with her typical questionable humility) in Twain's End, I can admit when I'm wrong. The man's life was one drawn-out battle--with mankind, with loved ones, with himself.
My study of Mark Twain began with the excellent biographies by Michael Sheldon and Ron Powers. I knew that I must write about Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens once I read in the Powers book that young Sammy's parents sold their only slave, a house servant named Jennie, when Sammy was six. Of the assorted slave dealers in Hannibal, the elder Clemenses chose one infamous for selling his "merchandize" down the Mississippi to certain death in the fields around New Orleans. Mental alarms clanged as I wondered what had provoked Sammy's parents to wish death upon the woman who had served them since their marriage. More importantly, I wondered what damage might have been done to Sammy's spirit by witnessing his parents' cruelty toward a woman who'd had an important hand in raising him.
At the same time, I was reading Sheldon's Mark Twain, Man in White, about Clemens's final years. I learned about Twain's abrupt termination of his relationship with the person with whom he was closest at the time. This sudden turnabout raised another of the alarums upon which I've come to depend when finding my way to the heart of a story. I then looked for biographies specific to the relationship between Clemens and Lyon. One, Karen Lystra's Dangerous Intimacy, takes Clemens at his word when he called Lyon the nasty terms listed above. The other, Mark Twain's Other Woman by Laura Skandera Trombley, presented a case for Twain's change of heart as a cover-up for the scandal caused by his daughter, Clara. Cherry-picking from these sources and more, I put together a case that not only suggests that Twain was covering up his daughter's dirty tracks, but ultimately sacrificed the person closest to him in order to maintain his image as the most beloved man in the world. To me, his overweening need to be adored came from his need to assuage his self-hatred and unconquerable guilt. Twain's End is the result of my personal search for the seeds of the shattering guilt with which he was wracked after the many tragedies in his life. I'm also pretty keen on giving Isabel Lyon a fair shake after more than a hundred years of infamy.
The personal lives of the Clemens's family stands in ironic contrast to Samuel Clemens' professional life as a writer and communicator. The family, Lyons included, suffer from a failure to communicate. Where do you think this failure stems from?
With the success that Clemens found after creating his Mark Twain persona, came the price he had to pay for it: Playing along with the act to keep the love of his adoring public. He soon learned that his image had to be more "sivilized" (his mocking spelling of the word) in order to be more palatable to his public. His choice for a wife in Olivia Langdon, the refined daughter of a wealthy Eastern coal merchant (Father Langdon was also a well-known abolitionist) aided in smoothing Clemens's small-town Southern boy's rough edges, of which he was self-conscious.
"Livy" quickly became his editor, purging his manuscripts of crudities. His daughters got in on the act of "dusting up" Papa's crude manners when with company . Honing the exterior of Mark Twain until it shone--allowing him to be just a little lovably naughty--was the Clemens Family enterprise.
By their teenage years, his daughters resented having to completely subsume their own identities into their roles as Mark Twain's bemused, adoring children. They could see that they weren't going to find relief for their father's need to control them.Twain's End illustrates several actual instances of his daughters' entreaties for him to be a regular dad for once, and to take the backseat during moments of importance to them. But time after time, Sam was unable to honor this simple wish. As much as he loved them, Samuel Clemens was astonishingly unable to empathize with his family; his failure to do so would hamper any chance of his ever communicating with them.
How do you balance research with the creative side of writing? Did you ever make a decision to divert from something you found in Isabel's diary or other research?
I don't ever consciously divert from the facts. It's my game with myself to compile all the details I've gleaned from biographies, autobiographies, period travel guides, and such; from my characters' writings; from family photographs; from my travels to every place my characters had visited together; and, in this case, from the entries of Isabel Lyon's diary, housed in the Mark Twain papers at University of California, Berkeley; and then see how they relate. My thrill is in finding the connections between all these bits. As a novelist, I have the freedom to use all these components to look at the larger picture. I'm not beholden, like a biographer, to take things my characters have said or written at face value or run the risk of appearing unscholarly--it's my job as a novelist to look for the truth which can be found between the lines. I live to decipher the unspoken and then to imagine "what if?" While I'm at it, I'm always looking for the universal truths that might be found through these real-life individuals' struggles. As Clemens well knew, important truths might be told through the guise of fiction.
In your last book, Ms. Poe, you explored the lives of Virginia Poe and her rival for Edgar Allen Poe's affections, Frances Sargent Osgood. Which historical figure might capture your imagination next?
I am homing in on painter Georgia O'Keeffe. I wish I could shut myself away and devote all my time to writing about her. Her battle against crippling self-doubt and overcoming her husband's control to become the most famous American woman painter absolutely fascinates me.
Molly Arnette, the protagonist in Diane Chamberlain's beautiful woven novel,Pretending to Dance, left Morrison Ridge, North Carolina, and all of her family behind for good. Now their secrets and her own lies catch up to her as she dreams of a different future and starting her own family. Chamberlain spoke to me about her influences, the nature of pretending, motherhood, and her writing process.
Every story starts out with the tiniest of seeds. How did you meet Molly and her Morrison Ridge family?
Pretending to Dance was inspired by my sister Joann's experience of living with progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Joann is a constant source of inspiration for me and all her know her. She helped me understand the physical and emotional challenges faced by Molly's father Graham as he copes with the same disease. I knew, however, that I didn't want Pretending to Dance to be a downer of a book, so I decided to tell the bulk of the story from fourteen-year-old Molly's point of view. The relationship between Molly and her dad was a joy to write.
Pretending emerges clearly as a theme in this novel, beginning with Molly's father's work as a "pretend therapist." How did you come upon pretend therapy? Can we really fake until we make it?
My training as a psychotherapist involved traditional long-term therapeutic approaches, but early in my career, I took a job with an HMO that allowed me very few sessions with my clients. That's when I began studying cognitive behavioral therapy and saw, in the case of many people I worked with, quick, dramatic and positive change. Molly's father Graham takes that approach to heart in 1990 when he writes his books on Pretend Therapy, which I view as a variant of behavioral therapy. In simplistic terms, he would say, "If you want to be brave in a situation, pretend you are brave and you will become brave." I've proven this to myself on numerous occasions. I was, for example, phobic about hospitals. After the death of a friend, I felt a strong calling to work as a hospital social worker. I had to "fake" my courage to be able to take on that sort of work, but the faking ultimately made the courage real.
Molly struggles keenly with the idea of motherhood in this novel from her own upbringing to her desire to adopt. What does Pretending to Dance say about motherhood to you?
I think the message is this: Different mothers have different strengths and all of those strengths have value. Sometimes, though, it can take us well into adulthood to recognize that fact! That's certainly the case with Molly as she struggles with her memories of her own two mothers and her entry into motherhood herself.
Novels like Pretending to Dance that weave two time periods together so seamlessly amaze me. How did you tackle this structure during the writing process?
Although I knew I would have a present-day story as well as a story set in 1990, I wrote all of the 1990 story first. I then examined the themes and the character development from the events of the past to determine how they would play out in the present. I then created the current-day story and determined the most seamless way to weave it into the past, chapter by chapter.
You have written your twenty-fourth book! That is very impressive. What brings you back to the page each day? How do you find inspiration and new characters to enchant you?
I think a true fiction writer sees inspiration everywhere. If I see a dented fence around an old house, for example, I immediately wonder what intriguing event caused that damage. Or I may overhear a startling bit of gossip while in line at the grocery story or read a newspaper article that fires my imagination. I'm at an age when many of my non-writing friends are retiring. Teachers, social workers, Realtors--they're putting on their golf shoes and heading for Florida. Not so my writing friends. Why would we stop doing something that gives us so much satisfaction and joy? Our stories change as we get older and wiser and mellower, and seeing our own growth is part of the pleasure. I imagine I will always have more to say and I relish the challenge of saying it in ways that continue to resonate with my readers. I look forward to every new tale.
In After The Parade, a new novel from Lori Ostlund, Aaron, an English as a Second Language teacher leaves behind his partner and the home they shared to make his way to California to begin anew. Ostlund beautifully weaves us through past and present as Aaron grapples with the events of his life and their unfolding ramifications. Ostlund spoke to me about the hero's quest, kindness and the power of teaching.
Aaron's journey reminds me of a hero's quest. What do you think he needs to learn along the way?
Aaron needs to learn a lot of things: how to be alone, first of all. As the book starts, he is just leaving Walter, his partner of twenty years, because he no longer loves him. As is often the case when you push yourself to confront one thing, it gives way to an avalanche of other issues, and this is the case with Aaron also. After he leaves Walter in Albuquerque and arrives in San Francisco, he realizes that he needs to confront his childhood, specifically the mystery of his mother's disappearance many years earlier. I won't say that he needs to make peace with it because I tend to believe that the past is something that you have to keep making peace with. Near the end of the book, Aaron wonders whether talking about the past allows you to clarify it so that you can move on, or whether talking just continues pulling you backwards, which is probably how I (a pragmatic Midwesterner at heart) view such things also.
The kindness of others is a motif that runs strongly throughout this book from starting with Aaron's relationship to Walter. What do you hope After the Parade says about helping others?
For seven years, my partner and I owned a small furniture store, and during this time, I met many people who were desperately lonely, who came in and spent hours in our store, talking and confessing things that shocked me--shocked me not because I considered the details themselves shocking but because I was a stranger receiving these most intimate of stories. After the Parade is, among other things, about deep loneliness. Aaron is lonely, and he befriends others who are also lonely. Some of these people have been turned misanthropic by loneliness while others have been left kind but vulnerable. Though I was not necessarily considering a message when I wrote the book, I would be happy to know that the book allowed readers to consider the loneliness all around them or encouraged them to listen to a stranger's story. Aside from food and shelter, I think that what most of us crave is to have our stories listened to by others.
At one point, Aaron's mother says, "You can't make other people happy. It's silly to try." Where do you come down in this debate?
Within the context of the book, Aaron's mother tells him this when he is around twelve and struggling to understand her unhappiness, believing that he is partly responsible for it. Though his mother has reached the point where her own unhappiness makes her nearly incapable of thinking about others, I consider this moment, this comment, an act of kindness of her part: she is releasing him from his responsibility to her, even if he does not understand that. In terms of how I view the debate, I believe that you ultimately cannot make other people happy, yet I also believe, strongly, that you should always try to do so, both with friends and strangers. That is, we should always act with the goal of making others happier, even though that goal is not within our control.
Some writers see the scenes unfold in their mind's eyes, others hear the dialogue like an overhead conversation, some plot and outline carefully like architects--how does your muse appear?
Most often, a new work begins because I find myself inside a character's head. This was the case with After the Parade, which I wrote over the course of nearly 15 years: early on, I wrote only childhood sections, nearly 400 pages of childhood scenes, until I realized that Aaron needed to grow up, become an adult. It was then that I decided that the book would begin with him, at forty-one, leaving his partner of twenty years. I am definitely not a plotter or outliner. My characters take shape as I write, and as they take shape, they begin to act in certain ways, and this is what determines the plot. When I spent the summer of 2013 in my dungeon (my windowless garage office) piecing this book together, I still did not know how I would wrap up some of the bigger plot questions, namely what had happened to Aaron's mother when she disappeared or how the book would end. These were questions that could only be resolved once I'd written much of the book and understood these characters.
In your acknowledgements, you think your students for making you feel hopeful and useful. What role does teaching and mentors play in your life? In your writing process?
One of the things that I love about teaching is that it allows me to step outside my own concerns and focus on my students. I like their enthusiasm and hopefulness because, as I said in my acknowledgments, it is hopefulness that allows me to write. I also like to feel useful, and when I teach, I generally do. Finally, I like having a period each day when I set my writing aside. This is particularly welcome when things are not going well.
At the end of the day, I don't like to talk about my writing too much or discuss it with others. When After the Parade went to my agent, the only other person who had seen it was my partner, Anne. In 2008, when my story collection, The Bigness of the World, was selected for the Flannery O'Connor Award, Anne was the only other writer I really knew. I also knew little about publishing, but I quickly learned that writers were a very helpful and generous lot. This didn't surprise me, but it was a wonderful discovery, nonetheless. This is one of the reasons that I got involved with the AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program, which I am putting in a plug for right here.
Sandra Block's latest novel, The Girl Without a Name, follows the medical resident, Zoe Goldman from her suspense debut, Little Black Lies. Lisa Scottoline says that she us a "forever fan of the Zoe Goldman series and will read anything Sandra Block writes." I spoke with Block about medicine, writing, and what it's like to solve the case.
Both you and Zoe share a career in medicine. While she has a growing interest in forensics, you found a new path as a writer. What started you on this journey? How does your medical training influence your writing?
In my heart, I've always wanted to be a writer-it just took me a while to get there. Since high school, I straddled both medicine and writing. I was premed in college, but majored in English. I worked at the Buffalo News as an intern, but also shadowed a psychiatrist. Finally, I had to make a decision, and I chose medicine. But, I kept writing. I wrote a roundly rejected novel back in medical school and then put my pen away. Twenty years later, thankfully, I picked it back up. That's how Zoe Goldman came to be.
In a way, I'm glad I chose medicine first. Medicine absolutely influences my writing. Zoe's character brought me back to my residency (though mine was neurology). Residency happens during our twenties, a truly formative time. We pick our mate, our career path, and basically, finally become adults. Everything I went through there - the late nights, the frustration with attendings, the mysterious and difficult patients, the joy of saving a life, the grief of losing one-is infused into this character.
When you first found Zoe Goldman in Little Black Lies, did you know you wanted to carry her story forward in a series? And how did you find Zoe? What came first--the story or the interesting woman that narrates it?
The character came first for me. Walking up the stairs one night, I noticed a pattern of moonlight on the laundry room floor which reminded me of blood spatter. (Odd, yes I know.) I envisioned a little girl in there, scared and alone. She quickly grew into the quirky but intelligent Zoe Goldman, now a psychiatry resident. Then, I had to go backwards and figure out how she got in that laundry room.
Zoe Goldman becoming a series was a bit of a fluke. I love Zoe, everything about her: her height, her humor, her ADHD, her flaws. She spoke to me. When I got my agent, we went on submission (trying to publish Little Black Lies), and it took a looong time. Just over a year. Instead of stressing (well, okay, I did plenty of that) I took a leap of faith and started writing another Zoe novel. When we finally got some real interest for the first, we had a mini-auction going on, and part of the negotiation was a two-book deal. And guess what, I just happened to have written another one! It certainly taught me the lesson that when all else fails, keep writing.
Zoe learns an interesting lesson about the flaws that make us human. While in her case her ability to hyper-fixate and not give up until she finds an answer helps Jane Doe, other characters' flaws reveal the darker side of human nature. Do you agree that the cracks let the light in and make us who we are?
I think Zoe is a better psychiatrist because of her "cracks." She has been on both sides of the psychiatry couch. But, this does not always help her. It got her on probation; it nearly gets her fired. We are all human; we all have faults. Yes, they let the light in. But, they can also trip us up, and even kill us.
There is a concept in Judaism called "tikun olam" or fixing the world. I considered this often while writing the book. Zoe is a healer. She is trying to fix the world. But, you cannot heal everyone. And sometimes, it's the cracks that make us beautiful, and human.
What's next for you and Zoe? Will you continue to follow her on her journey to study forensic psychology or do other characters await?
Zoe took a bit of a break, but I hope she'll be back! The current novel I'm working on is a Detective Adams novel. He had a small role in Little Black Lies but a more prominent one in The Girl Without a Name. Zoe does make a cameo at least. But, by choosing forensic psychiatry, I left the door wide open for her return...I'll have to leave you with that mystery for now. :)
Bridget, the main character in Siobhan Adcock's novel, The Barter, faces one of life's hardest questions: what would you give to save your family? To save your life? Adcock spoke to me about the nature of sacrifice, how women barter, and the power of fairy tale.
The Barter is such a haunting book; which elements first came to you?
Back in the dim and distant pre-kid years, I read a short story by Alice Munro calledDifferently, from her collection Friend of My Youth. In that story, a woman -- a mother -- has a realization about herself that has never lost its power to scare the bejesus out of me.
In Munro's story, the main character comes to a point where she realizes there's this thing she can't live without, something she wants for herself, and she wants it so badly that giving it up feels like a question of life or death: "She would not have bartered away an hour of her children's lives" for this thing, but getting it back, if somehow she only could, "would have given her a happiness that no look or word from her children could give her." An hour of her children's lives? In exchange for her own happiness? What kind of a choice is that? What kind of a woman is that? What kind of a mother is that?
So The Barter kind of builds and borrows on this moment (which apparently I'm still not done talking about or thinking about), while turning it into a ghost story -- because in a way I think it's one of the spookiest things I've ever read.
Bridget thinks to herself, "You're allowed to want things. You don't have to be special, and you don't have to be a monster to want more in your life than your baby and your house and your marriage." I suspect this is a concept that women grapple with constantly, especially those adjusting to new motherhood. Why do you think it is so difficult for Bridget to know what she wants? Why is it difficult for people in general to accept want?
As a mother of a preschooler, I am constantly quoting Mick Jagger: "You can't always get what you waaaaant!" This is an important lesson, and not just for four year-olds, obviously. But learning what you can live without is sort of the flipside of knowing what you must have, no matter what. The woman in Alice Munro's story knows what she cannot live without -- what makes her moment of understanding so terrifying is that she also reckons its cost.
I think one of the things that worries us modern moms is the thought that someday, maybe even today, you're going to want something so badly, for you and no one else, that your children are going to have to give up something precious so that you can have it. I'm not talking about the last scoop of ice cream in the freezer, either. And what are you supposed to do then?
Two key concepts of The Barter surround the ideas of exchange or surrender. Bridget's Aunt tells her that the things women do "are not for sacrifice" but rather exchange "with will and with purpose." What about this theme of barter resonates for you? What is this novel saying about the nature of women's lives as caregivers?
"Motherhood = sacrifice" is a really persistent and problematic idea, I think. We've defined it that way for so long because it's an equation that satisfies: it's simple and in many ways true. As parents, we're proud to sacrifice for our children -- putting other people before yourself is one way to make the world a marginally better place. It's the golden rule, basically, but with diapers.
But women are put in a particularly tough position by this definition of motherhood as sacrifice, because it means that we often have to make the painful choice to give not just of ourselves, but of our children and our partners, in the name of personal power and fulfillment. By this equation, anything we want for ourselves that doesn't also benefit our children can be called selfish, and often is: I've worked in digital publishing as an editor and community moderator for many years, mostly at sites whose main audiences were women, and one thing I can say with confidence after moderating a few thousand comment-blowups is that selfishness is the accusation we women most often level at each other. You're selfish if you have one child, you're selfish if you have five. You're selfish if you go back to work and put your child into daycare, and you're selfish if you keep your little one at home with you instead of putting him into preschool. You're selfish if you don't enroll your kid in baby swim class or a dual-language program or STEM classes or whatever -- and you're selfish if you do, because clearly then you're just one of those aggressive type-A moms.
I think maybe the reason selfishness is such a potent accusation for mothers is because any inner or external resource that we can possibly muster that might help our kids, we feel a tremendous obligation to give them, because we know how hard it is out there. We know how hard it is to get what you want, let alone what you need. And any resource we hold onto for our own success is therefore defined as something that we're not giving up for our kids -- it's like this zero-sum game where we've got to give everything we have to help our little ones succeed.
But of course it's not a zero-sum game. Women have to succeed in order to succeed. And you can define success however you want to -- working, not working, preschool, home school, baby swim class -- but we shouldn't define it as sacrifice. Because if our kids look at us and see women who sacrifice so much that we never get what we want, what they see is not "success." What they see is: "Mom gives stuff up."
Sometimes, we have to get what we want. We have to at least go after it. Even if we're "selfish." Even if we're the only ones who stand to benefit.
The stories within the novel, the fairy tales the mothers make up for the children, the stories the magician tells, delight me. What powers do you feel stories, especially the heavily metaphoric fairy tales, possess? How does that power manifest in your own life?
Thank you so much for that question -- all the (made up) fairy tales and stories and folk tales throughout the book were so fun for me to write. They were inspired by a mix of the Brothers Grimm and by all the children's books you read so incessantly as a parent of a little kid. Before I had a kid, I never realized how much the job of parenting is the job of storytelling. I think most parents can relate to the feeling of being Scheherazade, telling stories and spinning your imaginative wheels to keep meltdowns and bad moods at bay, and that's certainly part of what inspired me as I was writing this book. The stories that the characters tell are performing a similar function, I think: We tell each other stories to help us make sense of the world and to soothe old hurts, and that all starts when we're children. You can't really write a novel about motherhood without addressing the power of stories.
BIGLAW, the debut novel by Lindsay Cameron, plunges us into the world of high-powered corporate law through the experience of second year associate, Mackenzie Corbett, as she navigates the complex landscape and extreme expectations required to reach the next level in her career. Cameron and I spoke about Ally McBeal, how 9/11 still impacts the world of work and whether or not overachievers can ever slow down.
BIGLAW paints unflinchingly honest portrait of Mackenzie Corbett's experience in a top law firm as well the personal prices she pays for her "golden handcuffs." Are there any redeeming qualities to working in a high-powered law firm? Does it ever get to be like Ally McBeal?
Hmm... redeeming qualities other than making a hefty dent in your student loans? I think the best takeaway from working at a large law firm (because lawyers love nothing more than a good takeaway) is the strong friendships you form along the way. You are crouching in the trenches with these people -- you share all three meals, endure numerous all-nighters together and witness them shaving their legs at their desk. Strong bonds are formed in the trenches. I made some of my best friends while working in law, and even met my husband!
Much to the disappointment of many, there are never choreographed dance routines in a unisex bathroom a la Ally McBeal or drinks with your hard-bodied colleagues at 5pm. Ally, you tricked us! And the guys from Suits are deceiving a whole new generation! But you do get to wear some pretty cute suits (even if they're not quite as mini as Ally's...)
Mackenzie grapples with her desire to achieve with the life she longs to live. Can an overachiever ever learn to relax?
If you figure out how, let me know! I could use some help in that area. Maybe they can add relaxing to their to-do list. That would certainly be well within the comfort zone of the overachiever. Does adding yoga to your to-do list negate the zen aspects of it?
BIGLAW also tackles the fall out of working in a post 9/11 New York. What do you feel 9/11 continues to teach us? What does it take to write about 9/11 respectfully?
The story line in the novel that deals with 9/11 is very personal to me. My father worked in the World Trade Center, in the second tower to be hit, and walked down 103 floors to safety. When you think even for a moment that you've lost someone you love, it changes how you prioritize parts of your life. And with how the terrorist attacks unfolded on TV, 9/11 was a "life is too short" moment for all of us and prompted many people not only to question what they wanted out of life, but to change the way they were living. Even so many years later, I think the 9/11 anniversary still spurs us to stop, take stock and think about what matters most.
For some people, myself included, writing about trauma is an effective way to process what happened. This is why authors shouldn't be afraid to write about these events even if it feels overwhelming. When I wrote that part of my novel, which is essentially my father's story, I asked him to read it when it was done. It was emotional for both of us and I'm thankful I had written something we could both be proud of. I will say that when you're writing about a trauma that has existed not just on a personal, but a national level it's important to be mindful that your readers have each had their own experiences and for many it is still very raw. If you're considerate of that and don't try to sensationalize, you can write about a tragedy respectfully.
How does your law training and experience influence your writing? What path did you take to become a writer?
My legal background did provide me with some ostensibly transferable skills -- time management, oodles of writing experience and the ability to get by on four hours of sleep a night. But when I sat down to start writing my novel I realized my legal writing skills did not, in any way, translate into writing fiction. Lawyers are wordy (why say in two words what you can say in ten?) and write in a way no one would ever speak. When was the last time you heard someone say "hereinafter?" So, when I edited my first draft I realized I had to forget everything that had been drummed into me while practicing law, drop the legalese and get into the groove of writing fiction. I learned to write dialogue by saying the words out loud, testing them for authenticity. This led to some odd stares when I was writing in my local Starbucks, but it's all part of the process, right? Now I feel like I'm a server that's been wiped clean of legal writing skills. I don't think I could sit down and draft a contract today. Or maybe I just don't want to.
Becoming a writer was not part of my plan. I'd gone to law school to be a lawyer and didn't think I would deviate from that path. But as the saying goes -- We plan, God laughs. I had what Oprah would call my "light bulb moment" while I was sitting at my desk at 3 a.m. staring down at a pile of documents that were waiting to be reviewed. (In the interest of full disclosure, I was also munching on a plate of pancakes I'd just had delivered... as one does.) It hit me that the world of large law firms is so different than what is portrayed on TV and how surprised people would be if they knew what went on inside those shiny skyscrapers. I grabbed a notebook and scribbled furiously in a creative frenzy everything that came to mind, perhaps a little delirious from the sugar high combined with the sleep depravation. For the next few months I kept the notebook in my office and spent twenty minutes a day jotting down my observations. When writing in that notebook became my favorite part of the day, I knew my goals had shifted. I left my job to start writing my novel and am no longer eating pancakes at 3 a.m. Ok, rarely.
Kris Radish's tenth novel, The Year of Necessary Lies, follows an eventful year in the life of budding ornithologist and activist, Julia Britton, who learns through the beauty and power of birds the skills to change her own life. I spoke with Radish about the powerful women behind this novel, ways to create and stoke the fires of female friendship, and the power of transformation.
Who are some of the foremothers that built the character of Julie Britton for you? How did you get exposed to their contributions?
History is littered with brave and bold women who were not afraid to take chances and make their own lives and the world a better place. I never want to forget them and what they did that has allowed me to live with such freedom and with so many choices. The Susan B. Anthonys, Sojourner Truths, Emma Goldmans, and Margaret Sangers of the world were followed by the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Mother Theresa, and hundreds of other brave hearts I have always admired. I have always paid attention to women like this, and the Audubon Society's backbone was carved by the real women in my novel like Minna Hall and Harriet Hemenway. History books are littered with the accomplishments of women like this and inspired by their bravery. Julia appeared to me as a tribute to all they have done.
As much as there is love between Julia and the men in her life (I won't give any spoilers here), The Year of Necessary Lies, captures the beauty of female friendship. What do you think it takes to find and nurture relationships with other women?
The joy of female friendship has always been one of the major foundations of my life and wow, have I ever been lucky! Being open and able to share feelings and what is inside of your heart is crucial to all relationships but especially so with female friends. I have always felt that all women are connected by an invisible string and that we have common denominators that keep us linked. Whatever you are feeling, someone else is feeling and has felt so there is a link there that sustains all women. Be nice, be brave, and put yourself out there, and you can also feel the joy that I have felt with my amazing friends. And be willing to take the good and the bad because it's part of the deal.
The Year of Necessary Lies features an interesting frame with Julia's great granddaughter, Kelly, adding her own layer to the story. What do you hope this element of the narrative adds to the story? Why did you add Kelly's reflection and growth?
I have an amazing daughter who is now a young woman, and I wanted to create a special place for celebrating and understanding the gifts that the women who went before us gave us. It's important to remember and to honor and to also know that everyone gets to have their own YEAR, but sometimes it takes longer then 12 months to get there but that's okay. And sometimes our inspiration for what we can attain may be living right next to us.
The phrase "moment of resurrection" is a powerful one. Have there been times when you needed to redefine yourself? What gave you the power to move your life in the direction you choose?
I sometimes feel as if I've had so many resurrections that I should start my own church! Many of my huge life changes have come about with the help of other women who held my hands and showed me the way and that is something I celebrate in my work. It's also so important to know that there are reserves inside of you just waiting for your hand and heart to dip into them so you can move forward and live the way you want to live and not the way someone else tells you how to live. I have stumbled and there have been many dark days, but I take comfort in my past victories, in knowing that I still have miles to go (and books to write!), and that I took the moment, held it close, and then bravely stepped forward myself.
This is your tenth book, and you work in both memoir and fiction. What is your writing process? How do you decide which ideas to go all the way with?
I think a great Pinot Noir helps! Hells bells my mind is a tornado and I often just look into the mirror and see my new face lines and think, wow, I know how that got there; I bet other women have the same lines, and I need to write about that. I'm always working on a non-fiction book and fiction book at the same time, but I am also to the point in my career where I am having lots of Moments of Literary Resurrection. Historical fiction is new for me, and the next novel is REALLY new also, but I will always focus on female empowerment as my starting point. The book that springs to life is the one with a character who will not let me sleep, eat, pushes me into walls, and demands that I get on with it. Wait until you see this next woman! She's standing right next to me now!
Sonja Yoerg's fiction is not stranger to the concept that people lie and keep secrets to protect themselves and those they love. In her debut novel, House Broken, she explored an entire family system punctuated more by what they didn't say than what they did. She returns to this theme in her amazing new novel, The Middle of Somewhere, which follows a young widow, Liz, as she grapples with both the mountains of the California Sierra and the prospect of a future with her boyfriend, Dante. To get through both, Liz learns firsthand the power of facing your demons. Yoerg spoke with me about the process of writing such a gripping novel and her own love of hiking.
Liz's predicament in the first four chapters excruciating. I longed for her to save herself from her own undoing. How as an author do you fight the impulse to save your characters?
Unless someone is in deep doo-doo, there's no story, right? I don't plot out my books, so I don't know how bad it will get or from where salvation might arise. It's stressful for me not knowing how my characters will find their way through the mess I've created and, at the same time, it's deliciously fun.
Lying can be exhausting. What is it like as an author to balance knowing the truth your character's hide and revealing it on the page slowly to keep the book interesting? How do you keep track of the secrets yourself?
Long-held secrets are treasures. People don't give them up unless they are desperate. The anxiety created by a deep-seated secret becomes part of a person's character, so it's actually easier to keep lying than to come clean. But there are motivations for honesty, too, and holding the tension between those desires is an exercise in brinksmanship. I have to work hard at it. I don't have trouble remembering each character's inner story. Perhaps I should be concerned about what that says about me!
Redemption is also a great theme in your work. What makes a good ending for a novel to you? How do you navigate finishing the story and making everything too perfect?
Confession: I'm terrible at it. I feel so sorry for my characters and the wretched things I've done to them that by the end I'm desperate to make it up to them. For both books, I initially wrote a fairytale ending and had to revise it. I'm not skilled at finishing things in general. The last five percent of any project feels like wading through muck.
The Middle of Somewhere clearly demonstrates a love of hiking and the great outdoors. What inspired you to write this book? What is your own experience with hiking? I heard a rumor that you just completed another long hike -- where did you go?
To celebrate our empty nest, my husband and I hiked the trail described in the book -- all 220 miles of it. As I walked (and walked and walked and walked), I had ample time to reflect on what a rich setting it was. The wilderness is vast but, as one of the characters says, the trail is "just a skinny little thing," so the storytelling possibilities are both enormous and constrained. I stayed true to the actual John Muir Trail, which meant I couldn't invent a river crossing or a summit or another physical challenge whenever I needed one. Getting the plot to fit the trail was like trying to dance in a broom closet.
I adore hiking, and backpacking in particular. Carrying everything I need on my back makes me feel whole and self-sufficient, and I love the rituals of setting up camp each night and breaking camp each morning. I grew up in Vermont and mountain landscapes speak to me. My husband and I recently hiked for a month in the French Pyrenees, staying in inns and hostels, rather than camping. We were traveling light, which was wonderful, plus we had real food and wine every night! The wildflowers there were the prettiest I've ever seen, and unlike the Sierra spring, the Pyrenees were mosquito-free.
Do you have any advice for people who read The Middle of Somewhere or Cheryl Strayed's Wild and feel inspired to put on hiking boots and hit the trail? Do you have anything special to say for couples that want to do this together?
I'm an advocate for the role of adventure and physical challenge in keeping us healthy and sane. If my book or anyone else's inspires people to spend time outside or even climb a mountain, I'm delighted. With sensible preparation, even the deepest wilderness is a welcoming, beautiful place. Go!
Some people find it remarkable I would choose to spend a month in the woods with my husband. We adore it. It's a quiet, low-stress environment. Other than choosing whether to have pasta or curry for dinner or selecting a campsite, there aren't a lot of decisions. We walk and talk, or silently share our delight in the wonders around us. We joke around, make friends with other hikers, sleep eleven hours a night and start planning the next trip before we reach the end of the trail. If you can swing, give it a shot.
Meg Mitchell Moore is the author of three novels, including her latest, The Admissions, which takes a strong look at a family gripped by the pressure to succeed.Emily Liebert, author of When We Fall says, "Moore digs deep into the zeitgeist of a modern family desperate to keep their heads above water. Add in long-hidden secrets, cutthroat college admissions and revolving perspectives and you have an undeniably addictive read." We spoke about the stress families face, creating compelling characters and our motivations and fears.
You wrote very convincingly about both this family and the stress they face from high-stakes living both in terms of their careers and their children's education. What did you learn while writing this book that helps your own family find balance?
First of all, thank you! Second, probably what I've learned the most is how the hard part for us is still coming up, which is scary. My kids are now 12, 10 and 8. I don't think I would have written a book like this if any of my kids were in the thick of college applications. It would have felt too close to home. It seems hard to be a kid these days! There are so many pressures coming from so many different places -- parents, teachers, friends, technology, parents or friends who are using technology to apply more pressure -- that sometimes there's no escape. I hope what I keep in mind as my kids get older is that home and family should provide a refuge wherever possible, not another pressure point.
Some people argue that author inject some of themselves into their characters. Which characters in The Admissions did you relate to or connect with this most? Why? What does it take to write a compelling character?
As far as age, gender, position in the family, etc., certainly I relate to Nora Hawthorne (the mother of the family) the most. In a general sense, I gave Nora some of the worries that plague me or friends who are also parents -- and especially working parents. I definitely exaggerated some of those worries for the sake of a good story, but I believe many of her feelings are very common in today's generation of parents. We all want our kids to do well and be happy, and it's easy to forget that happiness and success are not always the same thing.
I think the most important part of writing compelling characters is empathizing with each one in one way or another, even if it's not the most obvious way. If the character is not your age or your gender or your race or your economic background, what fear or secret desire or weakness does that character have that you either have yourself our can imagine having? Everybody has made mistakes at some point in his or her past; everybody has something they'd rather not have the whole world know about. That's an easy feeling to empathize with.
A big part of this book deals with expectations both internal and external. What do you hope The Admissions says about desire, motivation and our anxieties surrounding success and falling short?
I hope the book makes some readers say, "This is crazy, right? What we're doing for (or to) our kids, or ourselves?" I hope it makes some people say, "Why don't we all just live our lives and let our kids live their lives and laugh or eat ice cream or jump in the ocean instead of worrying so much." I hope it says that it's okay to mess up and fall short sometimes, and that one mistake doesn't negate the possibility of success or happiness.
The Admissions is your third novel. Tell me about your writing and publishing process. What advice do you have for new authors looking to get started in publishing?
I always start with characters and situations. The plot comes later for me. I write a first draft fairly quickly and then spend a long time revising and editing once I have feedback from my agent or editor. Most of my revisions are plot revisions.
Advice: 1. Read, read, read. 2. Be patient with your voice developing. It takes most writers a long time and a lot of trial and error. 3. Don't try to chase a publishing trend because by the time you get there it will be gone. 4. Develop a thick skin, then do whatever you can to make it even thicker. It's a subjective business, which is part of the beauty of it. You will come across people who don't like your work, and if that's going to undo you, think about a different career path.
Mary Kubica, author of The Good Girl and the newly released Pretty Baby, takes readers through suspenseful twists and turns after a chance meeting between two women on a train platform. Fans of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl will appreciate this interesting take on the thin line that separates sanity and darker impulses. We talked about her inspiration for Pretty Baby, being surprised as a writer, and what it means to be a villain.
Pretty Baby begins innocently with a chance meeting of two women in a train station. Tell us about how you found Heidi and Willow.
Truthfully, I believe Willow is the one who found me. I was struggling to come up with a new and compelling storyline for my second novel and starting to get a bit frustrated. I quickly dismissed each idea I came up with for their implausibility or lack of uniqueness when I was struck by an image of a young, homeless girl with a baby waiting beside the Chicago 'L'. I had no idea who she was at the time or what her story would be - or how it was that she sprang suddenly into my mind - but I knew she was at the core of my next book. I immediately started writing the opening scenes of the novel, where Heidi encounters Willow for the first time, and at that point the story was off and running.
Your book masterfully moves through twists and turns. I don't want to give away of them away, but I do want to know more about your writing process. Do you outline or plan? Do your characters ever surprise you with twists you didn't see coming?
I don't outline or plan, but prefer to develop my characters and let them take control of the writing process. When I begin each novel I have only a vague idea of where I'm headed, and take it one day or one chapter at a time. I find that overthinking the storyline takes away from the natural flow of events and makes the narrative feel deliberate or forced. My characters surprise me all the time with twists that develop in the storyline, and the unexpected decisions they make along the way. I often have little or no idea how my stories will end until I write the final scenes.
Pretty Baby dives deep into moral ambiguity. How would you define a hero? What about a villain? Can a character be both?
Yes, a character can be both a villain and a hero, and I think my first two novels are proof of this. A hero to me is someone who shows courage and makes difficult decisions for the sake of others; a villain is the antithesis of this, someone who intentionally inflicts harm on others, whether physically or emotionally. Moral ambiguity is certainly at the heart of Pretty Baby, as good characters make questionable decisions, or they make immoral decisions for moral reasons or vice versa. The line between good and bad blurs in this book, as issues of charity and abuse, adultery and mental illness emerge. At the heart of moral ambiguity are also those complex characters who do things the reader may not expect them to do, making us question whether or not a character is who we presumed them to be.
This novel alternates between several different points of view. How did you decide which characters could tell this story? What do the multiple voices add to the narrative?
Although I knew Pretty Baby would center on the story of Willow and her baby, my first instinct was to tell the tale from only Heidi and her husband Chris's perspectives. I started writing the novel this way, and then partway through decided Willow needed a chance to tell her own side of the story, and boy does she have quite a story to tell, one which certainly couldn't be held back. As an author, I love writing with multiple perspectives, as I feel they offer the reader a well-rounded view of the characters and a sneak peek at each of their innermost thoughts. It also provides readers with a chance to see the story from all angles rather than just one.
Your first book, The Good Girl, enjoyed great success. What changed about your writing process between The Good Girl and Pretty Baby? What's next for you?
In all honesty, not much changed between The Good Girl and Pretty Baby. I'm a firm believer in If it ain't broke, don't fix it, and so truly held firm to this when writing Pretty Baby. I did learn quite a bit about myself and my writing strengths and weaknesses in working with an agent and an editor, and was able to apply this knowledge to Pretty Baby, but as for my day to day process, not much changed.
I am currently finishing up my third novel, Don't You Cry, which simultaneously tracks the disappearance of a young Chicago woman and the appearance of a mysterious woman on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan in a small harbor town. Don't You Cry will release in the summer of 2016 from MIRA Books.
Molly D. Campbell is the author of the debut novel, Keep the Ends Loose, about a fifteen year old's journey when a family secret threatens to destroy her family. A wry tale told from Mandy Heath's point of view, it is a coming of age novel for both teens and adults. We spoke about writing from a young adult point of view, what it means to be a family, and how to be funny with writing.
What led you to take on the young adult's point of view and create the character of Miranda Heath? What did it take to capture the voice of a modern day fifteen year old?
I have always been very fond of precocious children. I was one myself. I wrote this the way I remember my own worldview at age 15. Young adult novels are very popular right now. I think it may be because young people have wisdom that they have never been given credit for. The Young Adult novel opens the door to their voices.
I also feel that humor is an important coping mechanism. I began my humor writing career when I was faced with major facial reconstruction surgery after having skin cancer. It required four surgeries. I looked like a monster, and was confined to home for a period of weeks. I decided in advance that I would turn the entire process into something upbeat, instead of depressing. I began journaling the process to a group of my friends via email. I dubbed them The Frankenstein Outreach group. My blog sort of evolved out of that experience of turning something awful into something funny.
What comes first for you: characters or story?
Characters, always. I begin with a character sketch, and somehow, the plot just takes over. I have never been one to construct elaborate plots in my head. Instead, I am fascinated by people. I see an unusual looking person at the mall, for instance, and I immediately start to project a house, a family, and an occupation onto him or her. I wonder what the person's name might be, and what it might be like to be that person. I have been doing this all my life as a source of private entertainment. I never thought it would lead to anything. But suddenly, after having two careers, raising children and then working part-time at a veterinary practice, I began writing about all the people that have wandered around in my head for years.
What do you think Keep the Ends Loose says about what it means to be a family?
Families are fraught with disaster that always just simmers underneath the surface. Have you ever been to a family reunion that was drama-free? I am fascinated with family skeletons. I also love humor, as I said, and I wanted to tell this family's story from a humorous standpoint, rather than a tragic one. I feel that humor is the saving grace in almost any terrible situation. Also, I think that humor is a survival mechanism that many young people use to get themselves through the angst-filled teen years. At least I did. If it weren't for humor, I would never have survived high school.
Tell me about winning the Erma Bombeck Writing Award. What did you write for that contest? How did it spur you on? What about Bombeck's writing inspires you?
The Erma Bombeck Writers' Competitionis held in conjunction with the Erma Bombeck Writers' Conference, which occurs every two years at The University of Dayton, Erma's alma mater. I won twice, the first time in humor, and the second in human interest. I wrote about my husband first, and then my father. Erma is a real inspiration, and I am so proud to have gotten this recognition.
Winning in that competition opened many doors. I got my first writing gig, as a columnist for the website Moms Who Need Wine as a result. My writing and my blog just took off after that.
How did you go from winning that contest to writing Keep the Ends Loose? What advice do you have for other writers looking to capture their humor on the page? What does it take to be funny with your writing?
I began writing flash fiction as a result of my aforementioned fascination with names. I started a Twitter stream of silly names with short descriptions. I called these Characters in Search of a Novel. From these, I developed my first book of character studies, with illustrations by Randy Palmer. My book, Characters in Search of a Novel, came out in 2012.
I submitted a piece from my first book to a publisher, The Story Plant. That began a five year conversation and mentorship which resulted in my novel Keep the Ends Loose. i was very fortunate that Lou Aronica, The Story Plant founder, saw something in my writing and decided to champion my writing.
If I knew how to teach people how to be funny, I could probably make millions! I think that humor is a gift, and some people just know how to write humor. Humor writers do have to be very concise, yet choose unusual words. For instance, "Hauling out the Kirby is just way too involved" is probably funnier than "I hate to vacuum."
My advice to those who seek a career in humor or any writing style is to read the work of your favorite writers, practice your writing, start a blog, read some more, and write even more than that. If you blog, blog consistently. There is no magic formula. It just takes a lot of work, dedication, commitment. It has all been said before, by people much more famous than I am!
Ellen Urbani is the author of the debut novel, Landfall, and a memoir, When I Was Elena. Landfall follows the journey of two women named Rose as they navigate the troubled waters of their lives in a post-Katrina South. We spoke about belonging, parallels, and Urbani's journey as a writer.
What led you to Landfall and the chaos of a post-Katrina New Orleans?
Just as hurricanes draw their strength from myriad elements, many of the stories I write have no clear or singular origin. It could be said I wrote Landfall because I miss living in the South, or because New Orleans is my favorite stateside city. Then again, perhaps I wrote Landfall because I know what it is to live in conditions of marshal law or because I relish storms or because I have seen people who were here just a moment ago disappear. But I think it is equally true to say I wrote Landfall because chaos fascinates me.
To be clear: I am no masochist -- don't like pain or disorder any more than the next person - but I cherish the possibility inherent in chaos. In tracing the poetic etymology of the word, from Ovid's shapeless mass to Hesiod's form-free darkness, I note a focus not on destruction but on the growth that such destruction inspires: from cataclysms were born the cosmos, the elements, the gods. Without discounting the devastation inherent in chaos, or in tragedies wrought by storms of any kind, these facts still exist: When something has been destroyed, it can be rebuilt in any shape. When home has been eradicated, any place can be a new starting point. At those times when my own life has been uprooted by tempests, I have found that by focusing on fertility instead of the detritus swirling around me, mighty and previously undetected worlds open to me. As much as anything else, it is this promise of possibility in New Orleans, in us all, that led me to write Landfall.
Rose feels that everyone belongs to someone. What does belonging mean to you? How did you come to this as a theme? What do you hope Landfall says about belonging?
When I was a child, I performed in musical theatre. One of my favorite productions was Fiddler on the Roof, that epic tale of roots, of what it means to belong to each other and to a place. Though I was far too young to fill her shoes, it was the role of Hodel that most captivated me: the protagonist's second daughter who breaks with tradition, abandons her home and family, and travels alone to a foreign tundra.
Early imprinting sticks. Much of my young adulthood aligns with Hodel's insistent refrain: "I must go! I must go!" for I believed that one must run away to find oneself, to find the place one truly belongs. I regularly barreled headlong into the unknown - moving from coast to coast, country to country, chasing fresh passions. A man who read my memoir about the years I lived in Guatemala during that country's civil war called me out on this inclination. "Don't you know how precious you are?" he wrote to me after finishing my book. "I think at some level you must not or you would not have taken the chances that you did. As I read of the various events you experienced, I ached to be there to protect you ... [but] at the same time, maybe what pulled at my heart the most is that I think you would not have let me, that somehow you needed (or need?) to go through the trial on your own. I'm not sure exactly why that makes me so sad - maybe it seems such a lonely path to travel."
It is precisely that independent streak in me that I channeled into Landfall's Rose, who treks alone toward the flooded city of New Orleans in an effort to find the family of a girl her mother killed, because "if any part of [her history] were to be salvaged she knew she needed to do it alone." But I also gifted to Rose my hard-won realization that even the most self-reliant among us need anchor-points; places and people to whom we can moor ourselves in order to find our way home from our adventures lest we spin, untethered, through the whole of our lives. In running away from her family, Rose eventually circles right back to embrace them.
And as for me? Have you not guessed? I married the man who wrote that letter, and in so doing I came to better understand Fiddler's missive. For it turns out Hodel didn't stop with the words I took to heart as a young girl: "I must go!" Instead, what she said in full was this: "I must go! For there, with my love, I'm home."
Parallels make up another key theme for this narrative, which begins with sneakers the two Roses share and ends in a very surprising place. What did you learn about parallels as you wrote this book? How do these connections and overlaps demonstrate the things we all share as people?
I was raised to believe in miracles, to beseech St. Anthony if I misplaced my homework, and to put a statue of the Virgin in the window before bedtime to ensure good weather the next morning. But enough with all that. I outgrew Catholicism about the same time I outgrew my parochial school uniform. Nowadays I put my faith in the parallels that connect one action to another, one person to the rest.
Chaos theory posits that seemingly random events are in fact predictable from simple deterministic equations; that there is nothing random about any given outcome. This idea that a butterfly beating her wings in Argentina might be responsible for whipping up a wind that batters the Gulf coast may be a torment to those who prefer isolation, but I am equal parts inspired and soothed by the promise of a million invisible connections to people and places I might otherwise not knowingly touch. My personal religion is grounded in these convictions: all of our lives touch if we let them; we are each responsible for everyone else; together, we are capable of actualizing the unbelievable.
I may have left my belief in miracles by the wayside in my youth, but I still see the miraculous in the everyday, and that faith permeates Landfall.
Landfall is also about journeys; what has your journey to becoming a published author looked like? What advice do you have for others who want to see their stories in print?
I am not a writer like so many of my writer friends are writers. Those others must write like they must eat, or sleep, or breathe; writing is as much a part of them as is their liver or their teeth. They write because they woke up this morning, and writing is what they always do next. I, on the other hand, am a writer in as much as I am anything else that I was once and may continue to be: a farmer, a counselor, a traveler, a teacher, an adventurer. For me, a story has to smolder in me and grow so unmanageable that I can no longer contain it, so wild it threatens to explode right out of my skin, before I'm sufficiently possessed to express it.
So my advice is to ignore all the advice. If you wake up and have to write everyday, then write every day. If you only feel like writing when your skin burns, then do other things on all those other days when there are other fires in you. Be true to yourself, only. Ignore whatever the hell the rest of us are doing in favor of tending your own flames. If they are strong enough, the world will notice.
How is writing a memoir about your own history different than a writing a piece of historical fiction?
In writing a piece of historical fiction about a mass casualty event like Hurricane Katrina, the one thing you can rely on is this: there will be no reliable accounts of the trauma. Which is not to say the survivors' accounts will not be true, for every one of them will be. Each story will be true to the experience and circumstance and horror of its narrator, but it will not match the story of the person to his left or the person to his right. To one the wall of water will be as tall as a hundred-year-old oak while another will say it almost reached the gutter of his single-story house and a third will not have noticed the water for he only saw his child crushed beneath the blue car with the spotless grill flipped by ... what was it? A wind? A wave? An angry god? Which is to say that the difficult genesis of historical fiction is culling a thousand people's divergent memories into a singular truth upon which to hang a fictional story.
In writing a memoir about the years one lived in a foreign country at war, the one thing you can rely on is this: it will not be a reliable accounting of the situation. Which is not to say the story is not true, for it is, to a word. It is true to the experience and circumstance and horror that I lived, but it does not match the story of my neighbor to the left or my neighbor to the right. To the one, any given anecdote might have been amusing at best, to the other it was mundane, whereas to me it was so foreign and frightening and colorful as to be worth dredging up ten years later and publically splaying. Which is to say that the difficult genesis of memoir is culling a thousand equally meaningful memories into a reliable story upon which to hang one's truths.
The take-away? The writing of one's own history and the writing of historical fiction may be built on a very similar framework, but as you can see they read very, very differently.
Erika Swyler's debut novel, The Book of Speculation, tells the story of a family haunted by their mother's past. As Simon learns more about his mother's life both inside and outside of the circus, he comes to view his family gifted with ability to hold their breath like sea creatures and see the past and future through the tarot to be both incredibly susceptible to death in the water and lacking insight into their own conditions. I spoke with Swlyer about the power of the circus, writing from a male voice, and the uncanny connections that drive our lives.
So many beautiful books feature the circus from Erin Morganstern's The Night Circus, Sarah Gruen's Water for Elephant's, and Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. What do you think pulls authors to the circus? What captivated you? Do you have any formative circus memories?
Circus appeals to writers' escapist hearts. We see ourselves in it. Books and circus share the same goals--to captivate, entertain, and to make people think. I think we're also drawn to the idea of the romance of travel, and the tightknit relationships that form between performers. They're made families, chosen families. Circus is such a beautiful art form, but it's also quite dangerous. It's impossible to keep a writer away from writing about dangerous beautiful things. I can't resist them. My first memory of circus is of the trapeze artists--again, beautiful and dangerous. The trust, the absolute confidence they had that their partners would catch them was stunning. Trapeze to me represents the highest level of trust you can have in another human being. I find that hopeful.
Given the mermaid's lineage woven through the novel, I wanted to ask why you choose Simon to decipher the tale? What does the male voice add to the telling?
It was really simple. In an early draft I narrated part of the book from Enola's point of view. It was unreadable. It was too frenetic to be sustainable and didn't make a cohesive narrative. She's far too close to the curse to have perspective. I needed a voice who was connected to the curse, but also felt they were outside it. By nature of being male, Simon sees himself as safe from a curse, which has so far only killed women. He also functions as a foil to Enola's chaotic nature. He's a quiet kind of character who can subtly lead a reader to strange places without questioning his choices until they're already in motion.
That said, I've been asked a staggering number of questions about why I wrote a male narrator. No one questions men if and when they write female protagonists. There's an interesting pushback happening now where people are asking why the majority of award-winning novels written by women either have male protagonists or are about men. I'd venture a small part of it is an assumption that it's more difficult for women to write male protagonists believably and therefore requires greater skill. It isn't and it doesn't. Incidentally, a feminist way to write a protagonist is to write the character the story demands--regardless of gender--and write that character as a whole person.
The book turns on an interesting number of inter-generational connections. Churchwarry asks near the end of the book "Have you ever wondered why you're drawn to certain people?" What do you think The Book of Speculation says about the nature of human connection? Have you ever experienced this level of uncanny partnering in your own life?
I'm using the concept of fate to describe a more elusive idea about people seeking what they lack. Churchwarry asks that question of his polar opposite, who he's drawn to because of history and because of the same traits that make him care for Simon. We're drawn people who tickle something within us that we either recognize or feel we're missing. When people link up it feels like fate, but it's more by design. We're always looking for people who make us feel more. Often that means people might circle around each other for years because they share interests. Values and interests are things that flow easily across generations.
Early in our dating life my husband and I shared a few uncanny moments. We were sitting on a beach when I pointed to a spot in Connecticut and mentioned I had a friend who lived there. He said he did as well. It was the same person. We were both friends with a boy who lived in a different state, and we'd met him under entirely different circumstances. There were other overlaps. We'd been just missing each other for years. It was only a matter of time before we met. Ultimately that's not fate, but who we are. We're people who could be that boy's friend.
The story of your submission of the manuscript to publishers is quiet compelling. It amazes me that you hand sewed the volumes from tea stained pages with your own drawings and sketches. What lead you to this labor of love? What reaction did this receive from editors?
It takes so much of your life to write a novel. If didn't put all of myself into showing how much I cared, how hard I was willing to work, I would have regretted it. I knew presenting a manuscript that way was a risk, and I'm certain some were tossed in a recycling bin. When you make any kind of art, you make it knowing that you may be the only person who sees values it. But I had to try. Editors are book people before anything else, and this is a book person's book. I hoped if someone connected with it as an art object it would help them connect more deeply to the story. That turned out to be a good instinct. Things moved quickly after the manuscripts went out. It was all done in under a week. I only spoke with two editors, both of whom were very enthusiastic. I'd been terrified, but those conversations confirmed I'd made a beautiful thing. From that point on it was a matter of which editor saw the same story I did. Hope Dellon was able to see the book I had written and the book I'd wanted to write.
Your novel and your work in publishing the book clearly demonstrates a love of physical books. What thoughts do you have about digital publishing? Do you see any way to create the same experience with pixels instead of pages?
My love of books and reading is cross platform and it always will be. I don't see print as being at war with digital. While physical books offer tactile pleasure and ask you to read with care, digital offers accessibility in a way people are far too quick to dismiss. Digital allows you to change print sizes, colors, contrast, text-to-speech, and to turn pages with a tap. For the visually impaired and anyone with fine motor difficulties, that means a level of independence that wasn't available before the last decade. To look down on advances like that is in some ways to deny people the gift of independent reading.
That said, we think of technology as disposable. Books are passed down, whereas e-readers are not. The book as an object is a bit like a horseshoe crab. It been perfectly suited to its purpose since its invention and hasn't needed to evolve. Technology is ever evolving. When we reach a stable point in reader technology perhaps people's readers will have soft edges, smell wonderful when you open them, and have small screens to capture an author's signature on an eBook cover, and places to leave notes for your family when you pass it down. Imagine a screen that could mimic the sensation of dog-earing a page. We're at a point when we can be nostalgic about our technology, but we're not yet at the point where our current technology can be a physical representation of history. When we get there, I'll happily sign everyone's readers.
The Book of Speculation is your first novel; when did you know you were a writer? What path did you take to reach this point in your career?
I'm always the last to know what I'm doing. I studied acting at NYU and somehow came out of it a playwright. I wasn't a good enough actor to make it. I've always written, but I had to try other things to find out what I should be doing. After giving up acting, I had to learn to write all over again. I started with short stories, took classes. I churned out an unreadable novel draft. And then another draft. And another. All the while I held down strange jobs, all of which I'm grateful for. Every bit of living is fodder. I submitted short stories everywhere, got rejected everywhere and was mostly miserable, but I kept plugging away. Eventually my agent noticed one of my short stories and reached out. I pitched the book and things grew from there. It sounds like a dream story, an overnight success sort of thing, but it wasn't. I'd been hanging around trying for years. Once you've decided that you're going to write, everything after is dogged perseverance. I'm aware that for the better part of a decade I looked to most people like wasted potential. Sometimes it takes that long to figure things out. Sometimes it's not wasted potential, it's just a really low boil.
Stunning location: check. Beautiful people: check. Romance: of course! Rome in Love, the latest book by Anita Hughes delivers on all three fronts as it tells the story of young actress Amelia, who learns about love, Italian food, and Audrey Hepburn while living in Rome to film a remake of Hepburn's classic film, Roman Holiday.
Each of your books captures the magic of a certain place from the French Coast to Lake Como to the lovely California, I'd love to know what brought you to Rome for this novel.
I first visited Rome when I was a girl and fell in love with it. It has everything - ancient monuments, incredible food, wonderful fashion and the Vatican, a whole city within a city. Every view - of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum and the Trevi Fountain - is magnificent, and the Via Condotti has some of the finest shopping in the world. I couldn't wait to set a novel there!
What inspired you contrast Amelia's adventures with the backstory of Audrey Hepburn's time there?
I watched Roman Holiday last Christmas, and I loved the first scene. Princess Ann is dressed in a fabulous ball gown and a tiara and is meeting all the heads of state. But all she can think about is how her shoes are killing her and she wants to escape and explore Rome by herself. This gave me the idea of what it would be like for a young actress to get the Audrey Hepburn role in a remake of Roman Holiday and have similar experiences.
What type of research do you so to make your books so authentic both in terms of the place and the historical elements you add in?
I start with places I have loved as a child. My parents were European and I grew up in Australia so I was always fascinated with different locations. Then I spend a lot of time online discovering local restaurants and historical facts and points of interest. It's one of my favorite things to do--I feel like I'm there when I sit down to write!
Amelia and her friend, Sophie, wear some amazing outfits. I suspect their clothes are a lot of fun to write about--how do you gather such specific details to outfit these women so well?
I have always loved fashion because I think surrounding ourselves with beautiful things, whether it is clothes or art or flowers, makes us happy. I read a lot of fashion magazines and spend time on websites of the finest department stores - Sak's, Bergdorf's, Neiman Marcus. On a day off, I might run up to Fashion Island and just look in the stores.
Rome in Love is your fifth book; what do you still like about writing? What do you look forward to the most about starting a new project?
Honestly, I love everything about writing. I love creating new characters and going with them on their journey. I become very involved and think about them all the time. I also feel like I am visiting the places I write about - Cannes, Rome, Lake Como, so it is like taking a holiday without leaving the house!
I love starting a new project because I love going somewhere new and creating new characters with new dilemmas. My next book, Island in the Sea: A Majorca Love Story, comes out next April. It is set in Majorca - a spectacular island off the coast of Spain!
The Thriver's Edge by Donna Stoneham, PhD offers seven key pieces of advice on how to identify your life's vision and how to make it a reality. Through personal experience and research, Stoneham's book offers a road map to moving from a mindset of struggle to one of thriving. I spoke with Stoneham about her inspirations for the book, how to use social media for your benefit, and what it takes to keep thriving.
First, let's begin with your inspirations. What led you to explore what it takes to move beyond just living to actually thriving?
Seventeen years ago, I was very ill and unable to work for more than two years. At the time, I was in graduate school, running two businesses, and consistently working eighty hour weeks driving my body like a long-haul truck. My sense of value and self-worth were based on how much money I made and what I produced. At the beginning of my illness, I suffered the loss of my mentor, Ellen, who had a pattern of working 24/7 and didn't' take care of herself, died suddenly at age 50 from a stroke. Two months after her death, she appeared one night in my dream riding on a bus cursing at the bus driver to let her off. He said, "Lady, this is your bus. It's too late to get off!" As the bus flew by, Ellen screamed this warning, "Donna, be careful which bus you get on!" Her advice in that dream was the catalyst that set me on the path to thriving, because I knew if I didn't heed her warning, I'd likely share her fate.
Tell me more about the concept of the Bright Shadow. Meditation led you to your Bright Shadow; how might others find theirs?
Simply stated, the dark shadow is the negative unconscious aspects of ourselves we project onto others. The bright shadow is the part of our psyche that holds our greatest potential that we unconsciously reject in ourselves. The best way to discover our own bright shadow is to stop believing we're not enough and constantly comparing ourselves to others. When we focus instead on living from a place of authenticity and creative expression that honors our most cherished values, our deepest longings, and the expression of our unique gifts, were able to manifest that potential. Discovering what's most essential to living a fulfilling life that brings you joy is the first place to start!
What would you say to someone who never even considered their life's purpose before?
In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice asks the Cat, "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" The Cat responds, "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to." Alice chimes back, "I don't much care where," to which the Cat replies, "Then it doesn't matter which way you go." The moral to this story is that even though it's possible to go through life without living one's purpose, it comes with a cost. Life isn't very meaningful and everyone loses out. Just imagine if people like Picasso, Maya Angelou, or the person you most looked up to growing up hadn't been living their purpose? I would encourage people who haven't looked inward to do that, so the world isn't deprived of their gifts!
You spoke of your illness and the death of your mentor, client, and friend as signposts for change for you. What clues should people be aware of to help them see when they are veering from their paths?
Inspiration or desperation are the two motivation that drive people to change. One of the things I often advise my coaching clients (and myself) is to trust your gut, or what I call your inner compass. Does the step you are about to take "feel" right in your body, even if it seems like the logical thing to do? A sense of listlessness or inertia is also something to watch for as a sign you may be off track, as well as feeling fatigued, unmotivated, or depressed. Making sure you're moving towards changes that provide greater wholeness and health, rather than running away from things you want to avoid is another good strategy that helps people stay on the path. Checking in regularly with your inner compass is critical to making sure you're still on the right bus!
One of the big moments for me in your book came in the chapter on resilience where you mention the concept of garbage in, garbage out with regards to too much media consumption. I know from my own experience balancing social media consumption often proves to be challenging. What tips do you have for others that need to cultivate more nourishing stimulation in their daily lives and less mindless or negative chatter?
Three of the most powerful words in the English language are, "Turn it off!" Easier said than done in our media-frenzied world, but if we don't hit the reset button periodically, we won't be as effective, present, or engaged with what matters most. This is where setting boundaries and maintaining a regular centering practice really helps. We need to create space each day to clear the clutter in our minds, and set boundaries on how much media and negative news we're willing to consume and how often. Meditating for even five minutes each day, reading inspiring and uplifting books, taking a walk outside and observing the beauty around us, and having face-to-face conversations like we did in the old days makes us feel better about the world and also helps diffuse the negativity and chatter.
Surely, this is a life-long journey to be self-aware and not just a destination. What do you do to maintain this mindset?
Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do." Self-awareness is much the same. It's something we have to commit to attending to each day, because it's true that we become what we practice. There are two things you need to practice regularly to keep thriving: 1) Take care of yourself (eat well, sleep enough, exercise regularly, meditate every day, and cultivate a support network you can depend on). 2) Take care of others (count your blessings, focus on thriving back, and practice paying it forward). As I say in my book, the journey of living life more fully becomes the end goal for people who thrive. I invite you to take the thriver's quiz and see where you land.
This book speaks deeply about your experience in eye health camps in Nepal and about giving back. What causes do you work with now? What does it take to start giving back?
I am a long-time supporter of Seva Foundation and help sponsor eye camps in developing countries every year. I'm also donating 25% of all my book sales to not-for-profit organizations who help people thrive, as well giving talks to not-for-profit donors and volunteers. In the fall, I will also be offering a monthly complimentary webinar on thriving. My dream is be a catalyst that inspires people to thrive and give back.
To start giving back, the question shifts from "What can I get?" to "What can I give?" There are hundreds of opportunities to give back every day. It can be as simple as paying the toll for the guy behind you on the freeway or spending five extra minutes really being present for your child.
One of the best parts of your book is how you pull in other resources to demonstrate your points. If someone wants to go deeper with this subject, what books or thinkers do you recommend they explore further?
These are a few of the resources I recommend to my coaching clients who are committed to thriving: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown, The Gift of Awakening by Mark Nepo, I Will Not Die an Unlived Life by Dawna Markova, Success Principles by Jack Canfield, What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith, True Refuge by Tara Brach, Building the Bridge as You Walk on It by Robert Quinn, andBuddha's Brain by Rick Hanson. There's also a great Mindfulness mediation appthat's easy to use and offers great meditations from wonderful teachers.
Susie Orman Schnall's novel, The Balance Project, follows the perils of the overworked assistant to America's Darling of Balance, Katherine. Both Lucy and Katherine's stories call into question whether or not women can have it all--both a successful work and family life. The Balance Project novel stemmed from Orman Schnall's interview series on the same subject about how people manage their work and personal lives. She just featured Reese Witherspoon as her 100th Balance Project interview!
What made you first interested in the concept of Balance and interested in Lucy's and Katherine's story?
I had been struggling with balance in my own life--how to be the type of mother that felt right for me while still being a professional. I couldn't figure out how to do both things really well, so I started asking other working women in the hope that I would figure out what I was doing wrong. In January 2014, I turned this questioning into an interview series, also called The Balance Project, in which I ask interesting and inspiring women how they handle work-life balance. I've learned so much from doing the interviews, and it became increasingly clear that this is something all women struggle with in some way or another. When I was figuring out what to write my second novel about, I decided I wanted to explore the topic through fiction and so The Balance Project novel was born. The reason I chose Lucy and Katherine as main characters (two women at very different stages in their careers) is because I wanted to show that no matter how old a woman is or her marital/maternal status, she can still struggle with work-life balance.
Lucy goes through some growing pains in this book; what does it take as an author to let your characters make mistakes?
I think it reflects the humanity of all of us. No one lives life in a completely linear way where one life stage or situation leads smoothly into the next. I wanted to reveal the truth that a woman like Lucy, who is at that stage of life when she's trying to figure out what kind of adult she wants to be, is on a journey filled with loads of obstacles and challenges. And it's the approach to those obstacles and the handling of them that makes Lucy--that makes all of us -- who we are. Making mistakes allows us to learn, move on, and, hopefully, evolve.
How does sharing ideas about balance in a blog and non-fiction setting differ from your work as a novelist? What do you learn from approaching the subject both ways?
There's certainly less writer's block with the interview series, which is refreshing! I love that I have two very different platforms through which to illustrate women's approach to balance. I started with the interviews so I took the findings that I learned from them and I used that data to inform Lucy and Katherine's (and, truly, all of the smaller players in the novel, as well) characters. The interviews allowed me to keep the novel real. I wasn't making up what women deal with. I used a composite of what real women told me and that became the basis for the struggles Lucy and Katherine face in the novel. I also love having the interviews because they keep the conversation going.
The Balance Project does a great job capturing our current technological milieu. What role do you think technology can play in both destroying and creating balance in our lives?
There is so much good about social media and technology, all of which has been described in countless articles. My concern with social media is that it makes us feel that there is some ideal -- shown through photos on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, etc. We can decide whether or not we buy into it or want to conform, but regardless of that decision, we become socialized through those images, they become the "normal," and it's difficult, even for women with the most willpower, to ignore the sense that we should be living up to the perfection. The noise can make us believe we should be living our lives a certain way rather than the way that is most authentic and that will result in the highest feelings of contentment and balance. Also, all those tempting stories of "The 10 Best Celeb Weddings" and "Why You Need This Smoothie Bowl in Your Life" are dangerously distracting. So I've heard.
If you had a magic balancing wand, what would you like to shift in your own life?
I'd like to destroy with a sharp machete the unfairly as well as unreasonably high expectations I have for myself that have been accumulating since I was a child. I'm getting much better at telling the voices to get a cappuccino and leave me alone, but they've built themselves a nice home in my brain and don't seem to be leaving anytime soon.
If you could write about anything and not worry about publication or getting it perfect, what would you write? Let me know in the comments section or on Twitter @brandigranett
Just in case you wanted some new music to jam on this summer, I'd like to make these offerings. Done by Frazey Ford and The River by Son Little.